Ken Buck has a gay name according to Saturday Night Live: Is he a closet Midnight Cowboy?

Congrats, Ken Buck. One poll shows your lead over Michael Bennet in the Senate race has shrunk to a dead heat, likely due to your comparison of homosexuality to alcoholism and suggestion that global warming is a hoax, not to mention that "buyer's remorse" comment about an alleged date-rape victim...

By Michael Roberts

October 25, 2010

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Congrats, Ken Buck. One poll shows your lead over Michael Bennet in the Senate race has shrunk to a dead heat, likely due to your comparison of homosexuality to alcoholism and suggestion that global warming is a hoax, not to mention that "buyer's remorse" comment about an alleged date-rape victim. But at least you got national play on Saturday Night Live this weekend.

Too bad viewers needed to be film-studies majors to get the joke.

The gag turned up in the "Weekend Update" segment hosted by Seth Meyers. After noting that Buck had recently argued that homosexuality is a choice during a Meet the Press appearance, Meyers said, "Interesting position, Ken Buck. Did your name choose to be gay?"

This jab is presumably a reference to the 1969 Oscar-winning flick Midnight Cowboy, in which Jon Voight portrayed Joe Buck, a nascent male hustler put in the position of servicing members of both genders. If so, that means SNL, which prides itself on topical references, reached back a mere 41 years for this particular line. Timely!

Check it out below (following the usual commercial):

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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