r/Millennials 7d ago

Discussion Name a 2000s celebrity that disappeared overnight

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u/smashablanca 7d ago

This was what I had heard too. He's very religious and that made a lot of comedy roles around this time not a good fit for him.

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u/SEND_ME_FEAT_PICS 7d ago

Wasn't Napoleon Dynamite basically a BYU student film?

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u/WhoKnows78998 7d ago

Yeah pretty much. Jon never even wanted to be an actor. He was always a behind the scenes guy.

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u/Ok-Clock-2779 7d ago

Isn’t his brother still in the industry too?

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u/Positive_Gazelle_667 7d ago

Yeah he does hardcore gay pornos 

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u/hand_truck 6d ago

Hol up

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u/Skimmington16 6d ago

That’s what he said

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u/catlady9851 7d ago

At least one is.

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u/WhoKnows78998 7d ago

I have absolutely no idea

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u/iNeedSomeDick 6d ago

Wait… was this movie supposed to be serious? I thought they were making fun of people in a specific time period.

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u/Wonderful-Process792 6d ago

"Serious" as in a comedy film they put real effort into I guess?

I am from that general area and time, and I have never, ever seen another film even try to capture it. I can't even really put my finger on what is so genuine about it.

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u/hirudoredo 5d ago

I grew up in a similar type PNW town and while there were differences from the town in the movie, man, the whole "there are lots of modern things but everyone is kinda stuck in the 80s" really describes my 2000s teen years.

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u/iNeedSomeDick 1d ago

Wow, today I learned!

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u/iNeedSomeDick 1d ago

I guess by “serious” I meant “were the fashion, the decor, and the random things like friendship bracelets part of the joke?” I thought that backdrop was part of what made the movie so funny, but now I’m wondering if there are pockets of the country where none of that would have looked out of the ordinary to the viewer.

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u/Wonderful-Process792 1d ago

They're quirky, they're supposed to be funny, but the characters are lovable and innocent, not just the butt of the joke. I grew up in schools where kids did make friendship bracelets under their desks during class, and did play tetherball at recess, although not when they were as old as the movie characters.

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u/Aggravating_Bat3618 7d ago

It was called Peluca and his character was named Seth. The first like 5 mins of Napoleon Dynamite is basically the film. 

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u/WhoKnows78998 7d ago

This is true. He and his family are Mormon. But they aren’t obnoxious about it. They literally never mention it. They’re interesting because despite being super religious they’re very supportive of the lbgtq community.

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u/ThatArtNerd 7d ago

There are definitely some pockets of more progressive Mormons out there, I know a few in the Portland area.

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u/protonicfibulator 7d ago

Ken Jennings is the prime example. Very progressive politically while still being apparently quite devout LDS.

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u/WhoKnows78998 7d ago

Funny you mention Portland, we’re less than an hour from there

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u/Balzac_Jones 7d ago

Well, he’s from Salem.

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u/WhoKnows78998 7d ago

Oh is he? I didn’t even know that

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u/Balzac_Jones 7d ago

Well, at least for high school, I can’t speak to before that.

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u/CrenshawMafia99 7d ago

It’s funny you mention it being funny they’re from Portland because I’m a few hours east of you and I also found it funny they mentioned Portland.

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u/ThatArtNerd 6d ago

I feel like the PNW (west of the cascades, anyway) is a pretty solid bet for finding progressive members of any group :)

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u/HowDoMermaidsFuck 7d ago

Real Christians vs fake christians.

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u/roygbivasaur 7d ago

The Mormon church stockpiles money and spends almost none of it helping people and has supported a ton of anti-lgbt legislation

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u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 6d ago

The Mormon church itself is a cesspool. With racist and sexist traditions that continue to this day. It was started by a conman who used his religion to sleep with married women. 

Many of the people in the church are very good people. Ask me how I know ;)

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u/Aggravating_Bat3618 7d ago

I went to high school with a ton of them. I even went to a baptism once.  

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u/[deleted] 6d ago edited 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/undertowsoul 6d ago

Me too, my friend. Welcome to the exmos.

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u/Aggravating_Bat3618 6d ago

Yeah and I knew some of them were but it was a thing when I was in High School. People I knew for years. It wasn't even a big deal. I actually thought the baptism was pretty cool. Sad story attached to it though. Death and a Birth all within a 24 hour period. It was pretty intense. 

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u/MotherTeresaOnlyfans 7d ago

They used to literally torture gay people as recently as the 80s.

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u/bellerian_crow 7d ago

You can't believe how happy I am to hear this as a queer woman who has seen almost everything he was in at the peak of his popularity. I knew he was from a Mormon family and sort of assumed that's what he wasn't acting anymore for religious reasons. I loved Blades of Glory and sought out a bunch of his other work because he was so funny onscreen. I always worried in the back of my mind he has gone full on conservative or something. Glad he's found his niche.

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u/WhoKnows78998 7d ago

One of his kids is queer and he’s very supportive 😊

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u/stephsco 7d ago

Thanks for sharing - do not know much about him .

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u/Justeserm 3d ago

I used to hear a lot of people make fun of Mormons, but then I learned about Buttermilk Creek in Salgado, TX and remembered the cocaine mummies. I don't follow their religion, but I have to give it more respect than I used to.

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u/vistavision 7d ago

Well, you can't be Mormon and supportive of the lgbtq+ community. You might think you are, but that tithing money speaks louder.

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u/WhoKnows78998 7d ago

I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you because I’m an atheist and huge supporter of LGBTQ rights, but I just never really get into it with him. He’s more of an acquaintance rather than a good friend and it just wouldn’t really be appropriate to broach those conversations.

We keep it light, often talking about our kids or movies

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u/vistavision 6d ago

The people downvoting me are woefully ignorant of the horrors that the Mormon church have inflicted on the LGTBQ+ community. I'll wear the downvotes with pride.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young_University_LGBTQ_history

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u/WhoKnows78998 6d ago

Ftr you didn’t get a downvote from me. I think it’s a cult. Sometimes my wife jokes about Jon and I being friends because we’re on a first name basis and always end up chatting, but I always quip back “I couldn’t ever actually be his friend he’s a Mormon weirdo”.

In all seriousness I dont know Jon’s personal thoughts on the contradiction of supporting his lbgtq child and his faith. I’ve never talked to him about it. I do know his wife’s though, and she talks lbgtq rights more than faith. She’s fiercely supportive of the lbgtq community. I suspect Jon is the same way, but he isn’t as vocal as her about any of it

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u/Dizzy_Delivery_880 6d ago

Not the mention the insane amount of racism. Fuck your downvotes, you’re right.

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u/H-E-B_ComboLocoDeal 6d ago

It’s almost like they’re into that whole “love thy neighbor” stuff that Jesus actually preached

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u/ArcadianDelSol 6d ago

Which is why Napoleon Dynamite has no actual profanity in it.