Band sues comic over the 'defamatory' suggestion that YMCA might be a bit gay

The Village People are threatening to sue Jim Jefferies for daring to suggest that YMCA might be a celebration of gay sex

The Australian comedian was served with a cease-and-desist warning, giving him ten days to retract the ‘false and defamatory’ claims else face further legal action.

He attracted the group’s attention after speaking about how bizarre it was that the track appropriated by the hardline American right – and Donald Trump in particular – given it was all about ‘bumming in the shower.’

He said on his At This Moment podcast, ‘It's about fucking in showers in a hostel, right? Everyone, all these right-wing people, are dancing around to basically a song about bumming in the shower.’

The letter was sent by lawyer Karen Willis, the wife and manager of  Victor Willis, the only original member still in the band and who co-wrote the 1978 hit, which first appeared on the album Cruisin’ alongside tracks such as Hot Cop and I’m A Cruiser.

The letter warned Jefferies that his interpretation of the song was ‘not the actual meaning of his lyrics, nor is there anywhere in the lyrics that would even remotely suggest such’.

Speaking on Triple M radio in Australia, the comedian acknowledged: ‘I will concede that if he [Victor Willis] says the YMCA is not a homosexual song, I have to take him on his word for it.’

He then added: ‘But In The Navy and Macho Man are as gay as all balls.

‘I can tell you this much, his wife, Karen, said he’s never written anything homosexual. I’ll tell you this Karen, he never wrote a song called Karen.’

The comic then said that in his ‘biggest dreams’ he wanted to go to court and prove his case,

‘I rang my lawyer up, and I said, "Do I have a case?" And he said yes, and he said he’s looking forward to defending me. I hope it does go to court. I want my day in court.’

Jefferies also pointed out that former members of the Village People have said that it is a gay anthem and wanted to call them as witnesses.

Some legal experts have said Jefferies has a strong defence under America’s First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech.

But Meriam Schroeder, the band’s publicist, told Chortle: ‘Mr Jeffries will soon discover that the first amendment does not protect against obscenity nor does the first amendment protect against false and defamatory statements.’

Victor Willis appears to be making good on the threat he made in December, when he posted on Facebook: ‘Come January 2025, my wife will start suing each and every news organisation that falsely refers to YMCA, either in their headlines or alluded to in the base of the story, that YMCA is somehow a gay anthem because such notion is based solely on the song’s lyrics alluding to elicit [sic] activity for which it does not.’

He said he was glad Trump started using the track in his campaign rallies as it grossed ‘several million dollars’ off the back of it. 

Jefferies and his podcast co-host Amos Gill were told they had until Monday to retract their comments before the group took further action.

Published: 13 Feb 2025