Gerbil gay

In this article, we’ll break down the origins, psychology, and impact of the Richard Gere gerbil story, debunk the myths, and explore what it reveals about celebrity culture and the power of urban legends in 2025.

The Richard Gere and Gerbils Rumor: How Did It Start?

The Birth of a Tabloid Sensation

The Richard Gere and gerbils rumor first surfaced in the late 1980s, at a time when tabloid journalism was booming and the internet was just beginning to connect rumor-mongers worldwide.

Inserting a wet cardboard paper-towel roll into your ass is simply not possible, as anyone who’s ever put anything in their ass can tell you.

Now I feel I can write with some authority that no one has ever actually stuffed a gerbil up their butt. Tie a string to the gerbil’s tail. "You're ruining Richard Gere's career and reputation."

Conan took pains to say that the urban legend was "the stupidest untrue rumour in the history of show business" — but the damage has already been done, since now everyone at the Exclaim!

I mean, everything else that a perverse gay man needs is available in your average gay neighborhood, from poppers to butt plugs to bullwhips to sofa sectionals. Richard Gere did what?!'"

Conan acknowledged that younger listeners might not know about the story, and podcast audio engineer Eduardo said that he had never heard it before.

Yet the same person who believes gay men are prim sissies also believes we’re capable of holding a struggling rodent in one hand while ripping its lower jaw off with the other, and then tearing its legs off and stuffing it up our butts—hardly a prim pastime.

2. He's pretty beloved, and obviously never coming on this podcast."

Conan denied responsibility for bringing the urban legend back, but Movsesian argued, "People googled that rumour after they listened to that segment and they're like, 'What?!

The story was so persistent that it became a pop culture reference, even though it was always denied by Gere and dismissed by reputable media.

Richard Gere Hamster, Gay Hampster, and the Evolution of the Story

From Gerbil to Hamster: How the Details Shifted

As the rumor evolved, some versions swapped the animal, referring to a Richard Gere hamster or even a “gay hampster” (a misspelling that became its own meme).

Does Richard Gere? Like the doomed gerbils themselves, this story has no legs. Both in my professional and personal life, thousands of guys have freely admitted to doing the most out-there, dangerous, risky, stupid, kinky stuff. Repeat. Gerbils were once a desert mammal, and the state was concerned that gerbils could escape and establish themselves in the wild.

They become a kind of social currency—something to share at parties or online for a quick laugh.

Real-Life Example: The Power of a Persistent Rumor

A college student shared:

“I heard the Richard Gere hamster story from my roommate, who swore it was true because his cousin’s friend worked at the hospital. Gerbils may cuddle, groom, and sleep together without engaging in sexual activity.

However, same-sex bonding can sometimes involve mounting and genital sniffing, which can be mistaken for sexual behavior.

 

Dominance Display

 

Gerbils are territorial animals and may engage in dominance displays to establish their social hierarchy.

Dominance displays can involve aggressive behavior, such as chasing, biting, and fighting.

However, they can also involve non-aggressive behavior, such as mounting and genital sniffing.

Mounting and genital sniffing in dominance displays are not necessarily indicators of homosexuality.

These behaviors are often used to assert dominance and establish social rank.

Why? –Curious Coworkers

A To begin, I would like to make a controversial statement:

I have never had a gerbil in my ass.

This statement is not controversial for the reasons one would hope: It isn’t controversial in the “Hey! It is an urban legend.

But you don’t have to take my word for it: I have proof.

Unlike our hypothetical dinner-party guest—the vaginal hedgehog-stuffer—my denial of stuffing gerbils is necessitated by the accusation.

I’ve had conversations with hundreds of outrageously kinky people, gay and straight, who’ve told me the craziest shit. With the blunt side of the pliers, knock out the teeth in its upper jaw. However, these behaviors may relate more to dominance and social bonding than sexual attraction.

It is important to note that sexual orientation is a complex and multi-faceted concept that is not fully understood in humans, let alone in animals.

That’s uncalled for!” sense, like, say, a woman at a dinner party announcing that she doesn’t have a hedgehog in her vagina. The type of straight person who believes that gay men engage in “gerbiling” is likely to believe other gay stereotypes: We’re all prissy little swishes, for instance, with clean apartments and extensive collections of original Broadway cast recordings.