Richard Dreyfuss mum after transphobic, ‘racist, homophobic, misogynistic’ rant at Jaws screening

Richard Dreyfuss has come under fire for making remarks that people found to be sexist and transphobic during a recent screening of Jaws inMassachusetts. The 76-year-old actor’s comments caused several audience members to leave the event, and the venue apologized. The screening took place Saturday at The Cabot Theater in Beverly, which is a suburb of Boston.

The event, billed as “An Evening with Richard Dreyfuss + Jaws Screening,” was anticipated to feature behind-the-scenes stories from the making of the classicfilm. However, attendees were instead subjected to Dreyfuss’ controversial views on topics including trans youth and the Academy Awards’ inclusivity rules, The Hollywood Reporterreports.

Social media posts from attendees describe how Dreyfuss, who initially appeared on stage wearing a dress to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” began his alleged rant while discussing Barbra Streisand.According toPeople, his remarks escalated from there, touching on various contentious issues.

Dreyfuss reportedly criticized trans youth and expressed disapproval of the Academy Awards’ inclusivity requirements. He allegedly questioned the legitimacy of affirming trans kids’ gender identity and shared his opposition to the rules meant to increase diversity and inclusion in the film industry.

According to People, one attendee wrote on The Cabot’s Facebook page, “We walked out of his interview tonight along with hundreds of others because of his racist, homophobic, misogynistic rant.” Another described the comments as “disgusting” and “offensive.”

Sarah Hogg and their partner, Jonah Hoffmann,told the Boston Globe that they walked out when Dreyfuss directed his comments at the parents oftransgender children. Hogg, who identifies as queer and nonbinary, said, “It’s one of those moments where you feel like you’re having an out-of-body experience. It was horrifying.”

The Cabot Theater issued an apology on Monday in response to the backlash. “The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organization,” the establishment wrote. “We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons. We regret that an event that was meant to be a conversation to celebrate an iconic movie instead became a platform for political views. We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort it caused to many patrons.”

This incident is not the first time Dreyfuss has sparked controversy with his views. In May 2023, he made similar remarks during an appearance on PBS’s Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, where he criticized the Film Academy’s diversity requirements, saying, “They make me vomit,” The Hollywood Reporter notes. He added, “No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is.”

Representatives for Dreyfuss have yet to respond to requests for comment.