One good thing about trolling comedians, they always know exactly how to respond.
New York City Pride recently announced the Grand Marshals for its annual Pride parade, scheduled for June 28.
It's quite a roster, featuring trans actress Dominique Jackson, drag star Peppermint, trans journalist and radio personality Bernie Wagenblast, activist group Gays Against Guns and SNL alum Bowen Yang.
Of course someone was gonna have an opinion on this lineup, and one of them tried to come for Yang in the comments of the announcement on Instagram.
And Yang, ever the seasoned comedian, had the perfect response. The troll demanded to know "why bowen," and Yang didn't miss a beat, quipping:
"showed hole to the board."
Perfect.
It's a strange question in the first place: Yang made history when he joined the SNL cast in 2019.
In a statement, NYC Pride wrote:
"Bowen Yang became a household name as the first Chinese-American cast member on Saturday Night Live in 2019."
"With that platform, he helped usher in an era of authentic queer humor in mainstream media, earning an Emmy® for writing and becoming the most-nominated Asian male performer in Emmy® history in the process."
The better question is "why not Bowen?"
Yang and fellow comedian Matt Rogers did have a bit of a controversy earlier this year on their podcast Las Culturistas, when Rogers insisted that donating to Texas House Representative Jasmine Crockett's Senate race was "wasting your money."
The backlash was swift, and Rogers and Yang were both quick to apologize for what many found to be an offensive dismissal of Crockett's candidacy against James Talarico, who ended up winning the primary.
Hard to argue that mistake precludes him from being considered an LGBTQ+ luminary, however.
In a statement, Yang said that for him, being part of the Pride parade is all about honoring the legacy of those who came before.
"Being a Grand Marshal in the city that helped me find my community and my voice is incredibly special. Marsha P. Johnson was fighting for all of us, and we owe it to her to keep up that fight today.”
He also jokingly urged attendees to drink plenty of water.
"The Pride March has held my best memories and also my most dehydrated. Please remember to drink water on the day."
Anyway, one troll aside, people were very excited about the lineup announced for the parade.
You can join the NYC Pride Parade yourself if you're in the area on the traditional last Saturday in June, and you don't have to show anything to do it—though you'll surely be welcome if you do!
