Saturday Night Live boss Lorne Michaels is facing some serious accusations from a veteran actor who claims being gay kept him from getting an SNL audition. And it's not the first time the topic has come up regarding Michaels.
Former Groundlings member Tim Bagley discussed Saturday Night Live during an appearance on The Julia Cunningham Show. Bagley claimed that despite his success with the improv group, he never got the opportunity to audition for Saturday Night Live.
Bagley said the reason was because he "was out as a gay man.” He went on to say that it was widely known SNL "would not hire openly gay people."
“All my friends did, and I was always kind of a standout at The Groundlings, but I was out,” Bagley, 67, said. “That’s the problem with being out back then was there were no guardrails. I mean, if somebody didn’t want to have you on their show,” they didn’t have to, he explained. “They weren’t trying to seek out, you know, LGBTQ people back then.”
Landing a spot on Saturday Night Live would have been the biggest gig of Bagley's career. However, the veteran actor has been a mainstain in entertainment since the early '90s.
His credits include Seinfeld, Austin Powers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Strip Mall, Monk, Web Therapy, Teachers, Will & Grace, and Grace and Frankie.
Bagley's comments echo a similar sentiment shared by actor James Adomian in 2018. Adomian, who has made notable appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, said "it certainly didn’t help that I was openly gay,” regarding his failed SNL auditions in the early 2000s. “I think that Lorne Michaels is afraid of America’s dads.”
Saturday Night Live's LGBTQ cast members
Despite speculation that Lorne Michaels avoids hiring gay cast members, the show has a history of LGBTQ cast members during its 50 years on the air.
Denny Dillon, Terry Sweeney, and Danitra Vance all appeared on SNL within the show's first 11 seasons. Kate McKinnon, John Milhiser, Sasheer Zamata, Bowen Yang, Punkie Johnson, and Molly Kearney followed.
Bagley shared his thoughts on where SNL stands today. “Bowen Yang is there now, and it’s taken quite a long time … he was the actual first conscious, you know, gay person hired,” he said. “It’s taken a long time, but the SNL machine has kind of changed or shifted, and I know that there are people that have come out since.”