“I really thought I’d arrived when I did Leprechaun.”—Jennifer Aniston to Howard Stern, in an oldie but goodie interview. If she’d be up for a remake, perhaps they could enlist the aid of Peter Dinklage.
Billy Porter just went public with a very personal story. He told The Hollywood Reporter that he has been HIV-positive for the past 14 years. His silence was motivated by shame, he said: “I was the generation that was supposed to know better, and it happened anyway.” It’s a secret he kept from most people—including his mother. His reason? “She’s not going to be here long, and then I’ll write my book and come out and she won’t have to live with the embarrassment of having an HIV-positive child.” Her response surprised him. “You’ve been carrying this around for 14 years? Don’t ever do this again. I’m your mother. I love you no matter what.”
Although Pose has wrapped, Porter is busier than ever. He’s directing his first feature film, What If?; Netflix is doing a documentary about his life called Rise; and he’s playing a gender-free fairy godparent in a remake of Cinderella. He’s also joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ animated series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder—a reboot of The Proud Family, which ran on the Disney Channel during 2001-05. Porter joins the original cast alongside Zachary Quinto, who plays his partner. It’ll hit the air in early 2022, but we’ve got photos of their characters on BillyMasters.com.
We hear that the upcoming Cruella, starring Emma Stone, is a hoot and a half. The extra half-a-hoot comes from Disney’s first openly gay character named Artie, played by John McCrea. He’s a member of Cruella’s gang, and we hear he has a good amount of screen time and saves the life of another character. And he’s fifth-billed, which says something.
OMG—another Disney story!!! Joshua Bassett just came out. Who? He’s on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series—which, if you ask me, has one too many colons. His revelation came about almost matter-of-factly. He was asked in a video interview about performers he admires. He chose Harry Styles, saying, “He’s cool, he’s just cool. … Who doesn’t think Harry Styles is cool? Also, he’s hot, you know? He’s very charming, too. Lots of things.” He then added, “This is also my coming-out video, I guess.”
Before leaving Fort Lauderdale, I enjoyed a fun “Billy Masters LIVE” with my pal, American Idol alum David Hernandez. We spoke about his time on the show, his career since then, how he’s fared through the pandemic and his previous work as a male stripper—oh, yes, we went there. Mostly we discussed his new single, “ILY,” (“I Love You”) which he calls “an inclusive love song.” This week, we have another panel show, and this one will feature Frank DeCaro and Daniel Franzese from Mean Girls. God only knows what trouble we’ll get into, so check out “Billy Masters LIVE” on our YouTube channel, Billy Masters TV, or on BillyMasters.com/TV.
Kevin Spacey is back! Hot on the heels of having his latest sexual-abuse charges dropped due to the victim not wanting to go public, Spacey booked his first acting role in four years. It’s an Italian film called L’uomo Che Disegno Dio, directed by Franco Nero and starring his wife, Vanessa Redgrave. Nero said, “I’m very happy Kevin agreed to participate in my film. I consider him a great actor, and I can’t wait to start the movie.” Spacey’s last film was Billionaire Boys Club, which earned significantly less than a billion. It brought in a whopping $618 its opening weekend. Yes, you read that right.
And now, news that people have actually been waiting almost three decades for—Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy will reunite in Hocus Pocus 2! We knew Disney was making a sequel, but the original trio was not confirmed … until now. Shooting will begin this fall, and the film will debut on Halloween 2022. Bette Midler made the announcement on Twitter: “Sistaaaahs! It’s been 300 years…But we’re BACK!”
Although it is roughly a year since the 2020 Tonys were “postponed,” fear not, theater friends. We have the actual date when you will see a Tony awarded. On June 17, items from the personal collection of Carol Channing will be auctioned off via an online sale hosted by Abell Auction Company. And Channing’s THREE Tony Awards will be amongst the items on the chopping block, along with her Golden Globe, and various costumes and props.
Our “Ask Billy” question comes from Thomas in Chicago: “You’ve mentioned Gus Kenworthy a lot. What about his ex, Matt Wilkas? He was really hot. What’s he up to?”
Touching himself inappropriately in a motel room. Yes, I’m serious. He recently did a photo shoot with Brian Kaminski in which Matt is frolicking naked in a run-down motel room. Why? Some think it’s art. Some think it’s porn. I think you can see the pics on BillyMasters.com.
When we’ve got photos from a sleazy hotel room that don’t include members of the Republican party, it’s definitely time to end another column. With Memorial Day upon us, summer is right around the corner. Of course, we keep things steamy all year long on BillyMasters.com—the site that doesn’t require any SPF (but could give you an STD). If you have a question, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I’ll get back to you before Barbra buys Channing’s Tony for Hello, Dolly … just to be able to say she won a Tony (and not some honorary bullshit)! Until next time, remember: One man’s filth is another man’s bible.