Kristin Chenoweth is Christian, a bit of a rarity in showbiz these days. And before you start, she knows what you are thinking.
“First, the word ‘religious’ makes people very nervous. It makes us go, ‘Oh, crazy person.’ And honestly today, if you say you are a Christian, it could mean you are a crazy person. I don’t like that. I want people to know that not every Christian person is the same.”
But unfortunately, Chenoweth has been faced with crazies several times now, as her shows have frequently been targets of the Westboro Baptist Church, the Kansas-based fundamentalist sect known for protesting soldiers’ funerals, Jewish institutions and anything remotely gay. They are known for their slogan, “God hates fags.”
Chenoweth said that the first time she was attacked by the church for her pro-LGBT activism, she burst into tears. But by the second time, she said, she couldn’t help but laugh “because it was such the antithesis of Christianity”
“Every time I play Kansas they come after me,” Chenoweth says. “They are playing music and saying that ‘God hates fags’ and ‘Chenoweth is the devil.’ The problem is that they are playing a Sam Smith song while they are doing it, and I just really want to yell out, ‘Hey guys, if you are really going to picket and really let me have it, don’t be playing a song by a gay man. Come on now. Get with the program. Do your research!’”
Read our full interview with Chenoweth here.