Kristen Stewart has a new movie out: a lesbian thriller called Love Lies Bleeding. But America’s modern right-wing, which has of late rediscovered old school homophobia, hasn’t been attacking that film. Instead they’ve focused most of their attention on the provocative Rolling Stone cover Stewart did to promote it. After enduring reams of conservative backlash, the actress has a simple message for the image’s haters.
Per Entertainment Weekly, Stewart went on The Late Show, during which Colbert brought up the RS cover. He said CBS had asked him not to put it on air due to its risqué nature. He showed it anyway, allowing the nation’s viewers to see the naughty picture of Stewart, her top open, her left hand shoved into her undies. It’s an image MAGA world has deemed “miserable” and “disgusting.” Colbert didn’t agree.
“I want to say that you look better in a jockstrap than I ever did,” he quipped.
Colbert then asked Stewart to comment on the Trumpy attacks. After saying, “Let’s keep this light,” she offered a theory about why the GOP doesn’t like the cover.
“It’s a little ironic because I feel like I’ve seen a lot of male pubic hair on the cover of things,” Stewart explained. “I’ve seen, like, a lot of hands in pants and unbuttoned. I think there’s a certain overt acknowledgement of a female sexuality that has its own volition in a way that is annoying for people who are sexist and homophobic.”
Colbert agreed, saying, “I’ve certainly seen more revealing covers on Rolling Stone or Sports Illustrated, for that matter.” Stewart argued the cover isn’t “remotely explicit,” but Colbert went a step further, saying, “I think it also violates public expectations of female sexuality as opposed to how you’re presenting it here.”
“Yes, because female sexuality isn’t supposed to actually want anything but to be had,” Stewart said. “And that feels like it’s protruding in a way that might be annoying.”
She then addressed her conservative critics directly, saying, “But f*ck you.” She added, cheekily, “But I never will.”
Stewart has long been a scourge of Republicans. One of her biggest haters is Donald Trump himself, who spent years singling her out for social media abuse, partly due to her relationship woes with Robert Pattinson. Stewart was so grossed out by his creepy obsession with her that she used it as an excuse to come out publicly, which she did while hosting SNL in 2017.
“The president is not a huge fan of me,” Stewart told the crowd back then. “But that is so OK. And Donald, if you didn’t like me then, you’re probably not going to like me now, because I’m hosting SNL and I’m so gay, dude.”
Love Lies Bleeding is now in select theaters. You can watch her Late Show appearance below.
(Via EW)