Terry Crews talks Deadpool 2, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and toxic masculinity on The Daily Show

By Dennis Perkins | May 17, 2018 | 10:19am

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Human-shaped charm mountain Terry Crews was typically delightful in his sit-down with Trevor Noah on Wednesday’s Daily Show. Noah ran down Crews’ seemingly endless list of accomplishments (former NFL player, painter, furniture designer, sitcom star, former-future POTUS) as the two talked over what’s arguably Crews’ most successful career period yet. He’s a big-screen superhero (Deadpool’s 2's Bedlam), and the delightful Brooklyn Nine-Nine was rescued from Fox’s foolish indifference by NBC after 30 internet-riling hours earlier this week. Crews described grimacing his stunned way through another talk show appearance right after hearing of the show’s abrupt cancellation, which he described as “hearing that your favorite uncle just died.” Then he noted with glee the relief when fellow famously endearing celebs like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Guillermo del Toro, and Mark Hamill’s vocal support helped resurrect said uncle at the last minute.

Crews’ wonted, indefatigable positivity carried over even as Noah introduced the subject of the actor’s revelation that he was groped against his will by his former agent, Adam Venit at an industry function in 2016. Crews maintained that he’s not doing anything in speaking out that women haven’t been doing “for thousands of years.” Noting that the culture of “toxic masculinity” that has served to silence women and men in the entertainment industry and elsewhere is “how successful people know they can get away with this,” Crews said he hopes his decision to reveal his assault will help others. Saying that Venit’s actions (in which he allegedly grabbed the actor’s privates) were all about power rather than sex, Crews, calling success “the warmest place to hide,” expressed satisfaction that Venit “got the surprise of his life when he found out I was telling everybody.”