NBCUniversal put a spotlight on Wicked at Radio City Music Hall, Deadline noted. Director John Chu took the stage at the upfront to not only introduce the trailer but also to announce a live concert in L.A. featuring the film’s co-stars featuring songs from both parts of the Broadway adaptation. Wicked: For Good—the second half of the Broadway adaptation starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo—will open Nov. 21.
And speaking of Wicked director John W. Chu, he was recently honored at the Gold House Gala, which brings together Asian Pacific American stars, industry leaders, athletes and influencers to celebrate their excellence, ABC 13 noted. “This is my family. We’ve known each other for so long. There’s so many people here, so to see it grow to this level is amazing,” Chu said. Also, the cast of Moana 2, led by queer actor Auli’i Kravalho, was recognized for bringing Pacific Islander storytelling mainstream. The star-studded gold carpet included Mindy Kaling, actor Daniel Day Kim, director Andrew Ahn, singer H.E.R., Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and many others. (Also, Chu recently gave the commencement address at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and received an honorary degree.)
Vantage Media and Verdi Productions announced the North American VOD release of Knockout Blonde—the authorized documentary of transgender British boxing manager Kellie Maloney, a press release noted. The movie features noted trans actor/activist Alexandra Billings as well as music by Cher, Elton John, Little Richard, Sade, RuPaul and Maroon 5. Knockout Blonde debuts on Cable and Digital VOD on May 20, including Apple TV, Fandango at Home and Prime Video.
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics announced, via a press release, its latest shortlist of standout New York stage productions and actors for the third annual Dorian Theater Awards. Three productions received six Dorian nominations each: the provocative The Crucible-meets-#MeToo tale John Proctor Is the Villain, the Pulitzer Prize-winning civil-rights drama Purpose and the second-ever Broadway revival of Sunset Blvd. Among the performers receiving nods were Darren Criss, Nicole Scherzinger, Mia Farrow, Jon Michael Hill, Jinkx Monsoon, Zachary Quinto, Justina Machado and Michael Urie. In the off-Broadway categories, Cats: The Jellicle Ball received five nominations, including acting nods for André De Shields, Sydney James Harcourt and ballroom icon “Tempress” Chastity Moore. GALECA will once again help kick off Pride Month by announcing the winners of the 2025 Dorian Theater Awards on Monday, June 2.
CBS and Dick Clark Productions announced that Grammy-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame®️ inductee and philanthropist Janet Jackson will receive the ICON Award at the 2025 American Music Awards, via a press release. Also, the 11-time American Music Award winner will take to the stage, marking her first television performance since 2018. This year’s American Music Awards will kick off summer with host Jennifer Lopez live from the all-new luxury resort, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. Among other things, Jackson’s also set to kick off yet another leg of her Las Vegas residency, Janet Jackson: Las Vegas, returning to the Resorts World Theatre stage on May 21 for a six-show run through May 31.
GLAAD announced that its Communities of Color and Media Department has opened applications for the 2025 Black Queer Creative Summit (BQCS), a press release noted. This event, which returns to Los Angeles this September, is a fully-funded initiative designed to empower, educate and train emerging Black LGBTQ+ creatives across five key sectors of the entertainment industry: executives, creators, behind-the-scenes professionals, on-screen talent and music supervision. The inaugural summit brought together more than 150 participants and featured over 60 industry leaders, including Kalen Allen, Tre’vell Anderson, Michelle Buteau, Jordan E. Cooper, Scott Evans, Victor Jackson, David Johns, Obio Jones, Isis King, Kidd Kenn, Ts Madison, Mariah Moore, Peppermint, Patrik-Ian Polk, Angelica Ross, Kendrick Sampson, Sidra Smith and more. Applications are available here and are open through May 23; selected applicants will be notified in July.
And GLAAD issued a statement on Lauren Chan being the first out lesbian to appear solo on a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover. “As our current culture grows more divisive about LGBTQ people, a popular mainstream publication such as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit selecting Lauren Chan, an out lesbian as one of their cover stars shows a commitment to inclusion and a responsibility to show what the world actually looks like,” said GLAAD President & CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis. “In more recent years, the publication has also featured transgender women, women of varying sizes and age ranges on their covers, and it’s wonderful to see them continue to select LGBTQ women for their covers once again this year.”
The cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10 chatted with out gay NYC Councilmember Erik Bottcher of Manhattan at The Stonewall Inn to discuss the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and the importance of drag in today’s political climate, Gay City News noted. “I’d love for trans children to know that we have been here for all of time in all different sorts of cultures and nations. We’re not going anywhere. They can take away our medications. They can take away our therapy. They can take away all of our resources, but we’re still going to exist,” Aja told Gay City News. Ginger Minj said that many of her patrons in Orlando are actually “Republican Debbies”—women from the far right who revel in hatred of the queer community—and added, “I’ll take your dollar, and I’ll also take a moment to educate.” However, castmate and out transgender queen Bosco countered, “I’m a little past meeting in the middle with government officials, and I think we just need to vote these assholes out.”
New Zealand alt-pop singer Lorde announced Ultrasound—a fall North American and European headline tour, a press release noted. The tour kicks off in September, with stops at iconic venues around the world, including Madison Square Garden, The Kia Forum, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and London’s O2 Arena—her first time headlining these stages; she will also perform at stops such as Chicago, Toronto, NYC, Paris, Seattle and Copenhagen, among others. Support comes from Blood Orange, The Japanese House, Nilüfer Yana, Chanel Beads, Empress Of, Jim-E Stack and Oklou on select dates.
X-Men and Ray Donovan star Liev Schreiber talked about supporting his trans daughter, saying “it didn’t feel like a big deal,” according to PinkNews. In an Interview with Variety, Schreiber said, “Kai was always who Kai is. But I suppose the most profound moment was her asking us to change her pronouns. To be honest with you, it didn’t feel like that big of a deal to me only because Kai had been so feminine for so long.” He was joined by his daughter on May 9 at the Ali Forney Center’s A Place at the Table Gala; the organization provides housing and support for homeless LGBTQ+ youth. Schreiber said of supporting the cause, “This isn’t just about representing the trans community. This is actually a community of people who don’t have great resources, who don’t have access to help, who aren’t being protected and looked after by their families.”
Among the many films slated to be screened at the 2025 Tribeca Festival (June 4-15) is the documentary I Was Born This Way, which Questlove, Billy Porter and Jamie Lee Curtis executive-produced, per a press release. The release stated, “Surviving racism, homophobia and childhood trauma, Carl Bean found his voice through song—first as a gospel singer in Harlem’s Christian Tabernacle Choir and then later performing with his group Carl Bean and Universal Love on their 1974 album ‘Universal Love.’ But it was the recording of the 1977 Motown hit “I Was Born This Way” that would earn him fame; the song was celebrated as the world’s first gay anthem.” However, Bean (who passed away in 2021) became an activist, starting the Minority AIDS Project as well as the Unity Fellowship Church, the first LGBTQ+ ministry. Lady Gaga, Questlove, Porter and Dionne Warwick are among those who appear in the movie.
Variety noted that a Netflix limited series about music icon Madonna is in early development. The “Borderline” singer is partnering with Netflix and director Shawn Levy to develop a limited series about her life and music. The show is unrelated to the previous Madonna feature film that was set at Universal Pictures—with Julia Garner as the singer—before being scrapped in January 2023. Madonna paused the movie in favor of embarking on her worldwide “The Celebration Tour” from October 2023 to May 2024, but sources told Variety at the time of the movie’s hiatus that “she remains committed to making a film about her life one day.”
Nearly three decades after the release of Chasing Amy, Ben Affleck is looking back on the film and the personal challenges he faced while making it, Instinct noted. Talking with GQ, Affleck—currently starring in The Accountant 2—said, “I ended up having to confront some of my own internalized homophobia [in Chasing Amy] because I found it so difficult to kiss Jason [Lee]. And I thought, ‘This is really embarrassing. Like, this is clearly some internalized thing because why should that be a difficult thing to do?’” Affleck added, “I don’t want to offend anyone in this direction. It was a movie that, at the time, sort of felt like it was pushing some boundaries and, in retrospect, as often happens, the world has evolved.” Chasing Amy tells the story of a comic-book artist (played by Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Joey Lauren Adams), creating tensions with his best friend (Lee).
Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald talked about getting her 11th nod this year, Playbill noted. “All of it’s overwhelming,” she explained. “From the beginning of my connection to this role—through [late LGBTQ+ Tony winner] Gavin [Creel] saying, ‘You should be playing this’—to it taking a long time to come to fruition, to it happening.” McDonald also shared, “I’ve got lots of pictures in my dressing room, but I have two pictures on my mirror. One is of Gavin, and one is of my my littlest child, Sally. And so I talk to Gavin every night before I go out on stage, every night. I won’t share what happened, but something happened last night on stage for the first time, and I know in my own heart that that was a message from Gavin.”
Kristen Stewart is joining TheWrap for a live conversation on her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, in TheWrap’s Cannes Conversations series, presented in partnership with Brand Innovators at the Brand Innovators Salon D’Affaires pop-up inside the Armani Caffé on the Croisette, per a newsletter. Taking place May 16-18, the program features filmmakers, changemakers and creative visionaries at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in exclusive conversations with TheWrap CEO/Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman and Awards Executive Editor Steve Pond.
Live Nation Productions announced the feature documentary Rock Out, directed by LGBTQ+ Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black and produced by Academy Award nominee Bill Gerber, a media release noted. According to a statement, “Excavating the often-veiled queer lives of some of the greatest culture-defining disruptors and masterminds of music in the sixties and seventies, Rock Out demands to know what unique value ‘gay’ brought to creating and revolutionizing rock. From Little Richard and The Beatles to Elton John and David Bowie, Live Nation Productions’ Rock Out digs deep to uncover the untold queer stories behind rock & roll and their lasting influence today.” The movie is premiering at the UK’s Sheffield DocFest on June 18-23.
Pop star Lil Nas X officially pulled out of the 2025 Outloud Music Festival at WeHo Pride because of an ongoing medical issue, Out noted. “After my recent hospital visit, I – like all of you should—must prioritize my health and getting back to 100%,” a statement from the rapper read. “As it currently stands, I would not be able [to] perform that type of show my fans and community deserve. I am sorry! Even though I can’t be there, I hope you all show OUT for Pride. Now more than ever, we need to be seen.” In April, Lil Nas X was hospitalized due to a case of partial facial paralysis, Rolling Stone reported. Remy Wolf will headline the festival (running May 31-June 1) along with previously announced acts Lizzo, Kim Petras, Pabllo Vittar and more.
Class, ambition and bisexuality are themes in Ordinary Love, a novel by Marie Rutkoski about a woman who risks everything for a second chance at her first love, per a Penguin Random House media release. Rutkoski is an English professor and New York Times best-selling author of books for children and young adults including The Shadow Society and the Kronos Chronicles. The book will be out the week of June 9.
The gay musical duo the Spellman Twinz released the video for the song “Yum Yum,” per a press release. The brothers—Clinton and Calvin Spellman—have 1.2M+ TikTok followers as well as 332K+ followers on YouTube and 117.1K+ on Instagram. According to the release, the song blends “Brazilian funk with [the Twinz’s] signature pop and hip-hop edge.” “We’re gay, and we wanted to make music that people could relate to and feel good about,” Calvin said in the release. “It felt like we were a good representation of our community, but our music also represents our personalities.”
Oscar nominees Demi Moore and Colman Domingo are set to star in Strange Arrivals—an alien abduction-themed romance based on the podcast from Toby Ball, Deadline reported. The film is inspired by the true story of Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple who, in 1961, became the first reported case of an alien abduction, as they traveled back from their honeymoon in Niagara Falls. However, behind the subsequent fame lay the truth of what really happened that night. Domingo (a member of the LGBTQ+ community) earned his second Oscar nom for A24’s Sing Sing and currently can be seen starring in the Netflix series The Four Seasons with Tina Fey.
Cher has been involved in a 15-year battle to move Billy, “the world’s saddest elephant,” to a sanctuary—but now she’s not fighting alone, per a press release. Animal experts are concerned about the L.A. Zoo’s decision to relocate Billy and Tina, the last female elephant there, to another zoo instead of a sanctuary. Cher is joined in her quest by her Free the Wild Charity that she co-founded, other animal-rights organizations, civil-rights groups (including the Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California and the Congress of Racial Equality of California (CORE-CA)) in this issue along with animal-loving citizens. A temporary restraining order in an ongoing legal case will allow Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council to hear an alternative offer to move Billy and Tina to a true elephant sanctuary, and Cher has asked like-minded people to contact Bass.
Jude Law and Andrew Garfield will executive-produce and play Las Vegas showman-magicians Siegfried and Roy, respectively, in the newly picked up Apple TV+ limited series Wild Things, Deadline confirmed. Based on the Apple original podcast Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy, the eight-episode series “tells the wild ride relationship tale of two of the greatest showman-magicians in history who, along with their white tigers, are tasked with turning Sin City into a family-friendly destination. The duo pushes the concept of illusion versus reality to the extreme, personally and professionally, until tragedy reframes and opens a mystery surrounding their last fateful Las Vegas show.”
Out actor Lee Pace—along with Emmy-nominated actor Jared Harris and actress Lou Llobell—return for the third season of Apple TV+’s Foundation, a media release stated. The series will make its global debut on Apple TV+ with one episode on Friday, July 11, followed by new episodes weekly, every Friday through Sept. 12. Set 152 years after the events of season two, The Foundation has become increasingly established far beyond its humble beginnings while the Cleonic Dynasty’s Empire has dwindled. As both of these galactic powers establish an uneasy alliance, a threat to the entire galaxy appears in the form of a warlord known as “The Mule.”
At the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront presentation in New York, it was announced that Max—the company’s premier streaming platform—will be rebranded as HBO Max this summer, a press release noted. The release stated, “Returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering,” adding that the “evolution has also been influenced by changing consumer needs, and the fact that no consumer today is saying they want more content, but most consumers are saying they want better content.” The rebranding (in this case, changing back to its original name) is happening two years after the initial change, per Variety.
Theo James (The White Lotus; The Gentlemen) is joining gangster thriller The Bookie & the Bruiser alongside Vince Vaughn, per Variety. James will take over the role from two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody. The film is set in 1959 New York City and features a Jewish fellow named Rivner (James) and an oversized Italian-American tough named Boscolo (Vaughn); eventually, they team as a bookmaker and his enforcer and run an illicit gambling operation that proves highly profitable—but dangerous.
Both Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU have been renewed at NBC for the 2025-26 broadcast season, Variety noted. With the renewals, Law & Order will return for its 25th season, while SVU will be back for its 27th. Regarding other Dick Wolf shows, NBC previously renewed all three of the “One Chicago” shows, while CBS has canceled two of the Wolf Entertainment-produced FBI shows and ordered a new show in that franchise starring Tom Ellis (Lucifer).
A Keith Haring LEGO set of five different dancing figures ($120 online) went on sale until May 15, according to Queerty. Featuring 1,773 pieces, stands, and hangers, it’s the closest many will get to owning a Haring original. Once it’s built, people will have two display options: They can either hang their frameless LEGO Keith Haring artwork on a wall or connect each figure to a stand and showcase them.
On Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast, former Glee star Lea Michele dropped some bombshells about the show, per Out. When Shane asked Michele if she and her co-stars “banded together in a very tight-knit way” after Michele’s boyfriend, Cory Monteith, tragically died in 2013, Michele quickly said “no,” adding, “It was way too much to try to process at a young age, but I’m very grateful for everyone there. Whether or not they know it, I personally felt a lot of support from everybody in the building helping me to get through.” Over the years, various Glee alumni shared their experiences with Michele. Heather Morris, who played cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce, has said, “Was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so. For Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she should be called out.”
The Weeknd has tapped Grammy-award winning LGBTQ+ artist Doechii for an additional feature on the official remix of the single “Timeless,” featuring Playboi Carti, out now via XO/Republic Records, per a press release. The hit single from The Weeknd’s latest album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, first debuted in the top three on Billboard’s Hot 100 after being teased during his special stadium concert at Estádio Morumbi in São Paulo last year. Also, The Weeknd’s new film—also called Hurry Up Tomorrow—is out, and it co-stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has released The Drew Carey Show: The Complete Series to DVD, per a press release. For the first time ever, all nine seasons of the Cleveland-set show are available in a collectors’ box set to mark the series’ 30th anniversary. Additionally, the series—which starred Carey, Diedrich Bader, Christa Miller, Ryan Stiles, Kathy Kinney, Craig Ferguson, John Carroll Lynch, Cynthia Watros and many more—is available to purchase digitally from AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and more platforms..
Embattled gay actor Kevin Spacey has joined the cast of upcoming conspiracy action-thriller The Awakening—marking another role for the two-time Oscar winner as he looks to rebuild his career after being acquitted of sexual-offense charges, Variety noted. The cast already includes Peter Stormare (Fargo), Alice Eve (Star Trek Into Darkness) and former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall, among others.
Selena Gomez’s mother, Mandy Teefey, reportedly took out a loan against her home to help pay workers employed at the billionaire’s mental health startup, Wondermind, per Page Six. Forbes noted that Teefey, the company’s CEO, found herself in a crisis when the business allegedly started running out of funds to pay its approximately 15 employees, not including vendors and freelancers. Wondermind told Forbes that the company has “rectified” the issue.
The reality show House of Villains is now with Peacock after it was renewed for a third season, moving away from its original home of E! after it was spun off by its parent company, Deadline revealed. “It’s not easy to end shows and we had a lot of options this year,” CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach said. “The schedule is really full and so we always have to look at all of our shows, look at the aggregate information, the creative of where they are in their life cycle, what the finances look like, what the ratings are, and then we make those tough decisions.” Comcast recently spun off its cable networks, including E!, USA Network and Syfy, launching Versant. The series, which is hosted by Joel McHale, brings together 11 reality all-stars who must scheme for a chance to win $200,000 and the title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain.” It will debut its third season on Peacock early next year.
CBS opted not to renew The Equalizer (starring Queen Latifah) for a sixth season, Most Wanted for a seventh season and International for a fifth as part of its pickups for 2025-26 that included eight new shows and 18 returning ones, Deadline noted. Sunday’s episode of The Equalizer served as a series finale, and there is no plan by Universal Television to shop the show.
But CBS has renewed rookie soap opera Beyond the Gates for a second season, per Deadline. The sudser from Michele Val Jean—which features at least three LGBTQ+ character—is up +67% in multiplatform viewership from last year’s time period and beats ABC’s General Hospital by 7% among women 25-54 on broadcast. Beyond the Gates is set in a Maryland suburb just outside of D.C., in one the most affluent African American counties in the United States—a posh gated community with winding tree-lined streets and luxurious mansions to call home. At the center of this community are the Duprees, a powerful and prestigious multi-generational family that embodies Black royalty.
Sean Penn doesn’t wholly believe out journalist Dylan Farrow’s molestation allegations against filmmaker Woody Allen, per the New York Daily News. When asked on The Louis Theroux Podcast if he’d ever consider working with the controversial director again, Penn quickly replied, “I’d work with him in a heartbeat. If it was the right project.” Penn continued, “Do I think he has a bad rap? With these things, I don’t know anyone well enough to say 100% this didn’t happen, that didn’t happen. The stories are mostly told by people that I wouldn’t trust with a dime. It just seems so heavily weighted in that way.” Penn—a five-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner—received his second nomination for his work on Allen’s film Sweet and Lowdown in 1999.
Singer Meghan Trainor changed the lyrics of her body-positive song “All About That Bass” after her weight loss transformation and breast augmentation, Page Six noted. Fans noticed that instead of Trainor singing her original lyrics, “Yeah it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size two,” she swapped the words to sing, “Yeah, it’s pretty clear, I got some new boobs” while performing the 2014 hit during iHeartRadio’s KIIS-FM Wango Tango. On social media, the singer received words of encouragement from her doting fans—as well as trolling comments from her haters.
Industry Entertainment manager/producer Dan Spilo was fired for cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the indie action thriller Runner, per Deadline. Subsequently, actor Alan Ritchson (Reacher) and out actor Kai Penn have dismissed Spilo as their manager. Spilo—during his stint on Survivor: Island of the Idols—became the first contestant on the show to be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. In a statement, he said, in part, “During production, I was warned I was having a nervous breakdown, but I kept pushing through, which was a mistake. My behavior was unacceptable and unrecognizable to me and while there’s no excuse, I’m committed to understanding and addressing the personal issues that led me here.”
British singer Liam Payne died without a will but Cheryl Tweedy—his former partner and the mother of his son, Bear—was named one of the administrators of his $32-million estate, per Yahoo! News. Along with Tweedy, the music industry lawyer Richard Mark Bray was named as one of the administrators of the former One Direction member’s estate. Because Payne died intestate, Tweedy and Bray will be responsible for Payne’s money, property and possessions, much of which could be put into a trust for Bear. The Guardian noted that laws in England and Wales stipulate that a person’s spouse, and then their children, have first claim to the estate if there is no will. Payne died on Oct. 16, 2024 at the age of 31 after falling from the balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.