Organizers of the Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert (scheduled for March 3) announced that LGBTQ+ artist/producer/singer/songwriter Michael Stipe, who fronted the band R.E.M. for 31 years, has joined the lineup, per a press release. Stipe joins Patti Smith, Orville Peck, Angélique Kidjo, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Gogol Bordello and many others at the event, which will take place at NYC’s Carnegie Hall. Uma Thurman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Arden Wohl and Jonah Freeman are the event’s honorary chairs.
Trans actress Laverne Cox gave a stirring speech at the SCAD TVfest, prompting a standing ovation, Variety noted. Taking the stage to accept SCAD’s Impact Award before premiering two episodes of her new Amazon Prime Video series Clean Slate, Cox said, among other things, “The system is rigged in favor of corporations, plutocrats, oligarchs, the wealthy. It might not be the time for us to be able to rise up not only as trans people, but as working people, as people of color. People with the capacity for pregnancy, people who really just want to get a no-fault divorce—and so many other things.” Cox also stated that President Donald Trump ran on a platform that could easily be interpreted as white supremacist. “The Project 2025 agenda is a Christian nationalist agenda, if you read the text,” she noted. “And their form of Christian nationalism is a white Christian nationalism.”
And LGBTQ+ actress Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) spoke out for trans rights at a recent protest after NYU-Langone Hospital stopped offering gender-affirming care following the president’s executive order, according to Queerty. She said, in part, “Most importantly, I am here today as the mother of a proud trans man [28-year-old Seph]. I am here today as the aunt of a proud trans man. My best friend’s kid is trans and my kid’s best friend is trans. My wife and I, our lives are filled with the most amazing, beautiful, brave trans people—young and old, but especially young. … The idea that this city is filled with young people who thought they had a place to go where they can receive the highest care – and that place has now been shut to them, sickens me. Sickens me to my core.”
Transgender non-binary U.S. runner Nikki Hiltz finished third in the women’s NYRR Wanamaker Mile during the Millrose Games on Feb. 8, scoring a personal best of four minutes and 23.50 seconds, per the official results. (They finished less than a second behind the winner, Britain’s Georgia Bell, and U.S. runner Heather MacLean.) There was a question regarding if Hiltz—who came out in 2021—could compete in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning trans athletes from competing in women’s sports, according to Essentially Sports. The Millrose Games are an annual indoor track-and-field meet held each February in New York City.
More stars have been unveiled to present awards at the 97th Oscars on March 2, Deadline noted. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and out SNL entertainer Bowen Yang as presenters. Last year’s acting winners Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randolph will present the 2025 Oscars for Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress, respectively.
Jeremy Strong talked with TheWrap about his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the late lawyer Roy Cohn, a vicious fighter and closeted gay man, in the Donald Trump movie The Apprentice. In part, Strong said, “Matt Tyrnauer’s [movie Where’s My Roy Cohn?] was a really brilliant documentary. And then I went down the rabbit hole because I’d never really encountered a human being like him, both monstrous and childlike at the same time. He is part ghoul, part Lost Boy, part kingmaker, part Iago.” And Strong said of The Apprentice, “I find it very harrowing to watch this film now, which I have done once since Trump was elected. But I would take what you said even further to say that Roy’s ideology of brute force and misinformation and aggression is encoded in nearly everything that the president does.”
In Manchester, England, a Dolly Parton-themed musical was suspended mid-show when homophobic abuse was hurled at the stage, an actor in the production has claimed, according to the BBC. Stevie Webb said on TikTok that an incident at the Opera House during Here You Come Again saw the whole cast “leave the stage, because a woman was so disgusted there was a gay character on the stage.” Then Webb added that the incident was followed by similar trouble a few days later, when a man had to be removed from the audience. ATG Entertainment, which runs the venue, said it took a “zero-tolerance” approach to such incidents. Parton has long been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community; in 2014, she spoke out in favor of same-sex marriage.
GLAAD responded to news reports that the WWE will not be renewing the contract for Sonya Deville (real name: Daria Rae Berenato)—the first out woman to appear in the WWE and the only LGBTQ+ Superstar. In a statement, GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, “Sonya is the first openly gay woman to be a WWE Superstar and a fierce talent who changed the game for LGBTQ visibility in the WWE. … Women’s wrestling is the fastest growing youth sport in the country and this decision strips Netflix of a huge opportunity to reach a key growth audience as it brings WWE to its platform. She will be missed, and I’m joining fans to support her.” According to Forbes, Cedric Alexander, Akam and Rezar (aka AOP), Blair Davenport, Duke Hudson and Paul Ellering were among the other wrestlers who were also let go.
Queer actress Holland Taylor (TV’s Two and a Half Men) will star opposite Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the duo’s upcoming comedy series at Apple TV+, Variety noted. According to the official logline for the yet-untitled 10-episode series, “Matthew and Woody’s friendship is tested when their combined families attempt to live together on Matthew’s ranch in Texas.” Among many other accompanies, Taylor—who has dated actress Sarah Paulson for quite some time—is also a Tony Award nominee, getting the nod in the best actress in a play category in 2013 for Ann, in which she played the late Texas politician Ann Richards. As for McConaughey and Harrelson, they are close friends in real life and previously worked together on the film EDtv and the critically acclaimed first season of True Detective.
In a twist, rapper Azealia Banks called out British Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s stance on transgender people—despite previously sharing her own anti-trans perspectives, according to PinkNews. “I think the dolls are fab and do not need to shade them or change myself because my femininity is not threatened by them,” Banks posted, adding that Rowling and those who share similar sentiments “feel their femininity is threatened.” The “212” rapper went on to claim that her brother is a trans man and she had seen the “type of misery, pain, ostracism” that some trans people experience. This is a U-turn from 2021, when Banks compared gender-affirming care to “getting castrated” and suggested that society does “mental gymnastics” to validate trans women.
And in other Banks-related news, she’s been removed from Amsterdam’s electronic, queer-inclusive Milkshake Festival—two days after organizers announced her as part of the line-up, per Billboard. Several fans urged Milkshake to reconsider the choice of including Banks. One commenter wrote in Dutch that the rapper was “an artist who has repeatedly spoken negatively about the LGBTI+ community, and especially about our transgender friends.” In a subsequent statement, Milkshake’s organizers said, “It is clear to us that we made a mistake and that we have overlooked essential information. We sincerely apologize for this.”
Prime Video held a star-studded series finale wrap party for the LGBTQ+-inclusive series Harlem, which ended after three seasons, per a press release. Creator Tracy Oliver was present at the LA spot Somerville, along with series stars Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Shoniqua Shandai, Jerrie Johnson and Tyler Lepley. Guests included singer/actress Amber Riley and musician Estelle.
Anora won the top prize of best picture at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, while Emilia Pérez, Wicked and The Substance each scored three wins, Yahoo! revealed. The Brutalist star Adrien Brody won best actor; Demi Moore won best actress for The Substance; Emilia Pérez actress Zoe Saldaña won best supporting actress; and A Real Pain‘s Kieran Culkin (not in attendance) won best supporting actor. The mood within Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar, where the ceremony took place, seemed relatively somber with each win for Emilia, the outlet noted.
On a related note, out actor Michael Urie won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on Shrinking while LGBTQ+ actress Hannah Einbinder won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Hacks, Queerty noted. In part, Urie said, “Our parents, who are watching at home, were amazing. And when we came out as queer, and as an actor and doctor, although they weren’t queer or actors or doctors, they figured out how to love us [including his sister, who is also LGBTQ+]. And they adapted. They weren’t afraid and they didn’t turn their backs on us.”
And Urie and Ugly Betty co-star Becky Newton are launching their Still Ugly podcast later this month, per Deadline. The pair recently reminded Deadline they were part of the rewatch trend early on, recapping the ABC sitcom with a “pioneering podcast” during its original four-season run from 2006 to 2010. Urie added, “There was no plan for Marc and Amanda [the characters they played] to be a duo” and that “Vanessa [Williams, who played Urie’s employer] was gonna have a new assistant every episode because she was such a demanding boss. But thankfully, because she and I were good together, and she was generous enough to let me go nuts with my role.” Developed by Silvio Horta as a U.S. adaptation of the Colombian telenovela, Ugly Betty followed the awkward titular writer Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) as she takes a job as the assistant to Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius), editor-in-chief of Mode fashion magazine.
Before the Super Bowl took place this year, the NFL hosted its fourth annual “A Night of Pride with GLAAD, presented by Smirnoff” on Feb. 7, a press release noted. Touted as “an evening of music, cocktails, conversation and celebration with GLAAD, NFL friends and partners spotlighting the NFL’s commitment to the LGBTQ community,” the event (which took place at New Orleans’ Joy Theater) was headlined by global superstar Big Freedia and featured a special live performance by Grammy-nominated musical group Tank and the Bangas. NFL Brand Ambassador Ryan Mitchell hosted, while special guests included Don Lemon, NFL Chief Marketing Officer Tim Ellis, and GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, among others.
David Howard Thornton, the actor who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier series, posted a note on Threads letting users know that he has no time for anti-LGBTQ+ fans, per Pajiba. He wrote, “If you’re going to come on to my page, claiming you’re a fan, and then insult the LGBTQ community, you can f@ck all the way off. All of my films have been made by talented cast and crew members of the LGBTQ community. They are just as worthy of love and respect as anyone else. They exist and they matter. If you’re not cool with that, then there’s the door. I don’t cater to those who would mistreat my colleagues in such a crude manner. My fandom is no place for such hateful bigotry.”
Polyvinyl Record Co. and trans musician Laura Jane Grace In The Trauma Tropes released “Your God (God’s D*ck),” the new single from Grace’s rock band featuring her wife, Paris Campbell Grace (vocals), and Athens, Greece-based musicians Jacopo Fokas (bass) and Orestis Lagadinos (drums), a press release announced. “Written last summer during a songwriting fellowship retreat in Greece, ‘Your God (God’s D*ck)’ is a hilarious, heretic, and brilliant excoriation of religious devotion, or of using God’s supposed words and one’s belief in them to f*ck your fellow citizens,” the release noted.
Grammy-nominated LGBTQ+ international singer Anitta released a new single and music video entitled “Romeo” out now via Republic Records/Universal Music Latin Entertainment, per a press release. According to the release, “The Spanish-language track revolves around a propulsive dancefloor-ready beat punctuated by a thick bassline. Anitta delivers flirty verses with charisma, building towards an instantly irresistible refrain.” Last year, Anitta released the Grammy-nominated album Funk Generation.
At the Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards, Baby Reindeer (which lists LGBTQ+ writer/actor Richard Gadd among its producers) edged productions such as The Penguin, FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans, Ripley and True Detective: Night Country to win the David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television, according to the organization’s website. Some of the other winners included the Alan Cumming-led reality show The Traitors, Anora (which took the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures), the TV show Hacks (the Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television- Drama) and The Greatest Night in Pop (Award for Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures).
Out actor Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus; Looking), Bill Skarsgård (Boy Kills World; Nosferatu) and Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place) are new additions to the cast of The Death of Robin Hood, the new film from writer-director Michael Sarnoski (Pig; A Quiet Place: Day One), according to Deadline. The film—about a battle-worn loner who finds himself gravely injured and in the hands of a mysterious woman—will be led by Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer (Killing Eve). Known for an Emmy-winning turn on The White Lotus as well as work on the shows The Last of Us and Welcome to Chippendales, Bartlett’s upcoming slate includes A24’s cult-themed horror film Opus and At the Sea, opposite Amy Adams.
On Feb. 8, cable TV channel Lifetime celebrated disco diva Gloria Gaynor’s life and legacy with a world-premiere double feature, per The Bay Area Reporter. The first was a scripted drama titled Robin Roberts Presents I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story and the second was the documentary Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive. The first production stars Joaquina Kalukango as Gaynor. Kalukango won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for playing Nelly O’Brien in the Broadway musical Paradise Square.
Grammy-winning duo Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo announced a string of North American headlining tour dates, per a press release. A few of the stops include Palm Springs, California (where they start on April 11); Memphis, Tennessee (April 26); Baltimore, Maryland (May 11) and Shipshewana, Indiana (May 30). Benatar and Giraldo, her producer/musician husband, are known for dozens of hits, including “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Hell Is for Children” and “We Belong.” The duo—who also announced their forthcoming children’s book My Grandma and Grandpa Rock—have also received three American Music Awards and a People’s Choice Award; they also have been inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 have been announced—and there are few women and people of color, Yahoo! noted. Some of the first-time nominees include hip-hop pioneers Outkast, punk/new wave superstar Billy Idol, the band Bad Company and dance-craze king Chubby Checker; the only women nominees, among the list of 14 total artists, are Cyndi Lauper and Mariah Carey. Also, post-punks Joy Division/New Order have received their second dual nomination. Some snubs include Sinéad O’Connor, Devo, Coldplay, Garth Brooks, the B-52’s, De La Soul, Dr. Dre, Queen Latifah, Alanis Morrisette and Luther Vandross, among others.
Philadelphia chef Kyle Timpson emerged victorious from the season 23 finale of Hell’s Kitchen, becoming the first openly gay man to win the reality competition, the Philly Voice noted. Timpson impressed host Gordon Ramsay with his final dinner service, edging Florida-based chef Hannah Flora. With the win, Timpson earned a head chef position at the Hell’s Kitchen restaurant at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut (which he had not yet accepted when this article ran). In the final episode, which aired Thursday on Fox, Timpson created a menu of octopus, savory churros, lobster pappardelle and ribeye steak, among other dishes. “Who needs moisturizer when you have tears of joy?” Timpson asked.
The wife and manager of the Village People’s lead singer, Victor Willis, has hit Australian comedian Jim Jefferies with a cease-and-desist order for what has been called an “obscene, derogatory and false description” of the 1978 song, “Y.M.C.A,” according to The Music, citing TMZ. “Let’s be honest, what is the Y.M.C.A. song about?” Jefferies asked on his At This Moment podcast, before co-host Amos Gill suggested, “Dude’s getting fucked in a hostel?” Jefferies added, “All these right-wing people are dancing around to basically a song about bumming in the shower.” President Donald Trump has also been hit by such an order from the Village People in recent years—although that didn’t stop the band from performing at his inauguration festivities last month.
On a related note, former Village People member Jim Newman has distanced himself from the band that performed at Trump’s inauguration event, The Guardian noted. “Our Village People would never, ever perform at a Trump rally,” Newman said on Instagram. “We would never give him the right to use those songs, and we would never slap the face of the strong, especially gay audience, that made us who we are today.” Only one original member—lead singer and songwriter Victor Willis—is still part of the band and participated in the performances.
Shonda Rhimes, who had been treasurer of the Kennedy Center, resigned from the board following President Donald Trump’s takeover of the arts institution, Deadline noted. President Barack Obama had appointed Rhimes to the board; she was serving as one of the officers. Earlier, Ben Folds announced that he was resigning as artistic adviser of the National Symphony Orchestra. Trump ousted board members appointed by Joe Biden to the Kennedy Center board, which has a long tradition of bipartisan representation. Trump’s special envoy, Ric Grenell, who is openly gay, is interim president, ousting Deborah Rutter, who had planned to step down.
The Backstreet Boys announced their summer residency, “Into The Millennium,” as the first pop act to play Sphere in Las Vegas, per a press release. Produced by Live Nation, this event will feature nine performances on July 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27. Songs like “I Want It That Way,” and “Larger Than Life” will be delivered or enhanced with cutting-edge visuals and sound made possible by Sphere’s immersive technology.
The FX comedy series English Teacher has been renewed for a second season—despite sexual-assault charges against star/creator Brian Jordan Alvarez, Variety noted. The allegations were made by Jon Ebeling, his former friend and co-star from The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, a 2016 webseries Alvarez produced and starred in. When a report about the allegations was published in New York Magazine, an FX spokesperson said, “We reviewed the allegations presented to us by another media outlet prior to the show’s launch. Mr. Ebeling never reached out to us with any concerns. We will have no further comment at this time.” FX made no mention of the allegations in its announcement of the renewal.
Actor Taylor Lautner—who played a werewolf in the Twilight movie series—will star in and executive-produce the scripted series Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter, per Variety. The longline for the series, currently in development at Amazon MGM Studios, is: “As he navigates his double life—Hollywood actor by day, supernatural warrior by night—Taylor must wrestle with the ultimate irony: fighting the very creatures that made him famous. Between saving the world, reviving his career, and falling in love, he faces the ultimate question—what happens when your biggest role becomes your greatest enemy?”
The 2025 Fabys Awards, hosted by Fashion Bomb Daily, took place at The Glasshouse in NYC, according to a press release. Founded by Claire Sulmers in 2019, the Fabys Awards honor hairstylists, makeup artists and fashion visionaries. Special awards were given to Law Roach (Stylist of the Year), NLE Choppa (Most Fashionable Man), Tamron Hall (Best Dressed TV Host), The Doux CEO Maya Smith (CEO of the Year) and Azzy Milan (Most Fashionable Teen). The dinner/awards ceremony was accompanied by a runway presentation from The Fur and Leather Centre as well as The Doux.
The Adore Me Fashion Show returned to NYC, featuring a performance by entertainer Mya, a press release announced. The cabaret-inspired event, held at Sony Hall in Times Square, also featured The Real Housewives of New York City star and socialite Sonja Morgan; actress Francia Raísa; and actress/singer Serayah, who revealed her pregnancy on the runway. Adore Me specializes in lingerie, sports bras and workout tanks for women.
A flurry of news has recently emerged about the late One Direction singer Liam Payne—including that he supposedly struggled with his sexuality, per the New York Post. Rolling Stone revealed the item that came from an anonymous source who claimed that the musician Payne “sexted men” during his relationship with ex Maya Henry, whom he dated from 2018 to 2022. Henry broke her silence on Payne’s passing in the March Rolling Stone cover story, saying, “This was someone I loved very much. Initially, it was the drug use and addictions that tore us apart. Anyone who has been with an addict understands how difficult that is. While I loved him deeply, he did things that hurt me in ways I’ll never fully understand, and he continued to hurt me years after we broke up.” Payne fell from a third-floor balcony at a Buenos Aires hotel last October.
The use of AI in Oscar-nominated movies such as The Brutalist, Emilia Pérez, A Complete Unknown and Dune: Part 2 has the Academy rethinking things, according to Variety. The Academy currently offers an optional disclosure form for AI use; however, Governors and Branch executive committees are now investigating how AI is used in each branch and are considering making disclosure mandatory in the 2026 Oscars rules, which are expected to be published in April.
Netflix will not release Ezra Edelman’s Prince documentary following a new deal with the late singer’s estate, per The Hollywood Reporter. A 2024 New York Times report claimed that Edelman’s project would accuse Prince of physical and emotional abuse. The documentary was reportedly nine hours, and featured interviews with dozens of Prince’s former business partners, lovers, friends and associates. In one interview, Prince’s ex-wife, Mayte Garcia, allegedly recalled being left alone after her and Prince’s child died.
Kanye West‘s Twitter/X account was deactivated after he was criticized for his “antisemitic rampage” in which he posted, in part, “SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE JEWISH AND I DONT [sic] TRUST ANY OF THEM” in addition to saying he was a Nazi and that he loves Hitler, per Deadline. Musk reinstated West’s X account in 2023, eight months after the rapper previously praised Hitler and posted an image of a swastika blended with a star of David. It’s not known if X deleted West’s account this time or if he did it himself. Also, TMZ noted that West’s online store—which sold swastika-adorned T-shirts—has been shut down.