Doug Pitt Addresses Jane Pitt's Anti-Gay Letter On 'Today:' VIDEO
Doug Pitt, brother to actor Brad, showed up on The Today Show this morning to discuss his new Virgin Mobile Australia ad — you know, the one in which he plays himself, "the second most famous Pitt" — but the conversation soon turned to another Pitt, their newly infamous mother, Jane, and the anti-gay letter she published in the Springfield News-Leader last week.
Asked about the letter and its opposition to marriage equality, something Brad Pitt supports, Doug Pitt handled himself like a pro, simply saying that parents and kids can agree to disagree and that their family endorses health discussion.
“Moms and dads and kids agree to disagree all over the world, so why would our family be any different?” he told Matt Lauer. "There can be healthy discussion when people disagree with you, and I think there should be. The bad thing is when it turns into venom and negativity and we don’t have that in our family. It’s open discussion, we can learn from each other … maybe you learn something."
Watch the video AFTER THE JUMP.
But Doug is promoting a false equivalence. Jane Pitt's hateful, disgusting, and damaging bigotry vs. Brad Pitt's support of equality is anything but a "healthy discussion".
Posted by: MARCUS BACHMANN | Jul 9, 2012 11:26:20 AM
"It’s open discussion, we can learn from each other … maybe you learn something."
Jane Pitt can learn from Brad Pitt to be more open-minded and tolerant, and Brad can learn from Jane to be more close-minded and Christianist?
Posted by: Dastius Krazitauc | Jul 9, 2012 11:38:49 AM
Yaaaaaaaawwwwwwwn
Posted by: dc | Jul 9, 2012 11:42:47 AM
Brad Pitt should by all means have a discussion with his mom about her redneck bigotry.
However it would be wise to keep his children away from her - unless he wants her to poison their minds with her disgusting opinions.
Posted by: MaryM | Jul 9, 2012 11:42:54 AM
agreed - between Angolie's crazee father and this witch......brad and her have some F'd up family members.
Posted by: Disgusted American | Jul 9, 2012 11:47:57 AM
"agree to disagree", eh?
not really.
i have some incredible straight friends who have similarly behind-with-the-times parents. one couple in particular took a very recent stand on this issue - they have two children. toddlers. and she has an anti-gay parent.
so, husband and wife let her parents know the score - they're raising their children in a loving inclusive home, and doing that means there's no room for bigotry or prejudice. after all, the kids may be gay. or bi. or trans. they don't know yet, they're just kids.
so grandma now has a choice. she can be anti-gay, or she can be a grandma who plays a role in her grandchildren's life.
but she can't have both.
Posted by: LittleKiwi | Jul 9, 2012 11:51:35 AM
We're gonna be outraged at the Pitt family until Brad and Doug completely renounce their bigoted mother. Our self-righteousness demands nothing less.
Posted by: AG | Jul 9, 2012 11:51:36 AM
"The bad thing is when it turns to venom and negativity and we don't have that in our family."
Clearly, he never read his mother's letter.
Look, this woman has the right to her opinion but please don't act like it's a simple family disagreement. This wouldn't be news if she hadn't sat down spewed her hatred and bigotry on paper and sent it to the newspaper to be printed publically. This isn't inuendo or something overheard at Friday night bingo at the Springfield Legion Hall. This is a hateful person who CHOSE to have everyone know just how hateful and how much of a bigot she was.
I don't think Doug should have been asked this. But considering he's now in the league with Joey Travolta and Frank Stallone, I guess anything is fair.
Posted by: Bart | Jul 9, 2012 12:11:38 PM
He wanted to be famous, so he wanted to have his life opened and examined. Period. "A pretty private person" doesn't do worldwide advertisements.
Posted by: DrJWL | Jul 9, 2012 12:23:23 PM
One way to look at it is to consider how you'd handle it if your own mother was writing racist and/or anti-Semitic letters to the newspaper. Would you go around telling people that you just "agreed to disagree" with her and that it was a "healthy discussion" for everyone?
Posted by: bobbyjoe | Jul 9, 2012 12:30:17 PM
What happened to the rabbi post?
Posted by: Questioning | Jul 9, 2012 12:34:01 PM
No venom? Did he actually read the letter?
Posted by: patrick | Jul 9, 2012 12:34:55 PM
Okay, I'm REALLY done with the whole "healthy discussion" pass that people allow bigotry.
There's nothing to discuss when you're talking about limiting another person's rights beneath those of your own. Period.
As for this guy, he's not about to trash him mom on Nat'l TV, but those handlers coaching him better dig a little deeper.
Discuss, this!
Posted by: Pete N SFO | Jul 9, 2012 12:42:59 PM
I wonder if he'd characterize it the same way if she'd said "interracial marriage" instead of "same-sex marriage."
Posted by: jimstoic | Jul 9, 2012 12:43:02 PM
I wonder if he'd characterize it the same way if she'd said "interracial marriage" instead of "same-sex marriage."
Posted by: jimstoic | Jul 9, 2012 12:43:04 PM
We sure can learn a lot from each other! The bigots can learn acceptance, and the rest of us learn how NOT to treat people!
Posted by: KDNA | Jul 9, 2012 1:00:11 PM
This is the problem with you "open minded" people. As long as there see no dissenting voices then all is well in your utopian world. The fact is many people prefer to serve God and His will. Not yours and not some hypocritical, fascist society. Particularly the views of the left. You fail to see your own blatant bigotry and hypocrisy. The same people crying over a persons personal views and opinions regarding same sex marriage have no real problem spewing their own venom and vile bigotry. Just look at the closed minded opinions on this thread. You people have a lot to learn about tolerance...you seem to want everyone to fall in line with your views and if we don't..,beware. Those screaming the loudest have little patience for anyone with a differing opinion. Leftist and pro gay are without question the least tolerant and most vile people on earth.
Posted by: Steph | Jul 9, 2012 1:05:49 PM
Steph, my guess is that you have no comprehension of the irony of expressing your view - that those who oppose anti-gay discrimination are the least tolerant participants in the culture wars - in a message in which you describe those same people as "without question the . . . most vile people on earth."
You also claim to "prefer to serve God and His will" as if it is self-evident and beyond dispute that God's will coincides perfectly with your own. The fact is that you and those like you have chosen to believe that God prefers people like you and disapproves of people who are not like you. How convenient. Many of the rest of us believe that God created a wonderfully diverse assortment of different types of people and that we need to strive to appreciate and better understand people who are not like us rather than self-confidently proclaiming that all of our human biases and prejudices are in fact "God's will".
All views and values are not equal. The Klu Klux Klan may have the right to assemble and express their noxious hatred in our free society but our society also rightfully has moved to a place where that speech is discredited and labeled for the bigotry which it is. I can certainly understand the frustration which you and those like you feel as you see your utopian society - a society in which those who are not like you are excluded or deprived of the rights which you take for granted - slipping from your grasps but the future is clearer each and every day: your views and values are increasingly and rightfully discredited and, though you do and will continue to have the right to express those views, they will ultimately be consigned to the dustbin of history with other ancient bigotries, as they should be.
Posted by: Patric | Jul 9, 2012 1:44:56 PM
Learn something from anti gay bigots?....Do you ALSO learn something from racists?
How offensive is that?
Posted by: USC Trojan Fan | Jul 9, 2012 1:48:52 PM
You can be a little old lady and still spew venom. Dress up "I hate gay people" in whatever window shade you want but its still venom.
Posted by: Michael | Jul 9, 2012 1:48:52 PM
Just goes to prove the Pitts are with the pink dollar, not so much the gay community..but our money. How can you claim you are an ally when your own parents are THRIVING bigots who's sole intention in voting in the elections is stripping people of their rights.
Posted by: James Corgi | Jul 9, 2012 1:50:07 PM
It's truly insulting to gay people to be told that our livelihood, and freedoms are something okay to be against and we should ACCEPT people's prejudice toward us. I'm sorry, but I don't believe we can say the same for women, jews, latinos, blacks, or anyt other group of people and society says "well, let's agree to disagree" but when it comes to LGBT....we're constantly told to ACCEPT being told we're -LESS THAN- others. No, we don't need to accept it and agree to disagree. We need to call bigots out for what they are.
Posted by: IonMusic | Jul 9, 2012 1:51:59 PM
This whole notion of being tolerant toward intolerance is the same thing that enables homophobes walking around this planet saying "I don't feel gays should have ANY rights...but it's ok. I'm not a bigot. I promise. I have gay friends"
Those gay friends of bigots are what fuel bigotry. Those gay friends of homophobes are what give them a green light to feel they can both benefit from a quality gay friend, then go and strip millions of other gays of their human and civil rights. If you truly cared more about others than yourself, you would reevaluate a friendship and relationship with someone who vocally expresses disdain for being gay. That is what would create true change, making them think about their actions and realize just how much it truly effects gay people.
Posted by: Art Smith | Jul 9, 2012 1:54:43 PM
@ Art Smith
BRAVO! If more gay people would shun those in their lives who are homophobic, we'd truly see a cultural shift in how our rights and respect is met with. Too often, some gay people will willingly befriend someone who truly feels they are less worthy of rights and respect as them, simply because they are gay. How could any self respecting grown adult stand for that?
"Oh, I don't hate you, I just think you Asians are gross and not worth a few thousands civil rights in the book, and should be discriminated against, but let's go grab some coffee then go to the movies later.." ...Really? Have some self respect folks, and maybe then people will realize what equaliy truly means to us. There's enough fair minded, pro LGBT allies to surround yourseklf in this world where you don't desperately need to cling on to a friend that is convinced you deserve less of a right to your pursuit of happiness than them. That's not a true friend.
Posted by: MJ | Jul 9, 2012 1:58:30 PM
Have you all disowned family members who have racist or anti semitic or anti immagrant views? Have you all severed friendships with people who have made racist, anti semitic remarks . If not you have not you are hycroties. If any of you have any relationship with anyone with anti gay ,racist, anti Muslim anti Jewish views including elderly relatives. You are hypocrites and a disgrace to humankind.Peace
Posted by: Kim | Jul 9, 2012 2:01:21 PM