Cyrus Goodman

Cyrus Goodman is a fictional main character in the American family comedy-drama television series Andi Mack on Disney Channel. The character is portrayed by Joshua Rush and first appeared on television in the pilot episode, "Tomorrow Starts Today". Cyrus is a best friend of both Andi Mack and Buffy Driscoll, the title character and a fellow main character, respectively, and attends Jefferson Middle School alongside them. He is notable as the first gay main character on Disney Channel, a distinction that has drawn considerable media attention and was reported in the news as being historic. The series has been nominated for and won awards specifically for Cyrus and his coming out storyline, the introduction of which caused a ratings surge.

Cyrus Goodman
Andi Mack character
Joshua Rush as Cyrus Goodman
in Season 1 Episode 5, "It's Not About You"
First appearance13
Last appearanceThanksgiving
Created byTerri Minsky
Portrayed byJoshua Rush
In-universe information
NicknameThe Protein Pre-Teen (by Himself)

Cy-Guy (by Jonah Beck)

Good-man (by Jonah Beck)

Underdog (by TJ Kippen)

Chocolate-Chocolate-Chip Muffin (by TJ Kippen)

Bar Mitzvah Boy (Walker Brodsky)

Nice-Burg (by TJ Kippen)

Small Gay Guy (by Kira)

Cy-Man (by Kira)

Goodbeck (by Jonah Beck)

C (by Andi & Buffy)

Little Princess Gay Guy (by Kira)

Ugly And Short Gay Guy (by Kira)

Green Jeans (by Kira)

Yellow Jeans (by Kira)

Side (by Officer Penn)

Orange Jeans (by Officer Penn)

Bro (by Jonah Beck)

Brother (by Buffy Driscoll)
GenderMale
OccupationSophomore at Grant High School
Significant otherTJ Kippen
ReligionJewish
NationalityAmerican
Age 1512 (season 1)

13 (season 2)

14 (season 3)

15 (season 4 and season 5)

Conception and casting

Andi Mack creator and executive producer Terri Minsky has stated in an interview with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences that the character of Cyrus was inspired by her daughter's friends, most of whom are gay and realized that about themselves when they were middle school students:

[T]he fact that my daughter, most of her close friends are kids who knew at the age of 12, 13, junior high,[lower-alpha 1] that they were gay. I just felt as if, the reality is that Andi would probably have a friend like that.

— Terri Minsky, in an interview with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences[1]

In August 2016, Andi Mack, created by Lizzie McGuire creator Terri Minsky, was picked up by Disney Channel, with then 14-year-old actor Joshua Rush, the voice of Bunga on the Disney Junior series The Lion Guard, cast as the then 12-year-old Cyrus Goodman.[lower-alpha 2][2][3]

In March 2017, The New York Times reported on the character in an article about the then upcoming Disney Channel series prior to its premier in April 2017.[4]

Actor Joshua Rush, who portrays Cyrus, has stated in interviews with Good Morning America and Us Weekly that he considers it an "honor" for him to be portraying the character, that he is "proud" to portray Cyrus, and that the character is relatable to him because one of his best friends had come out to him first:

I’m really proud to be able to play Cyrus. I think it’s an exciting role to be able to play for Disney. [...] But I think more than anything, it’s an exciting role for these kids that are going to end up seeing Cyrus on their screen and going, "Oh, that’s me! I recognize that and I understand that and I resonate with that." I think it shows those kids that their stories are valid.

— Joshua Rush, in a cast interview with Good Morning America[5]

I was so excited when I first read about it. It’s a real honor. [...] One of my best friends came out to me before anybody else. I wish that I had someone like Buffy on TV to show me how I should have responded.

— Joshua Rush, in an interview with Us Weekly[6]

Disney has stated that it consulted with child development experts as well as Common Sense Media, GLAAD, and PFLAG to develop the character and his coming out storyline.[7][8]

Character

Cyrus Goodman is a best friend of both Andi Mack and Buffy Driscoll, the title character and a fellow main character, respectively. Along with his friends, he lives in Shadyside in the fictional U.S. state of Midwest and starts the series as a seventh grade student at Jefferson Middle School. The first gay main character on American Disney Channel, Cyrus has come out to Andi, Buffy, and Jonah.[9][10][11][12] Cyrus is Jewish and has celebrated his bar mitzvah, the second depiction of that coming of age ceremony after LizzyMcGuire on Disney Channel.[11][13]

Cyrus was previously in a relationship with Iris, a girl who Amber and Jonah set him together with, but, while he enjoyed her company because of their shared interests and similar personalities, Cyrus eventually admitted to Iris that he had no romantic feelings for her; they amicably broke off the relationship and agreed to just be friends.[14][15][16][17] Cyrus previously had a long-time crush on Jonah, which he revealed to Buffy and Andi, but his crush on him later fades away.[10][11][18][19] Cyrus grows close with TJ, the captain of the Jefferson Middle School boys' basketball team, after they bond over their shared personal issues.[20][21][22][23] The two develop feelings for each other and in the series finale, these feelings are made apparent and they hold hands, marking the start of a romantic relationship.[24][25][26][27][28]

In terms of hobbies, Cyrus enjoys writing screenplays in his free time and playing board games with his friends.[29][30] His favorite foods are chocolate chip muffins and baby taters.[20][31]

Legacy

Critical reception

The character has drawn considerable media attention and Disney's announcement of his coming out was widely reported in the news, both nationally and internationally: BBC News, The Washington Post, ABC News, People, Us Weekly, TVLine, HuffPost, and NPR all described it as "history",[7][8][9][32][33][34][35][36] while The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, Fortune, the New York Daily News, and the Los Angeles Times all described it as "groundbreaking".[37][38][39][40][41][42]

Vogue, E! News, and The Salt Lake Tribune have critiqued the inclusion of the character and his coming out storyline as follows:

Disney has become surprisingly topical. [...] [A]ddressing real-life issues. [...] [A]nother step towards content for kids that is informed by reality. [...] [A]s Cyrus has continued to evolve, he’s been written with respect and nuance. Though he’s dealing with something that sets him apart from his classmates, he is an ordinary kid, not an anomaly.

— Vogue[43]

[T]he benefits of representation are twofold. Not only are you reinforcing the idea to countless scared individuals consuming the media that they exist, they matter and their stories are worth telling, but you're increasing their visibility in a wider landscape, helping to normalize them to a world that may seek to marginalize them or simply ignore them altogether. It's no coincidence that, when then Vice President Joe Biden announced his public support for marriage equality in 2012, he cited Will & Grace as having done more to educate the American public than anything else since. Visibility and accurate representation matter. Period.

— E! News[44]

It’s a process. Cyrus still has a long way to go. So do Andi and Buffy — even in this idealized, fictional world where a middle-schooler feels comfortable coming out to a friend. Maybe kids who watch this show can make the real world more like “Andi Mack.” Shows like this are helping to raise a generation that understands what a better world looks like.

— The Salt Lake Tribune[45]

LGBT rights organizations, including GLAAD, PFLAG, and Stonewall, all lauded Disney's inclusion of a character that "reflects the lives and lived experiences" of LGBT youth.[8][32][33] Pride commented that the romantic moment between Cyrus and TJ in the series finale is "both the first and the last we get from the Disney Channel’s first real queer relationship between two main characters. It’s an appropriately gentle moment for a show that’s handled its gay character and his storylines in such a relatable human manner. And while fans are sad this is the last moment of Cyrus and TJ...it was certainly an important one."[25]

Awards and achievements

Cyrus Goodman is the first gay main character and the first character to have stated the phrase "I'm gay" on Disney Channel.[9][46]

Andi Mack won the 2018 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming and the 2018 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences award for Television with a Conscience, specifically for Cyrus Goodman and his coming out storyline.[47][48]

The introduction of the character's coming out storyline caused the series to experience a ratings surge.[49]

Censorship and controversy

Andi Mack was censored in Kenya by the Kenya Film Classification Board, criticized by the One Million Moms division of the American Family Association, and voluntarily axed by Disney from air throughout the Middle East and Africa on account of "cultural sensibilities" because of the character and his coming out storyline.[50][51][52]

gollark: Your good metrics are, according to our truth cubes, entirely wrong.
gollark: Only 6 good? Weak.
gollark: CTech™? Is this one of the new, bad companies?
gollark: Like I have *organs*.
gollark: It is the curse of dynamic linking.

See also

Notes
  1. In the United States, grades 7–9 were previously organized as junior high school, but grades 6–8 are now organized as middle school. Older Americans may continue to use the former terminology.
  2. Cyrus celebrates his bar mitzvah in Season 2 Episode 13, "Cyrus' Bash-Mitzvah!", a coming of age ceremony that is held when a Jewish boy turns 13.

References
  1. "Television Academy Honors Andi Mack". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. May 29, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  2. Ryan Schwartz (August 5, 2016). "Disney Channel, Lizzie McGuire Creator Reunite for Coming-of-Age Comedy". TVLine. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  3. Nellie Andreeva (August 5, 2016). "'Andi Mack' Comedy From 'Lizzie McGuire' Creator Picked Up To Series By Disney Channel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  4. Brooks Barnes (March 10, 2017). "Kids Are Getting Older Quicker. And Disney Tries to Adapt". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  5. Angela Williams (June 4, 2018). "Disney Channel star Joshua Rush says he's 'really proud' to play a gay character on 'Andi Mack'". Good Morning America. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  6. Emily Longeretta (December 5, 2017). "Joshua Rush Reveals Surprising Way He Found Out His 'Andi Mack' Character Was Gay". Us Weekly. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  7. Lesley Messer (November 4, 2017). "'Andi Mack' stars weigh in on the show's historic coming out episode". ABC News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  8. Brooks Barnes (October 26, 2017). "Disney Channel's 'Andi Mack' Will Make History With Gay Storyline". HuffPost. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  9. Emily Longeretta (October 26, 2017). "Disney Channel to Feature First Gay Main Character and Coming Out Story on 'Andi Mack'". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  10. "Hey, Who Wants Pizza?". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 1. October 27, 2017. Disney Channel.
  11. "Cyrus' Bash-Mitzvah!". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 13. February 23, 2018. Disney Channel.
  12. "One in a Minyan". Andi Mack. Season 3. Episode 11. February 8, 2019. Disney Channel.
  13. Gerri Miller (March 14, 2018). "Jewish Actor Joshua Rush Plays Disney Channel's First Gay, Jewish Teen". Jewish Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  14. "Dancing in the Dark". Andi Mack. Season 1. Episode 4. April 21, 2017. Disney Channel.
  15. "It's Not About You". Andi Mack. Season 1. Episode 5. April 28, 2017. Disney Channel.
  16. "Friends Like These". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 3. November 10, 2017. Disney Channel.
  17. "A Good Hair Day". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 10. February 2, 2018. Disney Channel.
  18. "Outside the Box". Andi Mack. Season 1. Episode 2. April 7, 2017. Disney Channel.
  19. "Keep a Lid on It". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 22. July 30, 2018. Disney Channel.
  20. "There's a Mack in the Shack". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 8. January 19, 2018. Disney Channel.
  21. "Miniature Gulf". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 11. February 9, 2018. Disney Channel.
  22. "A Walker to Remember". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 17. June 25, 2018. Disney Channel.
  23. "The Cake That Takes the Cake". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 25. August 13, 2018. Disney Channel.
  24. "We Were Here". Andi Mack. Season 3. Episode 20. July 26, 2019. Disney Channel.
  25. Kiley, Rachel (July 27, 2019). "Disney's 'Andi Mack' Ends With the Start of First Gay Relationship". Pride. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  26. Gunderson, Alexis (July 26, 2019). "Andi Mack EP Terri Minsky on Legacy, the Series Finale and Movie Possibilities". Paste Magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  27. Williams, Janice (July 26, 2019). "Andi Mack' fans get emotional after Disney show teases network's first gay couple". Newsweek. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  28. Swift, Andy (July 26, 2019). "Andi Mack Series Finale: Who Came Clean? And Who Came Out? Grade It!". TVLine. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  29. "Head Over Heels". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 7. January 15, 2018. Disney Channel.
  30. "Truth or Truth". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 16. June 18, 2018. Disney Channel.
  31. "Perfect Day 2.0". Andi Mack. Season 2. Episode 15. June 11, 2018. Disney Channel.
  32. "Disney Channel Makes History with First Gay Storyline". BBC News. October 26, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  33. Bethonie Butler (October 26, 2017). "Disney Channel Is Making History with Its First Coming-Out Story". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  34. Christina Dugan (October 25, 2017). "Disney Channel Is Making History with Its First Coming-Out Story". People. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  35. Andy Swift (October 25, 2017). "Disney Channel to Feature Its First Gay Main Character in Andi Mack Season 2". TVLine. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  36. Eric Deggans (October 27, 2017). "A Boy With A Crush On A Boy — And For The Disney Channel, A First". NPR. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  37. Kimberly Nordyke (October 25, 2017). "Disney Channel Breaks Ground with First Gay Storyline". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  38. Maureen Lee Lenker (October 25, 2017). "Disney Channel's Andi Mack to feature groundbreaking gay story line". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  39. Hanh Nguyen (October 25, 2017). "'Andi Mack': Teen Character Will Come Out as Gay on Disney Channel's Groundbreaking Series". IndieWire. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  40. Chris Morris (October 26, 2017). "A Disney Channel First: Andi Mack to Feature a Gay Storyline in Season 2". Fortune. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  41. Rachel DeSantis (October 25, 2017). "Disney Channel's 'Andi Mack' to feature a gay story arc in Season 2". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  42. Nardine Saad (October 26, 2017). "Tween series 'Andi Mack' to feature Disney Channel's first story arc about a character coming out as gay". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  43. Janelle Okwodu (October 27, 2017). "Why It Matters That the Disney Channel Now Has Its First Gay Character". Vogue. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  44. Billy Nilles (October 26, 2017). "Andi Mack Will Feature Disney Channel's First LGBTQ Storyline Ever: Why That Matters". E! News. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  45. Scott D. Pierce (November 27, 2017). "Scott D. Pierce: Made-in-Utah 'Andi Mack' does great job with gay storyline". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  46. Mariah Cooper (February 8, 2019). "'Andi Mack' makes Disney Channel history with first character to say 'I'm gay'". Washington Blade. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  47. Danielle Turchiano (April 11, 2018). "Andi Mack Wins GLAAD's Inaugural Kids and Family Programming Award". Variety. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  48. "2018 Television Academy Honors Recipient: Andi Mack". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. June 1, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  49. Denise Petski (November 2, 2017). "Andi Mack Banned in Kenya Over Gay Character as Ratings Surge". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  50. Christopher Vourlias (November 2, 2017). "Kenya Bans 'Andi Mack' Over Gay Character, in Crackdown on LGBT Content". Variety. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  51. Curtis M. Wong (October 27, 2017). "'Family' Group Blasts 'Andi Mack' For Featuring A Gay Tween Character". HuffPost. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  52. Benjamin Butterworth (November 8, 2017). "Disney Channel axes children's show Andi Mack across Africa and Middle East due to gay storyline". PinkNews. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
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