Pasta Boss: No Gays in My Commercials

The head of Italy's Barilla pasta company has apologized, kind of, for saying he'd never use a gay couple in any of his ads. In his interview with an Italian radio station, Guido Barilla did say it was fine by him if gays "like our pasta." He went on to explain that he was only defending traditional family roles, ie, women as mothers and caregivers. Let the backlash ensue: activists, politicians, and buyers quickly promised to boycott the pasta. But a rep for the company tells the Daily Beast the comments were sensationalized by the media. "I apologize if my words have generated controversy or misunderstanding or if they hurt anyone’s sensitivity," Barilla said in a statement. (More pasta stories.)