Richard Dreyfuss' Son Ben Reacts to Actor's Alleged Sexist Comments

Movies

By Caroline Blair

Ben Dreyfuss, the son of Richard Dreyfuss, has spoken out about transphobic and misogynistic comments his father allegedly made at a recent “Jaws” event.

“Wow, I just looked at my phone and learned about the outrageous and disgusting behavior of someone close to me,” the 37-year-old joked on Monday X, alongside a screenshot of a text message from her sister announcing that she had purchased an Android phone.

Ben, who Richard shares with ex-wife Jeramie Rain, then wrote about his father in a second post: “Well now you know why I refused to give him the password to his own Twitter account for a decade lol.”

“This will be my only statement on the subject. thank you,” he concluded.

Ben later clarified his statements, saying he didn't call his father “disgusting” or “scandalous” but that he meant it as a joke about his sister being given an Android.

He added somberly: “My father and I disagree on a lot of things. But it is a free country. People are allowed to have different opinions about things.

Ben's response came after Richard, 76, made headlines for allegedly giving a speech about transgender children and diversity on Saturday during a ticketed screening of his 1975 film at the Cabot Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Although video of the actor's full remarks has not been released, attendees were quick to call him out on social media.

“We left his interview this evening with hundreds of others because of his racist, homophobic, mysogynistic (sic) speech,” one person commented on the room’s Facebook page.

One X user, meanwhile, said her girlfriend's parents were at the event and attached a screenshot of a text message from one of them.

“He went off the rails saying Barbra Streisand was a genius, but he didn't listen to her because she's a woman and women shouldn't have that power. He then proceeded to share his views on the Me Too movement and started explaining that you shouldn't listen to a 10 year old who says he wants to be a boy instead of a girl,” the post read.

Another X user claimed that Richard said “women should have no power” and should instead “be quiet and gentle.”

“Asked about the #MeToo movement, he replied 'these people make me want to vomit' and that he didn't want to hear 8-year-olds say they were born in the wrong body,” echoed the same person.

Although many people walked out of the theater and expressed their disdain for the Oscar winner's comments, several audience members stayed until the end and even applauded and cheered, a brief clip shows.

“It's about the fact that 50 years ago, without telling anyone, they removed civics from the curriculum of every public school in America, which means we have no idea who we are. are. And if we don't get it back soon, we're all going to die. Make sure your children are not the last generation of Americans. And you know exactly what I’m talking about,” he said.

The Cabot later apologized for Richard's “distressing” remarks.

“We deeply regret that the remarks made by Mr. Dreyfuss during the event were not consistent with the values ​​of inclusiveness and respect that we defend at Cabot. We understand that his remarks were distressing and offensive to many in our community, and for that, we sincerely apologize,” Executive Director J. Casey Soward wrote in an email to guests.

The theater further told The Hollywood Reporter that it is “aware of and shares serious concerns following the recent event with Richard Dreyfuss.”

“The opinions expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect the values ​​of inclusion and respect that we uphold as an organization. We deeply regret the distress this has caused many of our customers,” it said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Richard did not respond to Page Six's request for comment, and the movie star did not respond to his alleged comments himself.