Jane Lynch Says She's 'Not Part of' a Hollywood Gay Mafia, but Jokes Jennifer Coolidge Is 'Probably the Queen'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge.Photo:Presley Ann/Getty; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Presley Ann/Getty; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Jane Lynchis happy to bow down to longtime friend and former on-screen flameJennifer Coolidge.

Lynch, 63, joked with PEOPLE at Saturday’s Santa Barbara Film Festival’s Virtuosos Awards that she’s personally “not part of” any “gay mafia” in Hollywood.

“They haven’t let me in, OK,” she kidded. “But I think Jennifer is, if there is a gay mafia. Even though she’s not gay, she’s in it and she’s probably the queen.”

“The Queen? Yes. She’s the queen of the gay mafia, not drag queen. Just a queen,” Lynch added.

Jane Lynch speaks at the Virtuosos Award in February 2024.Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Last March, Lynch also presented the 62-year-old star withGLAAD’s Special Recognition Awardat the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards.

Lynch continued, “She is one of us, ladies and gentlemen, and I have always said that the world has to catch up to Jennifer Coolidge. And the world has caught up to Jennifer Coolidge! One of the best, ladies and gentleman!”

At the show, Coolidge explained that she has “so much respect for the LGBTQ community and I just want you all to know that I love you and I thank you for always being there for me.”

“We all have a right to be who we are and to love the people that we love and tell our stories and celebrate that in every way that we can,” she said.

Jennifer Coolidge at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Saturday’s SBFF Virtuosos Awards also celebratedAmerica Ferrera,Andrew Scott,Lily Gladstone,Da’Vine Joy Randolph,Greta LeeandCharles Melton.

And while Lynch buzzed about her friend Coolidge, honoree andBarbiestar Ferrera, 39, geeked out on stage about idolTom Hanks.

Ferrera specifically opened up about the moment when Hanks, 67, congratulated her on her recent performance. Ferrera earned a2024 Oscar nominationin the Best Supporting Actress category for her work inBarbie.

“I don’t know that I’m ready to talk about it. I’m not ready to talk about what he said, but I guess whenever anyone asks me, who were the actors you grew up wanting to be? I’d say Tom Hanks,” Ferrera said. “I wanted to be Tom Hanks more than any other actor. I did. He’s every man. He’s like, we all see ourselves in him, right?”

“He came up to me at an event and he said very nice things to me and I’m still recovering from it,” she recalled, “and that was truly the moment where I felt like … ‘OK, I’m happy,I can tap out now, Tom Hanks just said nice things to me.'”

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The White LotusandBarbiecan both be streamed in full on Max.

source: people.com