Director Ron Howard defended the derogatory use of the word 'gay' in his film, The Dilemma. Now, the movie's star, Vince Vaughn, explains why he's glad that the "gay" joke was kept in the film:

As reported over the weekend, a controversial "gay" joke will remain in The Dilemma when it hits theaters Jan. 14 -- and star Vince Vaughn thinks that's the right thing to do.

In the talked-about scene, which was excised from the trailer after a public outcry, Vaughn, 40, quips, "electric cars...are gay."

"I'm glad to hear it's staying the movie," Vaughn said in a Wednesday radio interview for The Bert Show.

The star claimed that the quip "wasn't a derogatory term...We clarified within the joke [that it was] not 'homosexual-gay' but, you know, your parents are chaperoning a dance."

The actor said that awkward conversations are "the point" of doing comedy. "We're not trying to hurt anyone's feelings," he insisted. "If there's tensions there, ultimately, it brings us together, it makes us more comfortable."

He added that his brand of comedy doesn't have "any maliciousness" and has "never been at anyone's expense."

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Ron Howard Vows To Keep Unfunny, Gay-Baiting Joke In The Dilemma

"Honestly, what bothers me most about the whole thing is that the joke is not funny. Seriously, Academy Award-winning (for some reason) Ron Howard, you are going to bat for a stupid, lazy, unfunny joke," writes Dixon Gaines. "So, in a nutshell: if you’re complaining about gays being made a butt of dumb joke, you hate freedom, and independence and creativity." READ MORE

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios issued a statement in reaction to Howard's remarks:

"Unfortunately, by leaving it in the movie, [Universal is] now contributing to the problem. The conversations started as a result of the community's response to this slur will help schools, media and parents understand the impact of the word 'gay' being used as a pejorative," Barrios said in a statement. "Hopefully in the future, Universal and Ron Howard will recognize the power of their words and use their films to bring people together rather than drive us apart."

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