Actor Ryan Phillippe raised some eyebrows over the holiday weekend when he posted a photo with his friend Matt Sinn looking comfy and cozy by the Christmas tree with the caption “Merry Christmas from our house to yours.”
Turns out it was a joke about being gay or coming out that didn’t land.
Phillippe’s friend Matt Sinn seemed to egg the joke on further when he shared another pic of the two on his own Instagram Story with the caption, “He love me.”
But as it became apparent people were confused, he returned to clarify that Ryan Phillippe “didn’t come out” and he shared a photo of “the girlfriends” snapped in the same pose and the guys.
(screen capture via Instagram)
(screen capture via Instagram)It’s not unreasonable for people to believe there was something behind the post as the holidays are a popular time for some LGBTQ peeps to come out or share romantic partners for the first time.
Plus, it’s worth noting that the original caption also included an emoji of two guys holding hands. So it’s pretty clear there was some kind of “gay ha-ha” in mind when he posted the pic.
It appears when the joke went awry, Phillippe removed the emoji.
(screen capture via Instagram)Amid the comments, Phillippe returned to his own post responding to the reactions writing, “people r so dumb.”
Some followers remarked that joking about being gay and then ‘proving’ you’re not by posting a pic of the girlfriends is kinda homophobic.
One Instagram user wrote, “Why would you say that? You post a pic of you and another dude cozy and that caption..what are people supposed to think?”
“Do you know how many lgbt people are not allowed to go home on Christmas?” added another commenter. “How many are disowned by their family? How many commit suicide every year? How many are homeless?”
“Christmas can be one of the most difficult times for LGBT people and you make a joke about being gay,” he added. “You can completely frack off. I hope your children will never face the horror that some of us have.”
It wasn’t just a few people that didn’t get the ‘joke.’ Some folks really thought Phillippe had come out, others thought it was not cute.
Did Ryan Phillippe just come out on his Instagram or am I tripping? pic.twitter.com/HutfxC9KuD
— TJ Thats Who I Be (@Itsjustteajay26) December 26, 2021
yeah, i’m just gonna ignore the follow-up and pretend ryan phillippe came out with his cute boyfriend on christmas happy holidays to me
— Vinny 🏳️🌈 (@queeredupguy) December 27, 2021
So …? Being gay and coming out as gay is a joke to you?@RyanPhillippe https://t.co/U06cBtAZms
— Michael Self (@NoteFromSELF) December 26, 2021
This @RyanPhillippe fake coming out pic is insulting and disrespectful of the difficult journey many go through. This irrelevant D lister needs to stay in the 90’s.
— TheLembo (@the_lembo) December 27, 2021
Honestly, feels kind of homophobic for Ryan Phillippe to not be gay.
— Marcy Jarreau (@MarcyLane) December 26, 2021
Hey @RyanPhillippe, I'm not really sure what's going on here, but if it's real, Congrats, if we're making assumptions, I apologized, but if this is some kind of joke, that's really f***** up. pic.twitter.com/0evIChdrPk
— Ron Foster (@RonBF) December 26, 2021
In all honesty, Ryan Phillippe has known for a while he can push some gay buttons online. Back in 2017, he nearly broken the internet with this snowy Instagram post.