Viral comedian Randy Rainbow is used to conducting fake interviews all on his own. But on Thursday (April 21), he sat down with Joy Reid to spill the tea on the latest headlines.
In a new interview on MSNBC, Reid spoke with Rainbow about his new book, Playing With Myself, and how he rose to fame for his gut-busting political YouTube song parodies. First, the pair talked about the fact that, yes, his family name is actually Rainbow, and how when his ancestors immigrated to America, they kept the meaning of their name intact.
“It’s a direct translation of the word ‘rainbow,’ so it was kind of already anglicized.” the singer said of his family’s former name. “Had it not been changed already, it likely would have been changed to something like Rabinowitz. But it wasn’t. It was Rainbow, and I had to become a gay show queen.”
Reid then spoke to Rainbow about his upbringing in Florida, before asking the comedian for his thoughts on the state’s recently passed “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which bars public schools from speaking openly about sexuality or gender identity in the classroom. “It’s just reprehensible, and they twist it into this pretzel to make their argument,” he said of the lawmakers who created the legislation. “It’s just dog whistles and political nonsense.”
Continuing, Rainbow spoke about how lawmakers were either clueless or uncaring about the negative impact the bill could inevitably have on LGBTQ youth in the state. “I don’t think they understand the consequences it has, and the effect it has on kids, like I was, who are struggling with their identities and already don’t feel safe in their environments,” he said. “It’s really just a horror. I have a lot of young kids and parents of young kids … and they find a lot of therapeutic to what I do, which was a nice surprise to me.”
Earlier in April, Rainbow released a new parody video blasting the Florida legislation. The comedian kicks off the visual — simply titled “Gay!” — with a mock interview with Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis, before launching into a spoof of Once Upon a Matress‘s “Shy,” during which he repeatedly says the word “gay.”
Check out Rainbow’s full interview with Reid below, where the two chat about their favorite musicals, the singer’s upbringing and more.