The Cabot Theater issues an apology after the 76-year-old actor was accused of being 'homophobic' and 'misogynistic' over his remarks at the Memorial Day weekend screening of his movie.
- May 28, 2024
AceShowbiz - Richard Dreyfuss has sparked outrage with his alleged "offensive" remarks at the recent screening of his movie "Jaws". The Cabot Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts, where the screening was held during the Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25, has since addressed the actor's rant that led to a walkout.
"We are aware of, and share serious concerns, following the recent event with Richard Dreyfuss prior to a screening of the film 'Jaws' at The Cabot," J. Casey Soward, the executive director of The Cabot, said in a statement on Monday. "The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organization. We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons."
"We regret that an event that was meant to be a conversation to celebrate an iconic movie instead became a platform for political views," the statement continued. "We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort it caused to many patrons."
Soward added, "We are in active dialogue with our patrons about their experience and are committed to learning from this event how to better enact our mission of entertaining, educating, and inspiring our community." The statement concluded, "We kindly request respect for the privacy of our patrons and staff as we work through this matter. Thank you for your understanding."
In a video taken at the event, Dreyfuss came out on stage wearing a dress over pants and a shirt. He danced around as Taylor Swift's "Love Story" played and the crowd laughed, clapped and whistled.
Two people then ripped the dress off before said Dreyfuss said "that's the last time you'll see me in LGBT garb," according to one viewer. The 76-year-old reportedly went on a fiery rant that spanned topics including actress/singer Barbra Streisand, the #MeToo movement and transgender youth, prompting boos from the audience.
People who claimed to have attended the event slammed the veteran actor as "homophobic" and "misogynistic." Cheri Ziegra wrote on Facebook, "This was disgusting. How could The Cabot not have vetted his act better. Apparently (I found out too late), he has a reputation for spewing this kind of racist, homophobic, misogynistic bullcrap. ... We did NOT get what we paid for (which we all assumed would be a light, fun evening listening to stories and anecdotes about RD's time on the Vineyard making 'Jaws.') This was offensive and we demand a refund."
"We walked out of his interview tonight along with hundreds of others because of his racist, homophobic (and) misogynistic rant," Lisa Howe similarly shared her experience, seemingly referencing Dreyfuss.
Facebook user Beth Carroll wrote, "i chose to leave because i choose not to support people who think i shouldn't have equal rights or that my friends should not exist. frankly, i should have known dreyfuss's views before i bought tickets. but i didn't. so i chose to remove myself from the situation."
Dreyfuss has not responded to the backlash over his rant.
