Comedian and actor Tom Arnold who won an MTV Movie Award for his role in True Lies alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, got into a heated debate with former Superman actor Dean Cain after Arnold called Cain a racist.
The row started when LGBTQ activist group GLAAD questioned why Dean Cain was promoting his upcoming film Gosnell at the Family Research Council.
? @RealDeanCain – We know that you’ve professed your support for LGBTQ people in the past, so why are you speaking at an event hosted by the anti-LGBTQ activists at @FRCdc? #VVS18
— GLAAD (@glaad) September 20, 2018
Cain would note he hopes the Family Research Council asks him about his opinion on gay rights and the fact that he’s pro-choice.
I hope they ask me about my support for gay rights, and the fact that I’m pro-choice. I’m happy to have that conversation.
— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) September 20, 2018
He would then explain that he was there to discuss Gosnell.
I’m not there to do anything other than discuss the film, GOSNELL. And I’m pro-choice. That will probably take-up the bulk of the time. I’m not there to preach or to lecture—I hope they ask about my support for gay rights. I haven’t studied their record.
— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) September 20, 2018
That’s when Arnold decided to attack Cain calling him “anti-LGBTQ” and a “racist.”
@RealDeanCain is another @realDonaldTrump loving fake Christian coward which makes Dean Cain anti-LGBTQ & racist. #complict
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) September 23, 2018
Cain would fire back calling Arnold a “slanderous weasel.”
Tom, you’re a cowardly, slanderous weasel.
— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) September 23, 2018
The two actors would then confront each other in person while Cain was in Glendale, California for an appearance on Larry King Now to promote his film Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer. Arnold was also there to promote The Hunt for the Trump Tapes with Tom Arnold. Cain confronted Arnold saying, “I’m not a racist person; I never have been.”
Arnold demands to see the Tweet from Cain. However, Cain is unable to produce it on the spot, but tells Arnold, “I’ve always supported gay rights. …Let me finish for a second. You’re giving me guilt by association.”
Arnold would then attempt to justify his defamation of Cain by saying, “They’re hurting people – you know how many suicide of f****** gay kids? … They f****** shame them and they try to keep them out of f******g schools. … Please hear me. That’s why it’s so visceral. … I don’t want those f****** using you.”
Cain responds, “Nobody is using me. I speak my mind.”
As the video comes to a close the two appear to make amends with each as they hug each other.
Cain would then Tweet that confronting Arnold in person forced him to back down.
He called me #racist and said I was anti-LGBT. Totally untrue.
After I confronted him, he backed down. That’s how it always seems to work. https://t.co/kyGixRrQYg— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) October 9, 2018
However, Arnold would fire back in The Hollywood Reporter stating, “I didn’t back down. I was giving him a break by not assuming he was stupid about the FRC, which I do liken to Nazis, and now I see he’s one of them.” He also insulted the Gosnell movie stating, “It’s a shit-f****** movie.” He continued, “He played this icon, Superman, but he’s an idiot. If he wanted to fight, I took my glasses off for him. He’s a fucking pussy. Next time I see him we’ll get it going and his buddy can film it.”
Arnold would double down on Twitter calling Cain “the worst kind of anti-LGBTQ racist Trump suck up christian fraud.”
good lord you are a pussy & a phony & the worst kind of anti-LGBTQ racist Trump suck up christian fraud. Kids are getting hurt. I will continue to call out you & your sick side’s support of Trump’s cruel policies & you can play the big white man victim like the quisling you are.
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) October 9, 2018
except for everything…everything I said about you is true and everything you said happened isn’t AND there’s a tape….#TrumpTapes
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) October 10, 2018
He would then go on to state that Cain is racist and homophobic.
If he wasn’t racist or homophobic he’d be doing something about racism & homophobia instead of setting me up but he & conservative christian right pals won’t do that cause they are those things. Their boy Trump denied climate change again today. Can’t be pro-life & anti-science.
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) October 10, 2018
This isn’t the first time that Cain has been targeted like this. Podcaster Anthony Oliveira previously accused Cain of homophobia, which the former Superman actor roundly denied and pointed to his previous statements on gay marriage.
I fully support gay rights. Always have. Always will.
Spin any narrative you like, for whatever reason you like—won’t change my support for gay rights.— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) September 16, 2018
Arnold’s behavior is increasingly common and appears to be becoming more erratic than ever. We’ve seen similar tactics deployed by Arnold in the comic book world by people like Tim Doyle, Kieran Shiach, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Mark Waid. We’ve also seen Chelsea Cain targeted in a similar fashion after she released her latest comic book series Man-Eaters.
Dean Cain definitely kept his cool when confronting Arnold. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear to change Arnold’s mind as he continued his hateful attacks via Twitter.