Dan Levy is opening up about the homophobia he faced during his early days in the entertainment industry.
The multi-Emmy-winning actor, director and producer of “Schitt’s Creek” is often celebrated for his work and how he has helped LGBTQ youth across the world to feel recognized, inspired, and empowered.
But when he first started out in television — as a co-host on MTV Canada’s “The After Show”— he “didn’t feel particularly free” to be an out-and-proud member of the LGBTQ community.
Levy — who was honored by GLAAD in 2019 for moving “LGBTQ visibility on television forward in humorous, compelling, and necessary ways” — recalled his early days on MTV speaking with his former “The After Show” co-host Jessi Cruickshank.
The two friends reunited for the premiere episode of the “Phone a Friend with Jessi Cruickshank” podcast, which first aired Thursday.
Even though Levy was out during his MTV days, he said he didn’t feel comfortable being open about his sexuality at work. He also recalled an episode when he was the target of a homophobic joke.
“I remember walking into work one day and someone asked me what I did on the weekend,” he said. “I said, ‘Well, I installed a dimmer switch in my apartment.’ And that person said, ‘Wow, it’s almost like you’re a real man.’”
Despite knowing that the incident wasn’t “right,” he said there was nothing he could do. “At the time, there was no sensitivity, and there was nobody to go to because it was a different time,” the Toronto-born star, 39, said.
“We didn’t have the sensitivity, I think, that we do now, at least around people’s coming out and the fact that it’s an incredibly personal experience,” he added.
That different sensibility might have led some LGBTQ people to want to hide who they were.
“So, when you do feel like there’s this hunt to out gay people of note in culture, it almost makes you want to hide even more because you don’t want to draw any attention to yourself,” he added.
It all changed after Levy reached international fame for his role as the ultra-chic, post-wealth, openly pansexual David Rose in the Emmy-winning series “Schitt’s Creek.”
In 2020, Levy was honored by the Human Rights Campaign for “moving LGBTQ visibility forward by inspiring us to embrace all of who we are.”
After the series finale, in April of that year, Levy and the cast of the show broke down in tears after reading a letter signed by a group of more than 1,800 mothers of LGBTQ kids expressing gratitude about the show’s hopeful message of acceptance.
“We sincerely believe that shows like ‘Schitt’s Creek’ will serve as a catalyst to help change the world into a kinder, safer, more loving place for all LGBTQ people to live, and because of that, we will remain forever grateful,” the mothers wrote.
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