The Billy on the Street host, 43, received backlash online while discussing the significance of his new film Bros, which he stars in and co-wrote.
“I told myself to look around and appreciate how rare and magical this moment is because you are making a movie that looks and feels like all the romantic comedies you grew up loving, but you’re doing it as a gay man,” Eichner told Variety.
“And this is not an indie movie. This is not some streaming thing which feels disposable, or which is like one of a million Netflix shows.
“I needed to appreciate that, ‘This is a historic moment, and somehow, you’re at the center of it. You helped create it.’”
Bros, whose principal cast is entirely made up of LGBTQ+ actors, follows the story of two gay men with commitment issues. Aaron (Luke Macfarlane) becomes romantically involved with Bobby Leiber (Eichner), a semi-famous podcaster who is hired by movie producers to write a script for a gay romance.
Co-produced by Judd Apatow and directed by Nicholas Stoller, the movie also stars Ts Madison, Guy Branum, Amanda Bearse, Monica Raymund and Guillermo Díaz.
Fans were quick to slam Eichner, who seemingly shaded Fire Island, a romantic comedy featuring LGBTQ+ leads on Hulu. He later apologized for his remarks in a lengthy statement via Twitter.
“I want to clarify what I said about streaming content in Variety,” he wrote on Thursday. “I was not at ALL referring to the quality or monumental impact of streaming films, I was referring to the way that, historically, LGBTQ+ content has often been considered niche and disregarded by Hollywood.”
The New York native, who is the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own major studio movie, added that he’s “a loud and proud part of the LGBTQ+ community” and is “truly so sorry if I inadvertently offended or insulted anyone.”
On Sunday, Booster, 34, took to Twitter and his Instagram Story to address the drama.
“Oh woof. I’ve been in the desert for 10 days with no phone so I’m not entirely sure what happened, but I feel like I should say: Billy was my first comedy boss, is my friend and has supported me in countless ways in the process of making Fire Island, and ultimately our movies have very little to do with each other,” Booster wrote.
“It seems like he was pretty inarticulate in his excitement about his movie getting a theatrical release, which is really fing cool and something I’m sure the studio and his publicist is making him constantly talk about. God knows I’ve said plenty of dumb s without a publicist’s help,” Booster continued.
“I’m so proud of my movie and all the people who helped make it happen and am so grateful it was accessible to so many people on streaming, and don’t see it as any less valuable because of that.”
Booster concluded his lengthy message by wishing Eichner “nothing but the best,” adding that he’s “excited to see Bros on the big screen.”
“I truly hope you can enjoy both or neither of our movies without pitting them against each other,” Booster wrote, noting that he’s “spoken to Billy” and they’re “cool.”
Eichner later commented on his message, thanking Booster for his words.
“I adore you as an artist and as a friend and I have insane amounts of respect for you,” he said. “You inspire me to be better and wiser and bolder in my work. That’s the truth. We are all in this together.”
Fire Island premiered on June 3, 2022, on Hulu, and Bros hits U.S. theaters on September 30.
Newsweek reached out to Booster and Eichner for further comment.
