During his acceptance speech at the Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television event, Nathan Lane revealed that Robin Williams supported him while he was contemplating publicly coming out as gay in the 1990s. Lane starred alongside Williams in the 1996 film, The Birdcage, in which they played a gay couple. Lane chose to keep his sexuality private at the time but officially came out in 1999.
Lane explained that he had expressed his concerns to his friend and co-star, Williams, pre-emptively and said, “Don’t worry, Nathan, you don’t have to discuss it if you’re not ready.” In addition, Williams even protected him during “awkward moments”. Lane previously confided in Williams, sharing his fear of being outed on national television during a chat with Oprah Winfrey, but Williams managed to veer the discussion in another direction and protect his friend from the situation.
Lane described Williams as a “beautiful, sensitive soul and so kind and generous to me,” calling him “the greatest person”. However, comedian Joe Rogan recently accused Williams of material theft, claiming he stole jokes from other comedians. Rogan stated that Williams was more dedicated to killing it onstage than being ethical and honest in his comedy, believing that Williams wanted to have a bit about anything he talked about ever.
The actor also wrote a letter to the school of one of the child stars of Mrs. Doubtfire, where he requested that her expulsion be overturned. Lisa Jakub, who played the older daughter in the 1993 comedy-drama, was informed by her high school that she was no longer welcome after filming the movie. Williams asked her what was going on, and when informed, he wrote a letter to her principal to request that they reconsider the decision. Williams wanted to support Jakub’s pursuit of education and a career simultaneously, and the principal honoured his request
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