‘Total bottom’ Haaz Sleiman talks bottom-shaming and hooking up with Anderson Cooper ‘a few times’
Actor Haaz Sleiman made headlines this week when he released a video on social media announcing that not only is he gay, but he’s a “total bottom.”
“I am a gay, Muslim, Arab-American man,” Sleiman said, “and I’m going to take it even further. Not only am I gay, but I’m also a bottom. Not only am I a bottom, but I’m also a total bottom, which means I like it up you-know-where.”
Now, the 41-year-old talks with Unicorn Booty about growing up as a gay Muslim, bottom-shaming in the gay community, and those times he hooked up with Anderson Cooper way back when.
Here are some highlights from the interview.
On the first time he realized he was gay:
I knew I was gay when I was seven years old. I know I was born that way. I spent my whole life hiding. I’m a Lebanese Muslim, growing up in an Arab country. It was not easy for me. I had a very tough childhood. Let’s just say the tone of my life was very dark and very gray. It took life to beat the hell out of me to make me want to come out. I finally realized I am going to either live and thrive or disappear and die.
On bottom-shaming:
Within the [gay] community, bottoms are looked down upon. They are considered less than. There are so many bottoms, and it’s so disrespectful how they are treated. … Bottom shaming is no different than sexism. We don’t take bottoms as seriously. We say, ‘Tops are better.’ And then we eye-roll when we hear that someone is a bottom. We hear that men are more worthy than women, and men are the center of the world. It is the same when it comes to the dynamic between bottoms and tops. It is OK if he is fucking another man but it’s not if he is being fucked by another man. I don’t accept this. This is not the world I want to live in.
On homophobia in Hollywood:
There are two people right now in power who were so horrible to me. One of them — a producer — told me they wouldn’t hire a closeted gay actor. ‘I never hire gay guys who are in the closet, but if you come out, I will not be able to cast you in a lot of roles.’ Another huge iconic gay figure saw me at a party and he came up to me. He pursued me because he was a fan of my work.
I got excited to share with him that I was gay, and he was like, ‘Oh? Thank you for telling me.’ But his tone changed. He thought I was straight before. Once he found out I was gay and in the closet, he wasn’t interested anymore. A lot of people in the gay community still have an issue when someone else is in the closet. If you’re straight and play gay, that’s awesome! If you’re too gay, you can’t play that straight role.
On hooking up with Anderson Cooper:
We hooked up a few times. Let’s just say I was not for him, he was not for me.
On changing people’s views and empowering LGBTQ people:
Specifically gay people who come from a type of gay culture where it is even more unaccepted and taboo. Whether it’s Islam or Christianity or Judaism, I hope people feel they are not alone and they are very powerful. And they are so powerful that they don’t allow anyone to hurt them. I want people who aren’t gay to have more respect for us. We won’t allow any other way. Maybe that’s a bit ambitious on my end. I guess everything starts with a dream.
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36 Comments
Simba
September 01, 07:35So Mr Anderson Cooper is a top? The khalesi of CNN.. Mother of shaded and silver hair bitch
Delle
September 01, 08:54And the possibility of his being versatile is zero?
Pink Panther
September 01, 08:56No, he’s top. He has said it himself. When he was asked about his friendship with Andy Cohen, he said they’d first met on a potential hookup that didn’t go anywhere when they both realized they were both tops.
Delle
September 01, 12:34Oh OK.
Francis
September 01, 07:39Way to kill an awesome coming out. #SayNoToKissing&Telling
Colossus
September 01, 07:44I swear, that part ruined it for me. Whatever else he was saying didn’t matter anymore.
Absalom
September 01, 08:12But it wasn’t that much of a kiss-tell na. He was reticent about it and was only stating, matter-of-fact, that he’d hooked up with Anderson Cooper. Unless you’re saying there’s any shame in it. Besides, the interviewer actually asked if they dated.
Pink Panther
September 01, 08:23What are you bugging about, Francis? He answered a question he was asked as matter-of-factly as he could. It’s not like Anderson Cooper isn’t open about his hookups to the media.
Francis
September 01, 08:36Hmmmm, I guess it’s fair game if Anderson talks about his hookups upandan.
In as much we are free to have as much sex as we like, slut shaming is still real and as such some people would rather want to keep their slutty business in the closet.
Pink Panther
September 01, 08:41I find it troubling though that the narrative of keeping our slutty business in the closet is only apportioned to gay people. Leonardo Dicaprio could’ve come out to talk about hooking up with some supermodel and there won’t be any slut shaming concern.
Francis
September 01, 09:27Lol. Just because you haven’t read articles where he’s being slut-shamed especially for switching models anyhow, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
I find it troubling though that the narrative of keeping our slutty business in the closet is only apportioned to gay people Eerm, are straight women now gay men? It’s not a gay people thing. It’s an everybody thing.
Mandy
September 01, 08:44One cannot be slut-shamed if he doesn’t allow it. Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen banter about their sex lives all the time and nobody slut-shames them. We need to get out of our head and stop thinking that talking about your sex life somehow makes you wrong.
Francis
September 01, 09:22I have zero problems with talking about my sex life and people talking about theirs. I dey learn from every angle.
Dragging unwilling participants into the matter is what I deem wrong.
trystham
September 01, 08:29I thought to call it a kiss-and-tell as well till I realised he could av as well mrntioned the hollywood gay icon’s name if he were on a roll. It got me thinking, ppl may av seen him and Anderson several times to have made that deduction and ask d qxn
Mandy
September 01, 08:34Now,if only Anderson Cooper will indulge us and respond… 😀
trystham
September 01, 08:32Looool. Hollywood gay icon be wanting to snag and convert.
Mandy
September 01, 08:36Hahahahahaa i know, right? Suddenly Sleiman’s prospects weren’t so hot now he didn’t seem like a potential conversion material. 😀
Delle
September 01, 08:55I’m interested in the hookup with Anderson Cooper.
As for bottoms being looked down on, this is not news. It’s just a sad world we live in. I’m tired of debating on this jawe. I didn’t know it even thrived over there in the abroad.
Foxydevil
September 01, 09:08I swear humans will always find ways to classify themselves….even in the gay world, bottoms are now considered women and tops men.
The most troubling thing about this is that most bottoms enable that kind of treatment and even delude themselves enough to think they are women and at such should be treated without any iota of respect.Had to slap one very hard across the face, when the idiot came to my house crying and complaining his supposedly top boyfriend, cheats at the confine of their home ,exploits him financially and beats him up whenever he desired. I gave him a right hand that stunk and told him to be a man and get it together. The fact you move like a ballerina doesn’t make you a woman, you are still a man with testicle and on no account should you let another man treat you like a rag.
Some people assume that the fact you are doing the fucking makes you more of a man, which is incredibly stupid, at the end of the day, you all are cock lovers, graded and categorised as same .You do not get to assume the alpha role in the gaymeter simply because you prefer to give and another chooses to receive.
BTW, I didn’t read the interview, it’s too early in the month to read up another lie, by a desperate Z list celeb who thinks coming out in this boisterous period of gay and women emancipation, will catapult him to the spotlight that his talent (if any) has failed miserably to.
I’m out of here ?.
Absalom
September 01, 09:43So, to make a point about bottom-shaming, you go misogynistic? You’re very Gay2002; update the way you talk about gay stuff to Gay2017, please. And lose the undisciplined attempt at being critical.
Foxydevil
September 01, 12:01Hope you slept well?
You sound like your nerves are jittery, do ensure you get adequate sleep and drink lots of water, nothing as soothing and calming as a cold glass of water. ?
Francis
September 01, 09:49How difficult is it for you to say “I’m not here for your drama, coman be going”? You just had to dump extra shit on someone that came to you for help and now boast about your nasty behavior like the Boss Queen that you are abi.
Guy you need help.
Foxydevil
September 01, 12:14You didn’t even let me complete the story…..
I slapped him but sadly it didn’t work
So I had to go behind him and hook up with the guy in question. The guy might be a jerk but he is one sexy motherfucker and he is extremely good in bed ….so I sent the pictures to my sissy friend. He hated me for sometime as she should, even threatened to make the pictures go viral on the internet, but he soon came around, and understood that what I did I did for his own good (having one of the best orgasm in my life) was only a tiny reward, I felt I deserved for saving a good friend from an abusive relationship ???? …..now we’ve kicked the motherfucker out and our friendship is stronger than ever.
Wouldn’t you be thrilled to have a friend as loyal and reliable as I am?
Beautiful Francis?
What a beautiful name for a beautiful man, ? ?
Francis
September 01, 12:16Thank you very much I’ll pass. I reject am IJN. You and your friend deserve una selves. It is well with una movement for this life *sign of the cross*
trystham
September 01, 13:13Who needs enemies when they’ve got friends like you?
rx
September 01, 10:17I still agree more with foxydevil. i hate the need for any ‘bottomism’. its not misogyny. Most women directly/indirectly allow these men treat them like trash. Women and bottoms should grow some balks
rx
September 01, 10:19grow some ‘balls’ and command the respect deserved. Never allow trash, dump any asshole fast and stay Happy. Be independent too
Foxydevil
September 01, 12:02?
Canis VY Majoris
September 01, 21:11The title is stupid. WTF is that ?
This is where we fail ourselves.
Canis VY Majoris
September 01, 21:11The title is stupid. WTF is that ?
This is where we fail ourselves.
IBK
September 01, 23:11This article and comments.. Comic relief.
So much comic relief in one night.
And foxy devil.. I don’t believe you one bit. It’d fit nicely in one of your scripts though.
Foxydevil
September 02, 01:23Apparently, I need to improve on my script writing.
Maybe create another version of game of thrones, where you will replace Bran as the three eyed Raven…. Since you see and know all things.
Pjay
September 02, 01:22It’s been long since I came here. I didn’t know we had a new resident bitch. Shift, Ambivalentone. Hi Foxy!! ?
trystham
September 02, 07:01Bwahahahahaha. Shey u r seeing sontin. Thot u always read behind scenes
Chizzy
September 02, 16:55Hmm
Ken George
September 11, 10:46Anderson Cooper ain’t my particular cup of cocoa. He’s cute yes, but he looks like those peeps who demand eternal worship from their potential lovers, based on logistics (their looks). So, am going to say no, he don’t float my boat.