Tony Danza Is Getting Shit For Being “Condescending” To A Reporter At A Broadway Premiere
Page Six reports that Tony Danza went to the premiere of the new Broadway show, New York, New York on Wednesday night. While walking the red carpet, he and producer Jamie deRoy got interviewed by reporter Rye Myers. An enthusiastic Rye asked both Tony and Jamie how they were feeling. Jamie replied, “Excited!” but Tony’s response was a little more… asshole-esque. He said, “Rye, relax a little. You’re more excited than we are. Take it easy.” It didn’t get better from there. There was condescending face-touching, an insult about Rye’s questions, and an early exit. Unfortunately for Tony, Rye wasn’t about to let him get away with his behavior. He posted that shit to TikTok and fed Tony to the wolves (ruthless commenters).
After Tony told Rye to “take it easy,” Rye maintained his sunny composure and joked, “It’s exciting!” An exasperated Tony replied, “I know, I know, I know. OK.” Later, Rye asked the pair what their favorite “New York City staple food item” was, pizza or hot dogs? Tony patted Rye’s cheek and said, “Do you know what you gotta do, buddy? You gotta come up with better questions!” Then he grabbed Jamie and said, “Come on, let’s go,” and walked away. Rye said, “Thank you, Tony!” But guess what? Rye wasn’t thankful. On TikTok, he titled the video “The Rudest Celebrity I Ever Interviewed!”, with the captions, “Well, you can’t please everyone…” and “If you didn’t wish to be interviewed, you could have said No!”
In another caption, Rye wrote that he understood not everyone was gonna be in the mood to do an interview, but he asked “these same question” to “heavy hitters” like Joel Grey and Lin Manuel Miranda, and Tony was the only person who “replied like this.” In the comments, he clarified that because the show was New York, New York (the LA Times called it “schlock”), all the reporters in attendance were asking New York-themed questions. Here’s the vid:
@rye_myers As a red carpet reporter, I’m here to help bring excitement to your event and promote it! I LOVE chatting with Broadway and Entertainment’s best as “Your Broadway & Entertainment BFF!” I understand not everyone is in the mood to answer questions, and you can always pass. I asked these same questions (and a few others!) to heavy hitters like #JoelGray #linmanuelmiranda and others, and only #TonyDanza replied like this…. To say I was blown away, shocked, and embarrassed is an understatement…But, my professionalism showed through! 😉 #tonydanza #wtfmoments #celebrityencounters #rude #nypost #pagesix #tmznews #whostheboss #redcarpet #redcarpetreporter #shockingmoments #rudecelebrities #slapintheface #celebritynews
And here are some of the comments. via Page Six:
TikTok users came to Myers’ defense in the comments, calling him a “class act” for staying “professional” during the awkward interview.
“He’s showed his true colors as a condescending azzhole [sic] but you handled it with humor and grace,” one person wrote. “Bravo to you.” Another pointed out that Danza had an eponymous talk show from 2004 to 2006 and asked “terrible questions” as the host.
“The touch of my face would have sent me into a fit of rage,” a third user wrote. Others referring to Danza’s responses as “unkind” and pointed out that “he should be glad people still want to talk to him.”
Rye posted a clip of his interview with Lin-Manual Miranda right after the Tony TikTok and wrote, “But then you have interviews with THIS GEM of a human that is just VERY KIND and gracious”:
@rye_myers But then you have interviews with THIS GEM of a human that is just VERY KIND and gracious! Check out my full chat with #linmanuelmiranda on my youtube channel! We love Lin! #linmanuelmirandatiktok #hamilton #mynameisalexanderhamilton #intheheights #moana #tonywinner #redcarpet #celebrity #celebrityinterviews #redcarpetreporter
Honestly, Tony being rude is probably the best thing that could have happened to Rye Myers, red carpet reporter. New followers on TikTok, press coverage, and waves of commenters validating his hurt feelings? Maybe I should start following his lead and post some of my own TikToks: “Bitch cut in front of me in line at the grocery store… the CUNTIEST public encounter ever!!!” Gen Z, attack!
Pic: Janet Mayer/Startraksphoto.com