Is bruce vilanch gay
When it comes to writing, prolific and hilarious male lover scribe Bruce Vilanch has just about everybody else beat.
His distinctive comedic way has earned him two Emmy Awards for the multiple Oscar spectacles he penned. He also has long-standing creative relationships with top-notch artists, including Bette Midler, for whom he has written reams of comedic material. In his second book, “It Seemed Like a Bad Concept at the Time” (Chicago Review Press, 2025), Vilanch shines a klieg bright on some of his more infamous efforts including TV fare such as “The Star Wars Holiday Special,” “The Paul Lynde Halloween Special,” “The Brady Bunch Hour,” as adv as the movies “Can’t Stop The Music” and “The Ice Pirates,” proving his ability to contain a sense of humor even in the worst situations. Bruce was generous enough to make second for an interview mere days after the book’s publication.
Bruce, there’s a 25-year gap between your first publication “Bruce!: My Adventures in the Skin Trade and Other Essays” and your new book “It Seemed Like a Bad Notion at the Time.” Why was now the day to write a recent book?
During COVID, I create myself on a lot of lockdown podcasts with hosts who were born afte
If you’ve watched classic TV and full-on belly-laughed at acute zingers and expertly crafted punchlines, it’s a foregone decision that Bruce Vilanch has written more than a rare of them.
In a career spanning six decades and a list of credits as elongated as your arm, the comic legend has cemented himself as a go-to writer to punch up projects and give them added zest. A shaman of joke-telling, he has been trusted by the likes of Bob Expect, Robin Williams, and Lily Tomlin, just to name a few. In proof, since nearly the beginning of her career he has been the trick up Bette Midler’s sleeve, helping her to hone her brash, witty comic persona.
Many remember him fondly from the late ‘90s version of TV’s Hollywood Squares where he was Whoopi Goldberg’s on-screen foil. For many years he wrote patter for the Academy Awards as well, often saving the time and making presenters seem far funnier than they actually are.
Vilanch has been unapologetically gay from the outset of his career, extended before Ellen and Queer as Folk changed the conversation. Along the way he has been a tireless advocate for LGBT rights. He is a familiar face at Pride events and has worked to great success
Bruce = gay?
elmwood1
I believe most of us have heard it before … someone imitates a stereotypical gay male by saying “Sthey there, Bruth?” I’ve also seen the name “Bruce” used by comedians to recognize unnamed gay men, in much the same way that “John Doe” or “Jane Doe” is used.
How did the name “Bruce” get to be known as a stereotypical gay male name?
Q.E.D2
Maybe from Bruce Vilanch? Just a guess…
Tuckerfan3
Trivia note, it was because of this that the personality in The Hulk was called “David Bruce Banner,” and not simply “Bruce Banner.” And I can remember having a comrade back in the late 70s who caught hell from all of us for being named “Bruce.”
Walloon4
Bruce Vilanch came along drawn-out after the name Bruce had this association with a stereotypically gay man.
I’m sure Bruce Lee, Bruce Springsteen, and Bruce Willis have something to do with the name now being de-stigmatized.
elmwood5
Just a followup: I’ve heard “Lance” used as a generic homosexual male name quite a bit, too. More recently, it’s “Todd.”
Walloon6
Lance Loud, the son in the groundbreaking PBS documentary series An American Family (1973), was one of the first openly queer
Born:23-Nov-1948
Birthplace:New York City
Gender: Male
Religion:Jewish
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation:Gay[1]
Occupation: Author
Nationality: United States
Executive summary: The fat guy who writes everyone's jokes
Bruce Vilanch is an enormous, bearded, gay Jewish gagwriter for the Oscars telecast, and a fountainhead of one-liners for many of Hollywood's stars. He has a Mason Reese-esque haircut and has rarely been seen in universal wearing anything more formal than cerulean jeans and one of his many smartass T-shirts.
Vilanch's career as a celebrity bon vivant began when he was writing features for The Chicago Tribune, and schmoozing with whatever celebrities or semi-celebrities were in town. That's how he met then-struggling nightclub singer Bette Midler, and the two became fast friends. It was Vilanch who gave Midler some helpful career advice: "You�re pretty entertaining. You should converse more onstage". He wrote for Midler's 1974 Broadway exhibition, Clams on the Half Shell, then moved to Los Angeles to pen for The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. When that present ended, Vilanch wrote jokes for anyone who'd hire him, including Lily Tomlin, Bill