Sam Smith attends the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on Feb. 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California.
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Ian McKellen tweeted clarification this morning (Feb. 29): “I’d said no openly gay actor had received #Oscars - that doesn’t detract from @samsmithworld achievement. Congratulations to him & all others!”
I'd said no openly gay actor had received #Oscars-that doesn’t detract from @samsmithworld achievement. Congratulations to him & all others!
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen)Later on, Smith was corrected on his statement by reporters. At a Vanity Fair party post-Oscars, Smith said, “I think I’m the second openly gay person to win it but either way it’s important that we shine light on what’s going on.”
Smith is just one of a few on the short list of openly gay individuals to win an Oscar, which includes Stephen Sondheim, Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, Howard Ashman, Dustin Lance Black, and Pedro Almdóvar, among others.
According to Entertainment Tonight, a reporter informed Smith that Ashman had previously won best original song as well, to which Smith responded, “I should know him. We should date.” Unbeknownst to Smith, Ashman passed away in 1991 due to complications from AIDS.
