MSNBC’s The “Morning Joe” crew was pretty horrified on Thursday morning by Ron DeSantis’ new anti-LGBTQ ad, but they also got a good laugh out of it. Because, according to the panelists, it was ironically very “homoerotic.”
The video, which is more than a minute long, not only attacks Trump, but touts DeSantis’ discrimination against the community, at one point likening him — voluntarily — to Patrick Bateman, the serial killer portrayed by Christian Bale in “American Psycho.” Set to club music, it also contains shots of Brad Pitt from the movie “Troy,” along with other figures DeSantis apparently sees himself on par with.
Ad executive Donny Deutsch admitted he was “stumped” by how “twisted” and “deviant” the video is, but New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay pointed out the distinct undertones she picked up on.
“The ad itself, a couple people have said this, it is kind of homoerotic,” she noted. “I mean, there’s something about the ad that’s a little bit, you know, odd to begin with.”
At that, Willie Geist admitted he was smiling while discussing it because Gay was not the first person to mention the homoeroticism of the video.
“I’m remembering a gay friend of mine saying, ‘Was that an anti-gay ad? I saw a lot of Brad Pitt looking hot and shirtless dudes flexing,’” Geist recounted, earning laughter from the entire table.
Watch the full moment in the video above.
