Source: Out in Hollywood, the Daily Dish (SFGate)
Jay Leno apologized last night for last week's bizarre bit with Ryan Phillippe on "The Tonight Show" when Ryan was on to promote his new movie "Stop-Loss."

Jay brought up Ryan's early role as a gay teen on the ABC soap "One Life to Live."

He asked Phillippe, "Can you give me your gayest look? Say that camera is Billy Bob ... Billy Bob has just ridden in shirtless from Wyoming."

But the joke has backfired on Leno.

Ryan looked instantly uncomfortable and said: "Wow. That is so something I don't want to do. Are you just going to embarrass me tonight, or ... ?"

"No," said Jay. "I got more stuff. This is the least of it."

Tony Award-winning "Avenue Q" star Jeff Whitty, who is gay, took offense, and posted on his website a letter to Leno that asked, "Would you ask a guest to make their 'blackest face?' Their 'Jewiest face'?"

Gay blogs -- notably the widely read Towleroad -- have been calling for an apology from the talk show host since the episode aired last week.

And a Web site was set up so gay rights activists and those shocked by Leno's joke can respond to the talk show host. The My Gayest Look site features people who let Leno know just how his comment made them feel.

On last night's show came this apology from Jay: "In talking about Ryan's first role, I realize that what I said came out wrong. I certainly didn't mean any malice. I agree it was a dumb thing to say, and I apologize."

Whitty, for his part, says he's satisfied. He archived the letter to Leno and replaced it with this sentence on the homepage: "If you're here for the Leno Thing, he apologized and I buy it."

The role Phillippe played in "One Life To Live" made TV history as the first openly gay teen on a U.S. soap.

On Tuesday, GLAAD slammed Leno with this statement: "We are proud of Ryan for refusing to participate in Leno's thoughtless attempt at humor," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "Under the guise of comedy, the talk-show host is demonstrating a lack of respect for the gay community and insensitivity to both his co-workers and the audience, to whom he owes an apology."

Full article: Jay Leno, condemned by GLAAD, apologizes for Ryan Phillippe incident | Out in Hollywood
Leno's 'Gayest Look' Gag Upsets Gay Community | the Daily Dish