In an apparent effort to raise ratings on his obscure nightly TBS talk show, displaced comedian Conan O’Brien officiated November 4 at a same-sex wedding ceremony between O’Brien’s costume designer, Scott Cronick, and Cronick’s homosexual partner David Gorshein. The “wedding,” which was televised live at the end of a week of shows taped in New York City, had family members of both men crowded onstage to witness the supposedly Jewish-style ceremony.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, which covered the story as serious news, Gorshein waited underneath a traditional Jewish chuppah, while “Cronick walked down the aisle accompanied by his favorite celebrity, Andy Cohen of Bravo.”
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After the pair exchanged vows of sorts, Conan declared officially (and to laughs from the studio audience), “By the power invested in me by the state of New York and the Universal Life Church, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You can kiss the groom.”
The quasi-comedy episode was topped off by the couple riding off-stage atop a buffalo, escorted by a Ted Turner look-alike — in a nod to the network creator’s current business enterprise.
While the episode recalled the marriage of novelty singer Tiny Tim to “Miss Vicki” on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show back in 1969, that memorable TV moment was, despite the Hollywood setting, a legitimate Christian ceremony — unlike the stunt by Conan, which the comedian appeared to regard as little more than an opportunity for a few laughs.
It also included none of the political motivation, nor the requisite media fawning generated by the televised homosexual “wedding.” The conservative Media Research Center noted that various media outlets described O'Brien's televised segment as “Groundbreaking,” “Memorable,” “Remarkable,” “Wonderful,” and History-making.”
The Universal Life Church used the opportunity to promote its cheap mail-order ordination business, noting that since 1977 it has “ordained millions of people worldwide, allowing them to perform weddings and other religious events.” The “church” also offered its statement of faith, explaining that the “Universal Life Church Monastery strongly believes in the rights of all people from all faiths to practice their religious beliefs, regardless of what those beliefs are….”
The trivial emphasis all those concerned placed on the homosexual “marriage” could be witnessed in the “church’s” explanation that “O’Brien became ordained through the Universal Life Church on Oct. 21, and received the New York wedding package to perform the legal ceremony.”
More traditionally-minded individuals who take marriage seriously were not as amused or awed by the proceedings. In fact, the Family Research Council (FRC) used the story as an opportunity to demonstrate the facile nature of the whole same-sex “marriage” movement.
“While Conan might grab a few headlines from the ceremony,” noted an FRC blog posting, “the irony of a comedian performing the ceremony — along with his joke of an ordination — is notable. If Hollywood wants to help our movement highlight what a sham same-sex “marriage” is, then late-night television is the perfect medium!”
Photo: Talk show host Conan O'Brien attends the TBS/TNT Network Upfront at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 in New York.: AP Images
