Jeff Goldblum has become engulfed in controversy over some remarks he made during Friday night’s broadcast of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”.
With the queens sporting outfits featuring a patriotic “stars-and-stripes” theme, guest judge Goldblum spoke with Iranian-American contestant Jackie Cox.
Goldblum asked Cox, a Muslim, if she was religious. “I am not,” Cox replied. “To be honest, this outfit really represents the importance that visibility for people of religious minorities need to have in this country.”
Goldblum asked, “Is there something in this religion that is anti-homosexuality and anti-woman? Does that complicate the issue? I’m just raising it and thinking out loud and maybe being stupid.”
Goldblum’s remarks kicked off a discussion about Islam among the other judges, with RuPaul commenting that drag has “always shaken the tree, so to speak,” adding, “There are so many different layers to this presentation. If it was ever going to be done, this is the stage to do it.”
Cox agreed that “it’s a complex issue” and admitted to “misgivings about the way LGBT people are treated in the Middle East.”
Goldblum’s comments were hit with backlash on social media, with some accusing him of being Islamophobic.
However, there were also those who came to Goldblum’s defence, explaining that he was simply asking a question.
ET Canada has reached out to Goldblum’s rep for comment.
