Ohio’s Weekly Newspaper for the Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered community Volume 19, Issue 20 • November 14, 2003

Scary, but funny times
Comic Jason Stuart worries about the nation
by Kaizaad Kotwal

Columbus – Jason Stuart is thrilled to be the first openly gay comic to perform at the Funny Bone, but he is concerned about the nation.

Stuart was just leaving his salon in Los Angeles after a haircut and a healthy dose of political chat when he paused for an interview by phone. One thing emerges over many conversations with him: he is certainly a very political person. He is also consistently hilarious.

"This is a scary time in our history," he began, referring to the current Bush administration and their actions to date, both domestically and internationally.

Talking about the California recall which Arnold Schwarzenegger won, Stuart said, "I am a diehard Democrat and I voted against the recall."

"I am amazed," he continued, "that we spent 23 million dollars we did not have. I am an actor and a comedian and have never been in the habit of spending more money than I have had."

Not that Stuart was a huge fan of present governor Gray Davis. "I don’t see how Arnold will be worse than Gray," he said, "because they both are of the privileged sort and don’t understand the problems you and I have."

Stuart is set to headline the Funny Bone Comedy Club in Columbus from November 19-23 with his latest stand up comedy show, "My Big Fat Gay Jewish Comedy Tour."

He just completed a co-starring role with Faye Dunaway in the movie Kill Switch, an independent film in which he plays an Geraldo-esque talk show host who ambushes Dunaway’s character on a TV show. The film also stars Sean Young (Blade Runner, Ace Ventura) and Tony Goldwyn (Ghost).

Dunaway has an almost mythological reputation for being a difficult actress, but Stuart said she was "nothing but professional and great."

"She was on the set in character," he said, "and she was like Superman to my Lois Lane. She put her arm around me and we flew as actors working together on a scene."

Stuart is known for his recurring role as Dr. Thomas, the gay shrink on the ABC sitcom My Wife & Kids starring Damon Wayans.

"I loved that role," Stuart said, "because here was a gay character telling straight couples what to do to better their relationships."

He’s also appeared on Will & Grace, The Drew Carey Show, Charmed, Providence, Murder, She Wrote and HBO’s Gia with Angelina Jolie.

Stuart said that, although he loved the Will & Grace cast who were very gracious and professional, the editing process left much to be desired.

"It’s like being on Survivor," he joked. "They cut and cut till you’re practically not there." He said Will & Grace is a "very tight ship with people aboard who really appreciate their success and fame." He found that Damon Wayans allowed him to "be more funny, be more creative" during the process of shooting, though.

Recently, Stuart had a dramatic role in an episode of the Lifetime Network’s series Strong Medicine, which is produced by Whoopi Goldberg. Stuart plays the role of a host on a cooking program.

Last year Jason completed a dramatic role in another indie film, Letting Go, by filmmaker Barbara Daoust, playing the role of a man in the late 1980s who finds out he is HIV-positive and decides to die with dignity and grace.

Stuart said, "I have been looking forward to doing some serious work and growing as an artist and an actor."

Stuart, as star and producer, and Michael Gallant, as producer and director, won the Best Picture Award at the Barcelona Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for their film 10 Attitudes last summer. The romantic comedy co-stars Alexandra Paul, comedienne Judy Tenuta, David Faustino, Sean Kanan, Lydia Nicole, Sheila Kay, Mitch Hara, Scott Kennedy and Jim J. Bullock. Stuart said that the film will be released by the end of the year.

Stuart describes this film as a "Julia Roberts meets Woody Allen meets MTV’s Real World kind of film and it asks the question: Can a real gay guy find true love in L.A.?"

Before his Columbus shows, Stuart will be cruising. Not for a pickup, but performing on a ship in the Caribbean for ten days. The cruise, not a gay one, was looking for "someone who appealed to both straight and gay audiences alike," said Stuart.

"So by the time I come to Columbus," he joked, "I will look fabulous!"

Stuart is constantly working on new material and the "Big Fat Gay Comedy Tour" will not flinch from the controversial stuff like war and Osama bin Laden.

"Really," he said, "what is wrong with our intelligence when they can’t find bin Laden, a six-foot-three guy attached to a dialysis machine?"

He will also include material about his parents, about dating, and also about getting older--"I hate it! It’s the worst!" He acknowledges that he looks better than he has ever looked, but he still abhors the idea of aging.

Stuart has also always been very open about his relationships and his desire "to find a husband." Currently single, Stuart said he longs for the day when he can find his mate so that he can finally sing the popular tune, "I Finally Found Someone."

Getting back to politics, I asked him if President Bush has a good chance of getting re-elected.
"Gosh I hope not!" he exclaimed with a gasp. "I have no idea what any gay man will want with more of any kind of bush for four more years."

Catch Jason Stuart November 19-22 at the Funny Bone Comedy Club at Easton Town Center in Columbus; call 614-471?5653.

Metro Source June/July/August 2002

He's the kindly therapist from My Wife and Kids, the confrontational nightclub manager on Will and Grace and has played a slew of memorable characters in film and TV. Having recently produced and starred in his own film, Ten Attitudes, which will have a limited release this year, Stuart fielded questions while dealing with the housekeeper, working out and driving through his star-studded neighborhood.

You’re like the gay Ms. America. You know everyone, go everywhere and have pictures with every celebrity in town. When will we uncover the artsy nudes you did in college?

There are no nudes. And I really don't want to be a woman. I'm your average Joe gay guy. Don't get me wrong. I'm a big supporter of drag queens.

I’m sure they're glad to hear it.

Really, I admire what they've done for us with Stonewall and all. I just don't know why you have to wear a dress to be funny. That's where the title of my CD, Gay Comedy Without a Dress, comes from. We need to support not only drag queens, but funny gay guys, too.

Okay, we get it. No dresses. So speaking of funny gay guys, I hear you're in a new Will & Grace, tormenting Jack.

Yes, Joan Crawford and I are...Joan Crawford...why did I say that? Glenn Close! I meant Glenn Close...which is almost the same thing. Anyway we were both on and I was thinking because we're both on show, I'll probably get cut.

Because you're such similar types.

No! Because that show is like Survivor. You start out having all these scenes and, in the end, you're lucky if you make it in the episode.

I also understand you were in bed with Damon Wayans recently.

Yes, it was incredible. It's a very funny episode of My Wife and Kids. Damon's character puts his back out and his wife assumes it's psychosomatic. So she gets me to come over and check on him. I was standing by the bed while we were rehearsing it and I said, “I'm just going to get in with him.”

I see you're campaigning for a love interest on the show.

I have one; he's just never been seen. My fantasy would be Esai Morales from NYPD Blue.

So you're playing a therapist and, as you know, Hollywoods power couples are dropping like towels in a steam room. Give us some advice for the ones who are still around.

I say, if you have a problem...just shut up about it! We all have problems. Terrible things that happen to us, but there’s no reason to share your pain with the whole country.

So you didn’t shed a tear over any of them ?

When Tom and Nicole broke up I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats. And then there was Ellen and Anne and Melissa and Julie. All of the sudden, there were U-hauls driving all over LA looking for a place to park. Right now I'm passing Faye Dunaway's house. She's outside spraying one of her trash cans and screaming at her maid.

She is not! You're Lying!

Okay, well we do have the same UPS guy.

Speaking of packages. What’s with the pictures of you in your underwear on your Website.

You make me sound so bad...You're trying to make me out to be something I'm not. I want to be like Carol Burnett...

Ha! Carol Burnett is a woman! You said you didn't want to be a woman.

That's it! I'm hanging up!

What is it? Is it the housedress and the mop you're craving?

You're old and you're bitter!

I’m old? I'm 32. How old are you?

What? That...I have no idea. Don’t bother me with little questions. I thought you didn't want me to talk about my web site.

No, it’s fine. You've got an enormous site. It’s bigger than Amazon. com.

Look at that, you're trying to make me feel bad. Make me pay for being a success why don't you! I just think it's all so cool and I'm excited about it.

Did you do the site yourself?

I have a fan in Houston...

Just the one?

You're a bitchy, angry, negative man....so are you single?

—Bosie Crawford
You may e-mail Bosie at bcrawford@metrosource.com.

The Advocate April 30, 2002

Damon Wayans has a new therapist, and he's gay. On the hit series My Wife and Kids, now in its second season on ABC, Wayans and TV bride Tisha Campbell-Martin have been searching for the right shrink. It seems they've found one in out actor-comic Jason Stuart. Stuart, whose character appeared in a single episode last season, has been asked to portray the therapist as a recurring role.
”The show is a family show, and I think they needed some spice in the oat-meal," says Stuart. "They needed something to jazz up the show to get different kinds of viewers."

With Stuart's episodes airing during the critical period of May sweeps, a gay therapist could be just what the ratings doctor ordered. Yet one can't help but wonder if Stuart's therapist will be subjugated to the same stereotypical (albeit hilarious) brand of humor Wayans displayed with his outrageously fey "Men on Film" characters on In Living Color.

Stuart, who paid his dues as an openly gay stand-up comic, understands breaking the rules of political correctness for comedy. "It was very stereotypical," Stuart says in acknowledging Wayans's portrayal of gays. "But if you look at the show, that's everything that they did. When they did the Homeboy Shopping Network, the black cornmunity went nuts. They skewered everyone."

Stuart and Wayans met when starting out in stand-up. "We auditioned for the Comedy Store the same night," says Stuart. "So I've known him 18 years. Since we were babies. I used to drive him home because he didn't have a car." When it came to casting the gay therapist Wayans immediately thought of his old friend. Stuart proudly notes, "I didn't audition for this part. I was offered it."

He's also happy with the development of the character and his sexuality. "This guy is really sweet, and he really, really wants to help people. But he can't stop talking about his own relationship," Stuart explains. "It was wonderfully written and I've done a lot of sitcoms."

Stuart's done a lot of television, period. He's been seen on Charmed, Providence, Three Sisters, The Drew Carey Show, and is set for an upcoming guest appearance on Will & Grace. But he concedes that getting work hasn't always been easy. "When I was 16 and I started going to the studios and dropping off my pictures, people dismissed me," he remembers. "They didn't know what to do with somebody like me. It was very difficult."

When asked about the pitfalls of coming out professionally, the comic gets serious. "There have been days when I thought, Why did I do this? This is so hard. And people have been so mean to me, especially the club owners. Being an openly gay person is so complicated. The hardest thing is that a lot of the gay parts go to straight people. At least let me have those parts."

But Stuart never considered hiding behind a heterosexual persona. "Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly broke the glass then," he says. "I want to break the glass ceiling now. I want to be a character actor that plays all different kinds of parts. I'd like to win an Academy Award for playing a straight guy and get onstage and thank my husband. The only thing is, I need to have a husband to thank."

Kaye is an independent writer-producer for television and film.

St Louis Post-Dispatch March 15, 2002

By Doug Kaufman
Special to the Post-Dispatch

Actor-comedian Jason Stuart, who is gay, owes a tremendous debt to the public coming out party of another standup comic.

"Ellen DeGeneres changed my life," Stuart said by phone from his Los Angeles home. "Things started to really change for me in ‘97, when she came out. I started to work like crazy, as an actor, in small parts on television."

His "work like crazy" appearances included TV shows "Providence," "The Huntress," "Norm," "The Drew Carey Show," "Charmed," "Will and Grace" and "Three Sisters," plus roles in "Lost and Found" with David Spade, "Vegas Vacation" with Chevy Chase and several independent films.

"It made it OK for me to come into the room," he said. "I spent my 20s walking around, going into (audition) rooms, and having people dismiss me.... I never even got rejected. I was dismissed.

"What that does to you as a human being is awful to be dismissed. If I’d wanted to be a hairdresser or an interior decorator, I wouldn’t have had this problem."

Stuart, who injects life experiences into his standup, promises new, outrageous material when he takes the stage Wednesday through Sunday at the Funny Bone Comedy Club in West Port Plaza.

"You'll langh, you'll cry—it'll be better than ‘Cats,’ " he said. Stuart has been a comic for 19 years. He admits to being "thirty something," but declines to be specific.

"I don’t even know how old I am, I’ve been lying about my age for so long," he said.

Stuart, whose CD "Gay Comedy Without a Dress" is available at www.jasonstuart.com, offers a wide-ranging standup performance.

"I basically talk about any thing," he said. "My newest thing that I talk about is my fear of amusement parks. You know now that I’m getting older, I don’t want to go on a ride where I almost die."

Stuart got off the career roller coaster long ago and now seemingly has nothing to fear. He’s particularly pleased about his recurring role on the ABC show "My Wife and Kids," which stars Damon Wayans. It can be seen locally at 7 p.m. Mondays on Channel 30.

Stuart plays an openly gay psychiatrist, Steven Michael Thomas who counsels a straight couple played by Wayans and actress Tisha Campbell-Martin.

"They’re so terriffc together," he said. "They have such a wonderful chemistry. And he’s so hot —don’t tell him I said that."

Stuart feels his role is breaking new ground. "I’m an openly gay man playing an openly gay man, which is almost historic on television," he said, laughing. "There don’t seem to be that many gay people playing gay people."

Stuart played the psychiatrist in an episode that aired in January. The producers liked him and so did fans, who Stuart said sent thousands of positive letters. So he will appear in three of the four shows to air in May.

"The thing about my character is he’s very different than any character I’ve ever played on TV," Stuart said. "He's very, umm, nice, and I usually play somebody who’s a manager or in charge of some department or some store and no one will listen to me. And I’m always upset. So this is really great."

Stuart was given more creative flexibility, even improvising lines with Wayans. "Everybody was so supportive," he said. "I have to tell you at one point during the show I went into my dressing room and I just started to cry, I was so happy. I'm not used to having people be so interested in what I’m doing and what I’m saying. When you’re gay in this business, it's a different thing. You're usually there on the side."

St Louis’ EXP Magazine March 15, 2002

Up Close & Personal
by March Jacobs

Jason Stuart :
Lots of new projects keeps comedian busy

Ask anyone who are some of the busiest, most “out there,” and diversified comedians in the U.S. today and without a doubt, lason Stuart would be near the top of the list. With a recurring role on ABC’s sitcom “MyWife and Kids,” a newly released CD titled “Gay Comedy Without a Dress,” a returning guest appearance on “Will and Grace,” and recent guest shots on “Charmed,” “Providence,””Three Sisters” and “The Drew Carey Show,” as well as a starring role in the romantic feature film comedy, “10 Attitudes” being featured in film festivals and due to be released later this year, Jason Stuart says, “Things are going very well, better than ever! This is what it’s all about!”

Jason will be returning to St. Louis’ Funny Bone, at Westport, on March 20-24, with his new show entitled the same as his CD, “Gay Comedy Without a Dress,” which is available for purchase only on his website at www.jasonstuart.com. “It was recorded at the Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis, which is one of my favorite venues, as is the Westport Funny Bone in St. Louis. I am just so thankful for the support of the gay and lesbian community in St. Louis because they have always been there for me, sometimes selling out 8 days solid, when no one else knew who Jason Stuart was.”

Jason is sporting a “new look” which comes from the fact he’s been working out with a trainer for the past 4 or 5 years, with a renewed vigor to “push myself farther than I ever thought I could go” and it’s working! He has new material, new insults, that he targets poor unsuspecting members of the audience with. He also has new exciting projects that he’s working on, which he’s letting EXP readers be the first to hear about! “Along with my new manager and producing partner, Bonnie Dore, we’ve bought the options for a book by William Mann named “Wisecracker” based on the story of Billy Haines, the “out” silent film star of the 30’s, to make a movie about his life. I’m also involved in the development of a project, with a very well known talk show host, who I can’t name at this time, for a syndicated talk show in the near future. So I’m very excited about these new opportunities.”

Jason is also excited that he was invited back to “My Wife and Kids” in a recurring role from last season for three episodes this year. “I play a gay shrink who helps straight people with their problems and God knows, they need it.” In one of the episodes, Jason’s character tells the show’s stars, Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin as he’s counseling them about their marital problems, “It’s like my Joseph and I always say, together we can lick anything.” Jason is also set to return to Will and Grace in an upcoming episode in a role he played last year, as the high strung manager of “The Duplex,” where Jack, played by Sean Hayes, does his show, “Jack 2002.” About these exciting opportunities for a gay actor to play gay characters on nationwide TV, Jason says, “I guess it’s my turn and it feels great!”

Jason’s movie career includes his dramatic debut in “Southern Man,” now available from Vanguard Video. In it, he plays a teacher who mentors a student and is murdered when the student’s abusive father mistakenly assumes the two are having an affair. It’s one of his favorite roles. Another movie in which he has a starring role is “10 Attitudes,” a romantic feature comedy film now making the rounds of the film festival circuit. It deals with a gay caterer, Josh who has moved from Idaho to Los Angeles only to be jilted by his long-term lover for a “younger man” in WeHo. A close friend challenges Josh that he can help him find his “Mr. Right” in 10 dates, hence the title, “10 Attitudes.” Jason’s real life mother plays his mother in the film and sums up the premise for the movie: “At the end of the day, we’re all just looking for the same basic human need—to give love and find someone who will give it back in return.”

I asked Jason what he thought about Rosie O’Donnell coming out of her closet officially. “I’m thrilled! I could not be more happy. It’s already helped her tremendously.” Then I asked him if he thought it would have the same negative effects on her career like it did Ellen DeGeneres. “How can you say it hurt Ellen? She’s hosted the Oscars, and did a fabulous job, she’s had her own HBO special, she’s had another successful show, and she’s toured the country to sold-out shows... Ellen changed the face of television and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her and what she’s done. Rosie is going off the air, but it’s her decision after six successful years. She’ll still have her “Rosie Magazine,” she’s been on “Will & Grace,” and will continue to be an important voice for gay America.” Jason was one of the pioneer celebrities who came out nationally on Geraldo’s TV show.

Gaywatch: Funny guy Jason Stuart
By Christine Champagne

Jason Stuart winds up in bed with Damon Wayans in an upcoming episode of ABC's "My Wife and Kids." But it's not what you think. Really.

Those of you who watch the sitcom will recall that Stuart -- known as an actor and a comedian -- appeared on "My Wife and Kids" back in January as Dr. Steven Michael Thomas, the openly gay psychiatrist who counseled Michael (Wayans) and his wife Janet (Tisha Campbell). The role was supposed to be a one-shot deal. But the good doctor proved so popular that the show's producers brought Dr. Thomas back as a recurring character.

Stuart resumes the role on the Wednesday, April 3 show (airing at 8 p.m. ET). The episode finds Dr. Thomas treating the Kyles again. It seems Michael thinks the family isn't spending enough quality time together. Dr. Thomas suggests they play games, so the Kyle family goes home and tackles Twister. Michael hurts his back and winds up in bed unable to move. Janet is convinced that Michael's injury is psychosomatic and calls upon Dr. Thomas to mend her bed-ridden husband. "So if you want to see me in bed with Damon Wayans, watch," Stuart says, laughing.

Stuart's character has a partner on the show, although we have not seen him. "Tell everybody to write to ABC and say that I should come back next season with a boyfriend," encourages Stuart, who's openly gay. And whom would Stuart cast in the role? "Esai Morales from 'NYPD Blue' is my fantasy," he says, adding, "But I'd like to have a real gay guy in the role."

Who knows? Stuart's wish could come true. The producers of "My Wife and Kids" are apparently interested in developing his character and have asked for his input. Stuart certainly appreciates the interest. "You have to realize what's happening here is really rare. I am an openly gay man playing an openly gay character on a network television show in the family hour," Stuart says, "and I think it's no mistake that it's a black family."

According to Stuart, Wayans -- who is one of the series' co-creators and executive producers -- is a forward thinker. "I think Damon is probably one of the smartest guys in television because he sees what's happening, and he knows having something more diversified on his show is going to give it a longer life," Stuart says. "It's going to open it up to more kinds of people."

Aside from "My Wife and Kids," you'll also be able to see Stuart on the Thursday, May 2 episode of NBC's "Will & Grace" (airing at 9 p.m. EST), in which he reprises the role of Stuart, the high-strung manager and emcee of the club where Jack (Sean Hayes) performs. (Stuart also played the role of Stuart -- no, that's not a typo -- last season.) Stuart likens the experience of being on "Will & Grace" to being on "Survivor," because "they cut the show so much. If your scenes stay in, you're very lucky."

But "Survivor" is one show Stuart has no interest in doing. "By the time you're done with it, you're so exhausted, and you look so bad. No makeup. No hair people. ... I couldn't do it. I'm not interested in anything that's real. Reality television: it's too real."
How about appearing on a show like "Queer as Folk" then, with its excellent makeup and wardrobe people? "They wouldn't read me for anything. I was too old, and not a Canadian," he cracks.

Not that Stuart needs "Queer as Folk" anyway. His resume includes an extensive list of TV credits, including stints on "Providence," "Charmed" and "The Drew Carey Show." He also appeared in the HBO film "Gia."

Stuart tackles his first lead role in a feature film in the upcoming "10 Attitudes," a romantic comedy about looking for love in Los Angeles. And he recently optioned the book "Wisecracker" by William J. Mann, which tells the story of Billy Haines, the first openly gay silent film star.

There was a time when Stuart fancied himself the next Robert DeNiro. "But it wasn't going to happen, so I let it go and just put one foot in front of the other," he says. "It's not easy for gay people. I mean, just to get support from your own community is sometimes hard."

But Stuart has managed to carve out a successful career for himself in the industry, and if all goes well, maybe he'll even be back on "My Wife and Kids" next season -- with a boyfriend. "Get together a letter-writing campaign! You have the power," he says. So he'd really like to continue on with the show? "You've gotta ask me? My God!"

Gay revolution
UPI Arts & Entertainment - Scott's World
By VERNON SCOTT
UPI Hollywood Reporter

HOLLYWOOD (UPI) -- Ellen Degeneres lost her new TV sitcom this year perhaps because she had the audacity to come out of the closet a few years ago.

Perhaps not.

But if her personal sexual preference was responsible for the cancellation of "The Ellen Show" this season cannot be ascertained, the blonde comedienne's courage in acknowledging she is a lesbian has opened a new era for gay and lesbian entertainers.

Comedian Jason Stuart credits his friend Degeneres for kicking in the after-burners on his own stand-up career and roles in primetime TV playing gay characters.

Stuart, openly gay, is recurring on the weekly ABC sitcom hit "My Wife and Kids" as well as a gay character in "Will & Grace" among other gigs.

According to Stuart, Degeneres' outing and subsequent highly publicized love affair with actress Ann Heche is a landmark in the acceptance of homosexuals throughout show business.

"It's been a long road (for gay performers)," the personable Stuart said this week, "but it's been wonderful. I'm overwhelmed.

"Ellen coming out changed everything. She made it okay. She changed television.

"I get down on my knees every day and thank God for her.

"When she came out I did 10 shows in a row: 'Drew Carey,' 'Providence,' 'Three Sisters,' 'The Huntress' 'Charmed,' 'Norm' and several independent films and a picture, 'Vegas Vacation,' with Chevy Chase.

"I was able to work. Before Ellen's stand I would get one TV role a year and do my standup act.

"I've done probably 20 things in the last couple of years. Ellen has lifted the wire for gay performers, which includes playing gay characters."

Stuart said it took a great deal of courage on the part of Degeneres, saying it is just as difficult for lesbians to come out as it is for gay men.

"In some respects being a gay woman is not as threatening as being a gay man," he said.

"It's different. In 'My Wife and Kids' I play an empowered shrink. I'm an openly gay man playing an openly gay shrink who has a husband in the show and is out to help this straight couple.

"It's the top show on ABC right now. It won the People's Choice award for best sitcom. It stars Damon Wayans."

Stuart grinned and said, "Reporters often ask me if my part is gay, meaning if I'm playing the same gay character all the time.

"There are as many types of gays as there are straights. My shrink is the sweetest, nicest man who only wants to help this couple.

"The funny thing about him is he can't help talking about his own relationships, which is so inappropriate in therapy."

Stuart says he is content with being gay, adding, "If I were straight I'd have had an easier life, but then I wouldn't be who I am.

"In the gay press they call me 'Joe gay guy.' I'm not masculine and I'm not feminine; I'm just a regular gay guy. Everybody has a different perception.

"The straight world thinks gay people are funny just because we're different. The way Jews were funny in the Catskills and black people did comedy in days past. Because they were different.

"Until we all become homogenized it apparently will continue."

Stuart ordered lunch and observed, "It's been an incredible year for me. A great deal of work."

He doesn't think he would have been as successful if he hadn't come out.

"I don't think so," he said. "I think it's more important to me to be an openly gay man than to be a success. When I made that choice in 1993 to come out on the Geraldo show it was difficult but I did it.

"When I was in my 20s at auditions people basically dismissed me because I didn't want anybody to think I was gay.

"It was sort of like I was Charles Nelson Reilly or Paul Lynde, the prototype of a type of comedy. That doesn't exist anymore.

"But this is 2002 and people aren't afraid to say they're gay in real life.

"TV is catching up with real life. I've been touring the country for almost 10 years doing openly gay comedy and people are much more accepting than they've been in Hollywood and New York."

Stuart's success story includes a CD comedy record titled "Gay Comedy Without a Dress."

His CD like his standup act appeals to cross-over audiences. Some of his material is gay, some is straight, as are his audiences.

It isn't necessary for Stuart to dress in drag and camp it up a la Milton Berle and other straights who played gays for laughs.

Stuart is man enough to take chances and sensitive enough to keep his act screamingly funny without becoming bawdy.

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