Jim Jefferies isn’t backing down after receiving a legal letter from Victor Willis, lead singer of The Village People, over comments he made about their iconic song “YMCA”.
On his podcast At This Moment, Jefferies sparked controversy while discussing Trump supporters dancing to “a gay anthem” at the Presidential Inauguration, saying he’s always seen “YMCA” as a gay anthem.
Addressing the fuss on Triple M’s Beau, Tarsh and Woodsy (Feb 12.), Jefferies didn’t backtrack, but he did clarify his stance. Willis’ wife, Karen, apparently gave him a 10-day ultimatum to retract his comments. While Jefferies agreed to take Willis at his word that “YMCA” isn’t a “homosexual song,” he stood firm on “Macho Man” and “In the Navy”, calling them “as gay as all balls.”
“I will concede that if he says the ‘YMCA’ is not a homosexual song. I have to take him on his word for it,”Jefferies said. “But ‘In The Navy’ and ‘Macho Man’, are as gay as all balls. I can tell you this much, his wife, Karen, said he’s never written anything homosexual. I’ll tell you this Karen, he never wrote a song called Karen (laughs).”
Jefferies went on to joke about hoping to take the matter to court, adding, “I don’t think this will lose The Village People any earnings.”
The Aussie comedian, who recently appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone AU/NZ, also spoke candidly about his upbringing and career. Reflecting on tough topics, Jefferies admitted that his difficult relationship with his mother shaped his views on women.
“My mother was a hard person to grow up with. She was a very hard woman. [She] was physically and verbally very abusive. So sometimes, I imagine I have had a chip on my shoulder about women,” Jefferies said.
On his varied career, he added: “I’m very interested in doing as many different things in entertainment as possible. I like a challenge. I like doing something new. I don’t know if there’s a stand-up comic from Australia who’s had a more diverse career. You know what I mean? I think of myself like I’m an entertainer more than a comedian,” he says.
