This isn’t a post speculating on anyone’s orientation, it’s just something I’ve been wondering about a lot recently.

As Bojack is leaving Herb’s house, he asks Herb whether his rectal cancer has anything to do with him being gay. Now Bojack is never shown being homophobic at any other point (barring a question he previously asked Herb out of curiosity at the worst possible time), but this remark is pretty biting and offensive. I’ve been wondering why exactly he said that.

  • Was he deliberately trying to hit Herb where it hurts (his cancer and his sexuality all at once) as revenge for Herb not forgiving him?

  • Was he trying to diffuse the situation and win Herb’s sympathy by making jokes, doing the thing they had bonded over and continued to bond over despite their history?

  • Was it a genuine question out of curiosity asked at the worst possible time?

I know this is a bit of overanalysis but I’m curious what everyone else thinks? I just find their dynamic and interactions very interesting.

  • peepingtomatoes@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I just think it’s an example of Bojack’s overall self-absorbed, selfish nature. It was an insensitive question to ask, but Bojack wasn’t thinking about that; he was curious, and he wanted to satisfy that curiosity, not thinking about what asking it would mean to Herb.

  • Mind_312@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I think it’s because BoJack puts things in his ass as referenced sometimes.

  • JaDamian_Steinblatt@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    It’s the third one, and I don’t think BoJack is homophobic at all. He’s a lot of terrible things but that’s not one of them.

  • laurel_a7@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    bojack is just insanely insensitive remember what he says about alaskans also he is minorly homophobic at other times

  • ghostmeat@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    one way you can get rectal cancer is from hpv, so yes. there is some basis. just like you can get throat cancer from contracting hpv in your throat through sexual contact. absolutely insane of bojack to ask herb

  • traumatized90skid@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I think it’s just a genuinely curious question, asked at the wrong time. Gay men are more at risk for anal cancer, but it’s a rude thing to assume when a given gay man has it, because it can also be caused by other things. I think he was just too inappropriately curious at the wrong time.

  • thecloudkingdom@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    bojacks house in the 90s is FULL of keith haring paintings. i dont think he’s homophobic, i just think he has some strange ideas about boundaries

  • KingKaos420-@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I know gay men with rectal cancer who have been asked this exact question. Not by an enemy, and not in a malicious way either. Sometimes people are just very unaware

  • lowesa@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    i think its a genuine question, bj tends to say out of pocket comments