Arsenio Hall

Many of my guests were gay.

But it was at a time when you didn't always know it.

So the gay people on my show couldn't even come to my defense.

Ellen couldn't come and say, oh, wait a minute.

You guys don't know.

Because she hadn't come out yet.

Right.

And Rosie was on the show a lot.

And a lot of people that may be still in the closet, so I won't mention their names, but

It wasn't my job to say, ladies and gentlemen, balladeer and homosexual, put your hands together.

You know, it wasn't my job to introduce a singer that way.

And I think part of my anger was at that point.

I'm being told by the black community that it ain't black enough.

I'm being told by the Paramount executives that it ain't white enough.

And now the gay community is going to attack me during the show.

You're going to take money out of my wallet and food off my family's plate in the middle of my job here when you don't know what you're talking about.

You're going to blame me for something that is absolutely not true.

And I think I was sick of

of being criticized by everyone because everyone wanted it to be something else.

It's hard being the first Black anything in late night.