Director Todd Holland apologizes for “poorly chosen” words regarding gay actors; gets nominated for another Emmy Award

Three-time Emmy winning TV director Todd Holland’s advice – given during an Outfest panel discussion last weekend – that gay actors stay in the closet has been a bit of head-scratcher coming from an openly gay man married to an openly gay actor.

LA Weekly’s Patrick Range McDonald, who broke the story, shares a statement released by Holland regarding the controversy:

“As an openly gay man in Hollywood,” Holland says in the prepared statement, “I know firsthand the tremendous challenges that people throughout the industry face in terms of being open about who they are.”

“For people who know me, they know that I believe it’s important for people to live openly and authentically, and I am sorry for my poorly chosen words at Outfest. At the end of the day, I hope my comments do not prevent us from having honest, thoughtful conversations about the significant barriers that make being an out actor in Hollywood an ongoing obstacle.”

Meanwhile, Holland on Thursday earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series for an episode of 30 Rock. I’m not sure if any openly gay actors appeared in it!