Original artwork, not a still
I’m fairly gay. I don’t know why I just said that. I’m totally gay. Just … gay.
— Modern Family · 2009
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker catches an unnecessary qualification and repeatedly corrects it, moving from fairly to totally to the unqualified word gay. The humour comes from the effort to make a simple statement precise. Each extra clarification exposes how awkward the first attempt now feels to the speaker.
Context reviewed
