Kristen Stewart has responded to critics of her recent Rolling Stone cover, which prompted controversy upon its release.
As a guest on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Stewart was asked why she believes the cover, which shows her with her hand inside her jockstrap, has received such negative attention. Colbert initiated the conversation after revealing that CBS did not want him to show the cover on his show.
“Now before I show this cover, I just want you to know and the audience to know that I think it’s a perfectly lovely cover,” he said. “We were asked by CBS not to show it. They thought that would be not a good idea for us to show this, and I don’t know understand why. Because there’s the cover, right there,” he said, turning it around to face the audience.
“I want to say that you look better in a jockstrap than I ever did,” Colbert added, before asking the actor to comment on the criticism the image received.
Stewart pointed toward a societal double standard: “Well, it’s a little ironic because I feel like I’ve seen a lot of male pubic hair on the cover of things. I’ve seen a lot of hands in pants and unbuttoned…I think there’s a certain overt acknowledgment of a female sexuality that has its own volition in a way that is annoying for people who are sexist and homophobic.”
“I’ve certainly seen more revealing covers on Rolling Stone or Sports Illustrated for that matter,” Colbert said, to which Stewart said, “It’s not remotely explicit.”
Colbert added, “I think it also violates public expectations of female sexuality as opposed to how you’re presenting it here.”
Stewart agreed, “Yes, because female sexuality isn’t supposed to actually want anything but to be had. And that feels like it’s protruding in a way that might be annoying. But fuck you.”
Stewart’s Rolling Stone cover hit stands ahead of the release of her romantic thriller film “Love Lies Bleeding,” which came out on March 8.
Variety has reached out to CBS for comment. Watch the clip from “The Late Show” below.