Dawson's Creek Star Describes Angry Protests Over The Show's Groundbreaking Gay Kiss

There are many examples of controversial TV moments that have angered viewers throughout the years, but it takes something significant to incur the ire of the widespread public. This brings us to "Dawson's Creek," a series that is now regarded as one of the best teen dramas of all time for a variety of reasons and deserves praise for its boundary-pushing elements. In the year 2000, kissing scenes between LGBTQ+ characters were practically unseen on the small screen — but "Dawson's Creek" depicted one on primetime, leading to an outcry from angry mobs.

The scene in question occurs in Season 3's "True Love" episode and sees Jack (Kerr Smith) lock lips with Ethan (Adam Kaufman). These days, it's viewed as a pivotal moment in depicting meaningful LGBTQ+ relationships on mainstream television, but the protests that ensued targeted the "Dawson's Creek" cast members. "We had protests outside the stage, yelling and screaming," Smith recalled on the "Pod Meets World" podcast. "There was a brick wall that separated me, eating my lunch, from a crowd of people that were angry as hell. If I had walked out there, they'd probably beat the crap out of me." 

Kerr Smith now says he is proud of the role he played in being part of this positive development in pop culture.

"Now, looking back in hindsight, I just wanna say this: I'm super, super proud of what we pulled off, because as you know, the face of television has changed, and I think people's acceptance of other people, sexuality, or whatever it might be is much more broad and much more open these days," the actor added in the "Pod Meets World" interview.