Nathan Lane claims he lost role in sports for being 'too gay' (2025)

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Nathan Lane claims he missed out on a role in the smash 1996 film Space Jam because he was 'too gay to play the part.'

The actor, 69, spoke to Vanity Fair about it, alleging that Space Jam director Joe Pytka saw him host the Tony Awards and 'thought that suggested I was too gay to play the part.'

'So thank God, I didn't have to do Space Jam. But I don't know. I'll never know what people will say,' he told the outlet.

The role in question was Stan, the publicist to Michael Jordan's character - which ended up going to Wayne Knight.

When the actor was asked if he faced discrimination, Nathan said: 'I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, but I can't help but think that it played a part.'

'I was told it did impact a movie... Space Jam. I was up for the part that the guy from Seinfeld would up playing,' he added.

'Apparently the director saw me hosting the Tony Awards and thought that suggested I was too gay to play the part. So thank God, I didn't have to do Space Jam. But I don't know. I'll never know what people say.'

In 2016, Joe spoke about the role of Stan, but did not mention Nathan - in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

'Originally I wanted Michael J. Fox to play that character. That studio didn't want him. Then I wanted Chevy Chase because I had worked with Chevy on some Doritos commercials, and they didn't want to go for that kind of stuff,' he recalled.

He said that homophobia in Hollywood is 'alive and well,' noting that when he came out, there 'weren't a lot of opportunities.'

Nathan starred in The Birdcage in 1996, the same year Space Jam was released.

He came out publicly in 1999, after the murder of Matthew Shepard, who was killed at age 18.

Nathan married Devin Elliott in 2015 after being together for 18 years.

Nathan made his feature film debut in 1987, in the project Ironweed.

He notably voiced the character Timon in the 1994 hit The Lion King, as well as played Desk Sergeant in Addams Family Values in 1993, Snowbell Little in Stuart Little and appeared in Austin Powers in Goldmember, Mirror Mirror and more.

The actor has appeared on Broadway, winning a Tony Award multiple times - including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Producers and Angels in America.

He also won an Emmy for his role in Only Murders in the Building.

Stan

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