Out athletes Gus Kenworthy and Robbie
Rogers appear on Tuesday's episode of the ABC sitcom The Real
O'Neals.
In the episode, titled The Real
Match, Kenworthy and Rogers play themselves as they inspire
openly gay teen Kenny (played by Noah Galvin) not to quit the
wrestling team.
Kenny is having second thoughts before
his wrestling debut when professional soccer player Rogers and
Olympic skier Kenworthy appear in a vision to give him a pep talk.
Series producer David Windsor told
Outsports that the show is looking at ways to upend
stereotypes.
“You can't get away from
stereotypes,” he
said. “But we find what's expected and take a new bent on it.
People are more complex than just 'jock' or 'cheerleader' or
'academic' and we like to get into all of that and let it surprise
the audience and the characters in the show. It's a little more
interesting and layered. It feels more satisfying to us.”
(Related: Gus
Kenworthy plays “sassy, bitchy version” of himself on Real
O'Neals.)