Using the word "faggot" was the point of her joke. It's the word the actor used that got him sent to rehab. If she had used "gay" instead, the joke would not have worked. And it did work. I understood immediately to what she was referring. I guess her audience wasn't as sophisticated and up on current events as she thought.
I recall the "faggot" comment by Isaiah what's-his-name. The problem is that Ann's delivery focused listeners on the word "faggot" before they ever had a chance to recall the earlier event. So far, I think Ann's ploy was a bust. I think that it will remain a bust.