Arts & Entertainment
Comedian Lavell Crawford goes on anti-gay rant, reveals late father was gay
the comedian thinks people should come out at age 25
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
Comedian Lavell Crawford gave his views on the LGBT community in an anti-gay and offensive interview with VLAD TV.
Crawford, who played bodyguard Huell Babineaux on the hit show “Breaking Bad,” began the interview by saying he considers his gay fans when making gay jokes in his stand-up routine.
“I touch on gay stuff, but I touch on it the way you’re supposed to touch on it because I don’t look at it like, the gay people, I look at it people having feelings,” Crawford says.
The comedian continued that he was careful about what he said in his routines, citing the LGBT community calling out Tracey Morgan for saying he would stab his son if he found out he was gay.
“There is a gay mafia, gay people shut down shit, man,” Crawford says.
“No matter how much they’re getting accepted, it’s still f*cking weird,” Crawford continued. “Now they’re trying to get their own bathrooms and shit [even though] it’s still not the norm.”
Crawford reveals his late father, who he says passed away two years ago, was a gay man. He explains how his father left his family for 20 years eventually marrying another man. Crawford says he feared it was hereditary and a “gay switch” would come on for him.
Crawford went on to give advice to gay people that they should come out at age 25.
“Parents need to teach their kids ‘to be men and women before we try and put a moniker of gay and lesbian and sh*t. Okay, you’re gay – 25 I think you can be gay. If you decide you want to be gay at 25, that’s fine. But try pussy for the first years – try pussy out. Young lady, try a dick out. You’re gonna find a good dick out there,” Crawford says.
Watch the full interview below.
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(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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