Sam Smith Gets Called Out by Dustin Lance Black for Implying He's the First Openly Gay Male Oscar Winner (UPDATE)

Smith also called his Oscars performance the "worst moment of my life."

February 29, 2016

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Complex Original

UPDATE 2:40 P.M.: Sam Smith has taken to Twitter to clarify the statement he made during his Oscars acceptance speech for winning Best Original Song and every comment made in the subsequent interviews. He apologizes to Dustin Lance Black and insists he will be sure to check out his films now. Smith also adds that he was just trying to call attention to the LGBT community. "Second openly gay man to win an oscar or third or fourth or 100th, It wasn't my point," he wrote. "My point was to shine some light on the LGBT community who i love so dearly." Read all of Smith's tweets below.

See original story below.

Sam Smith's performance of "Writing's on the Wall" at the Oscars last night may have been the "worst moment" of his life, but at least he won the award for Best Original Song. Still, the night was not without some controversy for the 23-year-old artist. During his acceptance speech, Smith referenced an article written by actor Sir Ian McKellen that claimed no openly gay male had ever won an Oscar. "If this is the case—even if it isn't the case—I want to dedicate this to the LGBT community all around the world," he said.

Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black took issue with the speech, specifically the part about Smith suggesting he was the first openly gay male to win an Oscar. Black won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2009 for Milk. He even took it a step further by claiming Smith was contacting his fiancé, Olympic diver Tom Daley, through text.

"Hey @SamSmithWorld, if you have no idea who I am, it may be time to stop texting my fiancé.," he tweeted, along with a video link to his 2009 acceptance speech. He later added, "THE POINT: knowing our LGBTQ history is important. We stand on the shoulders of countless brave men and women who paved the way for us."

Following the awards show, Sam Smith was notified that he wasn't the first openly gay person to win an Oscar. In response, he joked, “Two’s my lucky number, so it’s all good.” Later in the night, Smith commented that he believed he was the second openly gay winner. Unfortunately for Smith, this isn't true either as Elton John, Stephen Sondheim, Melissa Etheridge, and more won Oscars in the past. According to Entertainment Tonight, another reporter alerted Smith that the openly gay lyricist Howard Ashman won in the same category twice for his work on the Disney movies The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. “I should know him. We should date,” Smith replied. Ashman passed away in 1991 following complications from AIDS. Earlier today, Ian McKellen took to Twitter and clarified his statement. "I'd said no openly gay actor had received #Oscars-that doesn’t detract from @samsmithworld achievement." Watch clips of Sam Smith reacting to the news below.