Glitter and Be Gay

[Geee]

American Spectator:

I was immersed in the Supreme Court's decision on health care when Anderson Cooper upstaged Chief Justice John Roberts with the announcement that he is gay. Pretty much everyone in America was as stunned as I was. What a week. I recently learned that Truman Capote was also gay. You just never can tell these days.

The New York Times story says that Cooper's "announcement makes him the most prominent openly gay journalist on American television," leading to a lot of speculation by viewers about who the lesser known gays on TV news might be. I have my own hunches and, thanks to Cooper coming out at last, I now feel at liberty to reveal them:

Walter Cronkite was forced to remain in the closet lest it be known that he was a transsexual who spent much of his time off camera in women's closets. He was famous for doing a female strip tease at parties, but few realized that he also often dressed up like Carmen Miranda for a night on the town. As for Chet Huntley and David Brinkley -- "Good night, David"…"Good night, Chet." Need I say more?

Rachel Maddow has made it not jut OK but fashionable to be a gay talk show host, so one wonders how long it will be until David Letterman and Jay Leno finally fess up to their own sexual identities. The pressure is now on for gays in positions of power on TV to consider coming out, especially those with shows in ratings trouble, as Brian Stelter writes in the Times on Cooper's announcement. Look for Conan O'Brien, whose late night show is not doing too well, to make a startling announcement shortly.

Stelter notes, "The daytime talk format seemingly demands hosts to come forward with the personal details of their lives." Ellen DeGeneres broke TV's "lesbo glass ceiling," as TV industry insiders call it, and it didn't hurt her any, nor Rosie O'Donnell. Maddow is adamant on the subject, telling the Times: "I do think that if you're gay you have a responsibility to come out," which is sure to help push gays out of the apparently crowded video closet. Are you listening, Matt Lauer? Al Roker? Had only Ann Curry claimed she was gay, she might still be the Today co-host.