Reacting to 'Men on Football' - (In Living Color)

[@markolas1]

David Alan Grier was in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls and worked with a lot of black gay men. He drew most of his inspiration from that.

[@oscar-lo4hc]

P.S. He said so in an interview a few years ago.

[@flubblert]

They're a little *too* good at those roles. 😂🤣😭

[@WoodsintheBurg94]

The hollering in the background was the live audience. No laugh track. You don’t get it, in their world, women were competition for the men. They were acting like women competing with each other.

[@algregory6597]

Speaking to NPR in 2012, Grier explained the inspiration for his characterization: "I had already done Dreamgirls on Broadway, and being in a musical and working with other performers who were gay, I was privy to that vocabulary backstage. They were being themselves. So a lot of it was hijacked from what I heard in the theater and what was permeating around. Now at that time, if a gay person was going to read you - to tell you off - it was always accompanied by snaps. Now I don't know if it was a gay thing, but it was also a very black thing."

[@Antoine360]

Lol at this point you all should react to all the “men on…” skits there are several “men on books” “men on tv” etc

[@yogib37]

I think Daman Wayans and David Allen Grier were the funniest on that show. They fed off each other and great chemistry. Wayans is a very funny.

[@dancingwheels8494]

The Richard Gere rumor was such a thing back then that whenever that episode re-aired, they had to cut out the joke out of the skit about him. The Censors couldn't cut it out of the original show because that cut was part of a special Super Bowl episode where everything was done live during halftime. Nothing was pre-taped. Fun fact: that episode was so popular that it got much higher ratings than the Super Bowl halftime show performance. After that, the Super Bowl vowed to never let that happen again. So that's when they asked Michael Jackson to perform. Since then, the halftime Super Bowl performance always garners the most ratings.

[@christhornycroft3686]

Back when disabled people and gay people were represented in comedy. As a disabled guy, Handi-Man is my hero. Get ready for some awkward laughs with that one, but on behalf of the gimps, I give you guys full permission to laugh at the disabled superhero. Never underestimate the powers of the handicapped! Up up and away!

[@m16fermy]

As a non handicapped fellow he's my hero as well😅

[@laserwizard2]

I'm gay and those guys are hysterical. I knew of guys like that.

[@danzthename]

Man this takes me back. My friends and I used to quote In Living Color all the time back in school. That show was funny as hell!

[@Jelperman]

This sketch was shown live on FOX during the Bills-Redskins Super Bowl on CBS. So many people changed channels that for the next Super Bowl, NBC booked Michael Jackson to perform at halftime. Every Super Bowl since 1992 has had an extravagant halftime act because of this sketch.

[@roger1296]

That Richard Gere joke went right over your heads, didn’t it?!?! Lol!!!!😂😂😂😂

[@thepoeticbutcher3370]

….. I lived at the “Gerbil” time & it was just rumors(true or not) So can’t expect them to get a 20-30 year old rumor.

[@typadudes]

100% I thought it was a pretty woman reference lol - Joe

[@476429]

I wonder if they know the Rod Stewart rumor from the time.

[@thepoeticbutcher3370]

@@476429 …..exactly😊

[@asherdash12]

​@@476429🤢🤢oh no not that again lol.

[@Lensmaster1]

Until the early nineties the super bowl halftime show was a routine themed halftime show. This sketch was part of a live football themed In Living Color episode that was done during the Super Bowl halftime show in 1992, as counter programming. It drew a lot of yours from the game broadcast. The NFL realized they needed to improve the entertainment during halftime and the next year they booked Michael Jackson for his famous half time show.

[@howardmoore1332]

"In Living Color" came on Sundays on Fox and when the Super Bowl was being broadcast that year on CBS, they did a special "In Living Color" that came on when the Super Bowl was in half-time and it was broadcast live. I remember my friends and I turning from the Super Bowl at half-time to watch it, especially "Men On Football". Hilarious! Thanks for the memories!

[@pauldavis1963]

@ 1:12 .. RIP Dick Butkus

[@beroskiwhitehead5875]

And this what started the halftime shows we have today

[@lightningbug276]

The power of humor to break tension and break down walls is amazing.❤

[@edwinbrown4804]

You guy's should review the Flip Wilson show. from the 70's. His character Geraldine is too funny!😎

[@orange222...]

I used to love that show when I was young. I just saw it on TV at night and it was absolutely terrible.

[@e-sixxrms5445]

Y’all are killing me with the saying” not that there’s anything wrong with that” 😂😂😂 remind of the Seinfeld s4ep17 interview scene 😂😂😂😂

[@roger1296]

So many cultural references for that time…the rumors forever was that Carl Lewis was gay…the Richard Gere joke…I’m queer, and I can vouch the queer community loves these two sketch characters.

[@DavidSmith-ez4pk]

My favorite episode was "Men on Fitness", killer funny!

[@orange222...]

just wondering why you call yourself queer. I only know that as a derogatory term.

[@DavidSmith-ez4pk]

@@orange222... I find it offensive too, but I'm old. Current thinking is that if one owns the "Queer" ID then it's no longer derogatory. Then there's the "I can call myself that but one one else can" thing.

[@orange222...]

@@DavidSmith-ez4pk guess thats true with a few words but I don't get the logic. Just don't say it, why play around trying to make it ok, or ok for some. What's the logic behind that. Many words aren't used anymore, they just go out of style.

[@DavidSmith-ez4pk]

@@orange222... You used more words than I did. Odd. I just commented that some use it to claim it and render it ineffective to THEM. I didn't say it was ok, I dislike the word. Others don't.

[@Ollie-h1n]

About David Alan Grier. He got his start in the early '80's in NYC in Dreamgirls, the play. A lot of gay Black men involved in it. He said he remembered them and got the language, mannerisms, etc all from them.

[@Sunset553]

That was the best Superbowl halftime show I ever experienced. I laughed, I laughed, I laughed. And then I laughed.

[@marlon-eric]

The guy on the right always is just so tickled lol his sense of humor is awesome

[@joeblow8206]

Twon... Don't get mad

[@tbrrrdmn]

Idk if this was mentioned in ur requests but this was an actual event. They took went LIVE during the Super Bowl at halftime so everyone had to change channels to watch. That's y Damon was breaking.😂

[@doctorj6030]

The Men on Movies & Football were an exaggerated & hilarious take on gay men. They didn't hate women, just not attracted.

[@roger1296]

If you wanna know, search the words: Richard Gere and gerbil.😂 none of it is true, but that story had a life of its own.

[@amyz2837]

Funny how conspiracies and rumors still managed to spread before the internet. We all heard that story.

[@mistab24]

These two and Wanda were hilarious characters.

[@Kim-427]

Did anyone tell you that this was Keenan Wayans show? He was the writer among others of many of the skits on this show. Thats why Damon,Shawn and Kim Wayans were apart of the cast. And the gay swipes at women is old news. Thats why they call us “fish” lol

[@RL20066]

as a gay man who saw this when it aired this one was my fave episode. I loved them all and forgot how funny they were.

[@MiguelLopez-is9te]

It's interesting. As a 51 year-old gay man, I still love this. But so many younger gay men are offended by it.

[@toshiojohnston3732]

They dont make gay men like they used too.

[@lewistasso8866]

Thank you, gentlemen for bringing back fun memories of my youth, going to Super Bowl parties hanging out with friends who have since grown up, got married, moved away, and have young adult kids. Those were days when funny was funny.

[@dancingwheels8494]

David Allen Grier got a lot of the lingo from gay friends of his that he used to do theater and Broadway shows.

[@JD_ATX]

A television program, even a sketch comedy series, could not get away with this content today ... thank gawd I grew up in the 1980s. The Richard Gere and Carl Lewis jokes are nearly as old as I am yet they made them funny all over again. Being of the LBGQT community, you'd think this content would offend me but I adore how refreshing (and brutally honest) it is. 😃

[@Sunset553]

About men who don’t want women around, I was not surprised. I certainly have seen that dynamic in part of San Francisco. I am friendly to gay men and have a sister who is a lesbian. It’s hard to explain, but being in the Castro as a young woman is the closest I’ll be to being invisible as a person, as a customer, as someone trying to get someone’s attention so I could find someone else. I understand it can be a high pressure place where everyone feels self conscious though and might not want to be seen talking to a woman. Then visiting with my sister, she can live forever without contact with the male variety of the human species. Everything has to be all women everything all the time, and I had no idea how annoyed I could be by groups of just women until we went from one thing to another of women women women. When she said, and this Saturday, there’s a women’s festival of about 3000, I thought I can’t take it anymore! Luckily she had a logical explanation that it’s because I’m an Aries and need the presence of male energy. Yeah sure whatever, as long as I don’t have to be festive with 3000 women. So anyway, although I haven’t heard people say insulting terms about the other sex, I have seen men living without women in their lives, and vice versa, although I only saw very small samples of each side. It’s not realistic for life once people need to incorporate families, though. It seems to be for people who have left their family groups or while they’re dating.

[@toshiojohnston3732]

Because only men have womb and penis envy women just womb envy.

[@anthonywroblewski1802]

You guys missed the cultural reference to the red hanky in the right pocket and the yellow hanky in the left.Google it.

[@kanealoha]

I caught that too. Missed it 100%. Man, what a funny sketch. Could not stop laughing!!

[@jdubb007]

I'm pretty sure this skit was from the episode was that was broadcast live during the Super Bowl halftime. This was before the Super Bowl halftime was a big production. The episode drew 20 something million views as people switched over to it from the game during halftime . The next year Michael Jackson performed at halftime and the halftime show has been big production since.

[@remoney]

Felipe is part of the family?! Welcome to the family. This deserves two snaps and a downlow dip.

[@michaeltipton5500]

That was such a crazy show.

[@SixteenThirtyFive]

This is also where JLo got her start!

[@GoWestYoungMan]

it's not about resentment to women. They were poking fun at how much gay male attention is focused on other men to the exclusion of everything else. They're also poking fun at how much focus there is on sex. Women aren't sexually appealing to gay men so their attention moves on to something else (men) often in a matter of seconds. It's not that they don't value women (most gay men have female friends) but they also know they're guilty of doing this. It's a bit of a running joke,

[@redrum482]

Mind blowing satire. Sooooo good.

[@Lensmaster1]

These characters don't hate women. The joke in the sketches is that they are looking for things that sexually attract them, and women do not. So the characters probably have women best friends, but when watching movies or sports, or whatever they are reviewing, they want to see men.

[@lowprofile513]

They showed this during halftime of the Super Bowl that year on Fox.

[@bobcarn]

I remember that when it aired. My partner and I weren't into the Superbowl, and we loved In Living Color, so we got a huge kick out of this when it aired. And yeah, it was live. Those two really captured queer culture in those characters. My partner and I loved that show!

[@kanealoha]

That was fantastic. Such talent - great jokes and I didn’t know Filipe (I’d like to suggest his new nickname “Osito”)played for my team 😅

[@carlfraley9885]

I always thought Joe was the "switch-hitter" 🤣🤣

[@johnglue1744]

If I am not mistaken this was live during the Super Bowl halftime. Fox used to do that when they didn't have the game broadcast.

[@476429]

Speaking of "not that there's anything wrong with it", you guys need to react to that episode of Seinfeld or at least clips from it. The episode title is "The Outing". It's one of the all-time best episodes of Seinfeld.

[@OllieBivins]

I remember this. The controversial decision was made by Fox to forgo the regular halftime show and show this live on the jumbo screen in the stadium. Hence the men standing around watching in the stadium at the very end. Was also shown live on TV. The viewership was HUGE. Carl Lewis was very upset. He sued.

[@Marcus-Oh-really-yes]

Too funny! I recommend their "Men on Fitness" next. 🙂

[@Ed-jv3xu]

It’s a live audience bro

[@breebarry4422]

Do you know how much of this flew over a lot of our heads😂😂😂

[@bensilberman4912]

Joe's intros to these videos are always so endearingly awkward. I love it!

[@flu4pdmt]

I'm gay and this was extremely hysterical!!! The whole point of the comedy is to laugh at yourself; there is no way you could do this today.

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

The "Flags in the back pockets" jokes went right over your heads, it was obvious LOL!!!

[@maddydigrazia1]

For ALL Glad you felt and understood the humor xo

[@CG68810]

David Alan Grier is such an incredible actor. He is so underrated. He didn't get the attention that Jim Carey & Jamie Fox did.

[@robsambosky6444]

I admre you guys finding humor is those great skits.

[@corneliousbrackens9849]

It's all just stereotypes it's what they think gats act like.

[@dancingwheels8494]

The issue with women in the sketches wasn't that deep back then. The reason they disliked talking about women is because they were would much rather talk about men in a romantic and sexual way. They didn't dislike women. They had no interest in women, in any sense lol.

[@lnwolf41]

I was actually watching the Superbowl, and half time we switched to this show, just for this skit. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JohnDoe-zr8pc]

This aired live during halftime of Super Bowl 26, and actually beat out the actual Super Bowl halftime show in ratings. You could get away with A LOT on tv back then.

[@marke7441]

I think the discussions about what you’re confused about is very interesting and healthy.

[@cmnyc4286]

You guys are missing out on MadTV!! Both In Living Color & MadTV are so much funnier than SNL. My fav is MadTV- S0805 - Ms. Campbell @ Fast Food Lawsuit

[@brachiator1]

Some of this conversation is unintentionally funny. Part of the joke of the "Men On..." skits is that they are representing a "man's point of view," not a gay point of view. Or you could say that "hyper-masculinity" is closeted gayness. The skit makes fun of men who hang out with their buddies, maybe watching videos, with no wimmins around.

[@Tarkus_]

You're over thinking the "hated it" stuff towards women. They're just being over the top with emphasising that they're only interested in men. It's nothing more than that.

[@perdidoatlantic]

There’s one where Lane turns straight.

[@jdsthird]

I’m still waiting on y’all to react to Benita Betrayal from In Living Color. Get ready to EXPLODE 💥 with laughter.

[@armyveteran69]

they should have a master class on character development

[@ToniHunterOne]

First remember this is comedy. Deconstructing the show too much takes the piss out of it. Not to mention the laughter. Part of it is jealousy. They dont want beautiful women around because they might take away their beautiful mens. 😂 😅 ❤

[@patriciaburton1697]

Daman Wayans as Homey the Clown. 😂.

[@kriswoods7051]

The Men On characters aren't wild about women, and I'm sure there are some gay men that don't care for women, but I don't think that's a general feeling. I think it was really just a running laugh line for them, more than anything.

[@demetriusbean8931]

Being that it was Men n Film r Men n Football they leaned into showing love for male than females n lustful way. They show love n a friendship way toward women. U should find the clip where Damon Wayans flips his 'love' when he get hit on the head.

[@ToniHunterOne]

PJ you look puzzled at the comment about Joe Namath and and his pantyhose they were actually really strong support hose but they were ladies hose and he wore he said he wore them because they helped him with leg cramps and things that they there was a purpose the reason why you got them and so that's it.

[@thepuffinburrow]

You had to be alive and aware at that time to get the richard gere joke 😅

[@unitedworld6618]

Could hear you but the TV was not loud enough

[@Lia2222]

I loved that show

[@joemalone7174]

Celebrity's would get upset when they would make fun of them on this show.

[@RaLeaChaddle-kq9gi]

Black men were used on these shows because they were easier pickings for taking these roles. Just a fact. No ill will. Truly a fact

[@LillyLillyLillyLillyLillyLilly]

Just generally, especially with the sitcom reviews where you’ve got the best of Al Bundy the best of this the best of that I think you’re losing a whole lot that you could react to get a lot of it deals with how the situation’s came to be the set up and then the end result you’re just missing a whole Lotta Contant and you might want to think about that for future reactions I only just found you and as a reaction channel is interesting to see your take on everything remember that TV viewing was very rigid when I was growing up in the late 60s and 70s at 6 o’clock you usually probably had dinner along with the local news being on and the national news video as a child. My bedtime was when I was little I’m talking all the way through third grade was 8 PM that’s what time bedtime once as I got into middle school was extended to 9 PM and then once I was in high school it was much much later I don’t really remember what was on at the 7 o’clock hour. I don’t think we’ll of fortune or Jeopardy were on with those particular time so I just don’t remember but like I said once I got a little bit older I was allowed to watch TV from eight to 9 o’clock and then it was bedtime now I wasn’t even allowed to watch Charlie’s Angels. It was too risky and came on too late at night. That doesn’t mean that some of my class weren’t talking about Charlie’s Angels. I desperately wanted to be part of that conversation, but in my household, that was a big no. I really don’t remember watching TV on Saturdays because we were always outside playing raking leaves or doing something like that we were not inside and this especially was true in the summer; you got out of bed you had some cereal you went outside and you may spend anywhere from 4 to 5 hours playing softball, riding bikes, skateboards, whatever but you were not inside. After that we’re the baths. on Saturday nights you watched Hee Haw. Remember that we only had three TV channels that was it and Daddy controlled the one TV in the house. I was the designated remote control that changed the channels. And what was watched Saturday night it was Hee Haw! I hated that show! I don’t remember what came on after that. On Sunday afternoons after church you could turn into ABC’s wide world of sports and that was about the only decent thing on. I knew a lot about sports and we fall the Olympics when I was a kid. It was a big deal then after that you had Sunday evening church and came home and watch Mutual of Omaha‘s wild kingdom and the wonderful world of Disney weekly movie. Monday morning rolled around and you did it all over again. Remember there were no cell phones and you had to wait until after 7pm for the rates to go down to afford a long distance call. The telephone bill was gone over with with a fine tooth comb my daddy, to ensure that no unnecessary phone calls were being made. Having a dispute with the telephone company was a kin to having a root canal. Know if you had to stay home sick you are the king and the queen of the TV and you got to watch as many game shows as you could stomach. Unless of course, there was a major national event going on that required that all three channels show the same thing this happened to me once in a year where I was plagued with very bad in sinus infections. Whatever you wanna call him I was too sick to go to school on, so I had to stay home that one year or that that.

[@LillyLillyLillyLillyLillyLilly]

Now being homesick was a different experience all together, depending on how sick you were you either spent all day at the doctor or you were the king and the queen of the sofa and you got to watch any kind of TV that you wanted just as long as you stayed still, you would digest all of the game shows that you could stomach unless there was a national event going on that made all three channels tune in and view the same thing. That particular year the pope passed away and TV coverage was consumed by the voting going on at the Vatican to elect a new Pontiff. That’s all that was on! fast forward two weeks, and I was sick as a dog again and don’t you know that pope died too and they had to do this all that crazy voting again, until either the black, or the white smoke came out of the chimney of the Vatican. I don’t remember what was good smoke, black or white I griped about that for weeks on end about how I had to stay on the couch and watch the voting in Rome of a pope being elected you’d of thought I was the one that died! So enough about me going down memory lane! The memories remembering about how much technology and that it’s four in the morning Eastern standard time where I am right now I’m talking on the phone watching you guys react to an old in living color video. times have certainly changed!

[@klb9142]

👍🏽

[@dannygaines1352]

Jim Carrey was outrageous on that show. Homie the clown and others. Fox network was new back then.

[@MarcusCiambelli]

Yay!!! 😅😊

[@OllieBivins]

They are referencing penis size when talking about the football jersey numbers!

[@athenagriego4561]

Requisite lol

[@chrischar9428]

Nice nice nice echo echo echo

[@BlueJax86]

You guys need to stop trying to be so politically correct. This is humor. I was around when All in the Family was #1 show for 5 years and won 22 Emmies, it's all good!

[@athenagriego4561]

Were you guys even born when this show came out? lol stop being so serious lol lighten up its a comedy lol

[@SWLinPHX]

You can't assume that they're gay based on stereotypes. All we really know is that they critique different topics in their own style.

[@SamuelYoung-xe5bq]

The gay bits r not funny

[@sugarspice1689]

Yes it is....lol

[@SamuelYoung-xe5bq]

Enough of the gay bits to much not funny

[@sugarspice1689]

Who forcing you to watch?

[@jaysonshift4392]

LOL The Wayans grew up in Chelsea the gay mecca for young muscle clad trendy gay men so finding influences I'm sure was absolutely no problem at all lol