BoJack Horseman star reveals beautiful reaction from fans to his character’s sexuality
Asexual character Todd Chavez (right). (Netflix)
Todd, BoJack’s wacky, lovable, surprisingly insightful sidekick, came out as asexual in the third episode of season four, which came out in September 2017.
The episode showed Todd rushing around, selflessly making everyone else’s lives better, before he stops in at Bojack’s and gets a huge weight off his shoulders.
“I think I’m… asexual,” he hesitantly tells the main character.
“A sexual what? Dynamo? Deviant? Harassment lawsuit waiting to happen?” Bojack responds, comically.
“No, asexual – not sexual,” Todd explains, later adding that “It actually feels nice to finally say it out loud.”
People loved the scene, with some reacting emotionally to their sexuality being shown on an award-winning show with such prominence.
Kara Anderson commented on YouTube: “Whenever I read about people crying when they see themselves represented in media for the first time, I thought they were exaggerating but then I saw this episode and started bawling my eyes out.
“As an asexual person, I could not ask for a better character to be that representation, and the whole process of Todd’s self-discovery journey was handled so well.”
Hol Jay wrote: “As an asexual, for this to be happening in a popular TV show is so amazing I’m literally crying!”
American actor Aaron Paul says he was proud to represent the asexual community through his character on BoJack Horseman.
The Breaking Bad star plays Todd Chavez, who in the show’s fourth season realises he is asexual and gradually builds up a community of other asexual people.
The show’s depiction of asexuality has been praised online.
In an interview with BuzzFeed News ahead of the first part of the sixth and final season of BoJack Horseman premiering on Netflix last weekend, Paul said the reaction to Todd’s asexuality had been “beautiful”.
“I was so proud to represent that community,” he said, “and so many people came up to me, or have been coming up to me, since that come out, saying, ‘I didn’t know what I was. You have given me a community that I didn’t even know existed,’ which is just so heartbreaking, but also so beautiful, you know?”