Adam Carolla: The Gay Community Has 'Turned Into A Mafia' That Demands Apologies For Jokes

Adam Carolla believes that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has " turned into a mafia" that's constantly striving for political correctness.

Noting that "you can’t live in Hollywood and get along in this business and be in theater companies and improv companies and have issues with gay people," the 49-year-old comedian and television host seems to acknowledge the criticisms he's faced after having cracked a number of jokes some have deemed either anti-gay or transphobic.

"My last movie I did was a boxing movie called 'The Hammer,' and the director [Charles Herman-Wurmfeld] was gay," he tells The New York Observer's Daniel D'Addario. "If you can’t work with gay people, you’re gonna have a difficult time in Hollywood. There’s plenty of gay people and they’re in positions above you. You’re not going to get your movie directed. I don’t have a problem with it — they’ve just turned into a mafia and demanding everyone apologize for every joke and retract every statement."

Carolla says he also tackles the national battle for same-sex marriage rights in his new book, President Me: The America That’s in My Head -- albeit in a tongue-in-cheek way.

"In the book, what I say about the gay community is that someone sent me 'the top 10 reasons gays should marry,'" he notes. "One: They’re American. Two: They pay taxes. Three through five: So they can shut the f**k up. I don’t want to be lying on my deathbed and realize gay marriage and legalization of marijuana is all I discussed the last half of my life."

It isn't the first time that Carolla has spoken out against the criticisms he's received from the LGBT community. In 2012, he told "The Talk" co-host Sara Gilbert that his so-called "homophobic" rants were merely a part of his stage persona.

"I'm on stage," he said at the time. "'Nice' doesn't get laughs, especially on stage. That is what I am saying."

Carolla's latest comments seem to echo those of Bill Maher, who sparked the ire of a number of LGBT advocates when he implied that Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich's surprise resignation was the result of pressure from a "gay mafia." Eich had stepped down from his new position after news of his support of a 2008 anti-gay marriage campaign came to light.

Nonetheless, Maher's comments were shrugged off by outspoken LGBT rights advocate Dan Savage, who joked that if a gay mafia did exist, it would be "the slowest mafia on Earth to move, when you look at all the enemies of LGBT equality."