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The Real O'Neal's Christmas Kiss and 'Oh Holy Night/The Greatest' Mash-Up Is Groundbreaking
The network sitcom continues to push boundaries in important and hilarious ways.
Last month the anti-LGBT Parents Television Council named the ABC sitcom The Real O’Neals the most “profane” show on television, and that’s in a television landscape that includes profound violence and violence against women on shows like Game of Thrones. So last night’s The Real O’Neals Christmas episode should really send the Parents Television Council members into a collective meltdown.
The series, which revolves around Kenny, a gay teen (Noah Galvin) navigating coming out while living under his very Catholic mother’s (the unparalleled Martha Plimpton) roof while also trying to survive Catholic school, featured Kenny and a classmate in the Christmas episode falling for each other before singing a mash-up of “O Holy Night” and the Kendrick Lamar verse from Sia’s “The Greatest” – church choir robes and cherub-esque faces and all! And the mash-up really worked!
If that weren’t enough, prior to their performance, Kenny confronted his possible love interest Brett (Sean Grandillo), demanding to know why Brett didn't like him. Before Kenny could get another word out, Brett kissed him right there in the church. But more than just a sweet love story with lots of laughs, the show continued to push boundaries of acceptance and understanding. Go Real O'Neals!
Watch the kiss below.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
