Marking the 20th anniversary of Mysterious Skin’s theatrical release, writer/director Gregg Araki recently discussed the film—which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the late Michelle Trachtenberg—with Deadline. Ahead of a remastered 4K screening of the movie at the Academy Museum, Araki said of Trachtenberg, “When I found out that she passed, I was so shocked because she was such a ray of light, and so, watching the movie is gonna be really amazing and beautiful when we do the screening.” In Mysterious Skin, 1980s Kansas teenager Neil (Gordon-Levitt) becomes a hustler while Brian (Brady Corbet) becomes obsessed with UFOs, years after playing on the same little league team and experiencing a mutual childhood trauma—during which Brian is convinced they were abducted by aliens.
Julia Roberts confirmed that she’s been in discussions about possibly starring in a sequel to My Best Friend’s Wedding, according to Variety. While she talked with the publication, Luca Guadagnino—who directed After the Hunt, Roberts‘ newest film—said that he would direct Roberts in a My Best Friend’s Wedding sequel “in a second.” The development news came shortly after Dermot Mulroney (who starred in the 1997 original alongside Roberts, Cameron Diaz and out actor Rupert Everett) teased to the New York Post that “there is talk of a sequel.”
Gay Star Trek actor and GLAAD Award winner George Takei has been named honorary chair of Banned Books Week, which will take place Oct. 5-11, according to a GLAAD press release. Takei will be joined in leading the annual event by youth honorary chair Iris Mogul. Takei said, in part, “I’m proud to serve as honorary chair of Banned Books Week, because I remember all too well the lack of access to books and media that I needed growing up. First as a child in a barbed-wire prison camp, then as a gay young man in the closet, I felt confused and hungry for understanding about myself and the world around me.”
As his social-media post supporting Jimmy Kimmel started getting a flood of criticism, The Last of Us actor and noted LGBTQ+ ally Pedro Pascal doubled down, Out noted. Eventually, Pascal wrote “Yay Gay” (which didn’t seem to be a direct response to anything) in the comments section—and his queer fans, obviously, started losing their minds. “Standing with you [Jimmy Kimmel Live!],” Pascal initially wrote in the caption, using a photo from the March 24 episode of the late-night talk show in which he appeared, adding, “Defend #FreeSpeech. Defend #DEMOCRACY.”
On Instagram, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Monét X Change announced that she and longtime partner Andy Short got engaged, per Queerty. The drag queen and Short, a personal trainer, have been together since 2021. Many people—including several Drag Race figures—congratulated the couple, although Bianca Del Rio teased, “PRENUP!!!! PRENUP! PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT!” Drag Race judge Michelle Visage offered an exclamatory “OMG CONGRATS!!!!!,” while Monét’s Sibling Rivalry podcast co-host, Bob the Drag Queen, wrote, “Wait, what?!?!?!?”
IFC and Shudder will present the queer-themed film Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead at Beyond Fest on Oct. 5; the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival on Oct. 16; and NewFest on Oct. 18, per a press release. In the movie, “a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a giant warehouse party, where an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids and frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.” Among the stars of the film are Katy O’Brian, Jack Haven, Nina West, Cheyenne Jackson, Dominique Jackson, Margaret Cho and Riki Lindhome. Romero is the daughter of the late horror-film director George Romero (Night of the Living Dead).
Transfeminine, nonbinary actor Alex Thomas-Smith wedded their partner, Ciaran Thomas-Smith, at a registry office at Hackney Town Hall, London, Queerty noted. On Instagram, Alex posted (alongside wedding photos), “Today I married my best friend. Day 1 of our wedding weekend. I wouldn’t have become the person I am today without the love from you, my darling C.” Alex appeared in the recent BBC series, What It Feels Like for a Girl, based on the coming-of-age memoir of trans campaigner Paris Lees.
GLAAD has introduced this year’s founding “GLAAD Ambassadors”—an exclusive philanthropic and programmatic membership initiative to promote and strengthen GLAAD’s work accelerating acceptance for LGBTQ people, per a press release. The founding GLAAD Ambassadors are Atsuko Okatsuka, Bobby Berk, Braunwyn Spinner, Chrishell Stause, Don Lemon, Isis King, Jonathan Bennett, Mal Glowenke and Mathilde Jourdan, Meredith Marks, Niecy Nash-Betts and Jessica Betts, Racquel Chevremont, RK Russell, Ronen Rubinstein, Ross Mathews, Sasheer Zamata, Scott Hoying and Mark Hoying, and Sherry Cola.
Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth teared up while speaking to NY1’s Frank DiLella about her controversial Instagram comment sharing how “upset” she felt by conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Page Six noted. DiLella mentioned Chenoweth’s “big LGBTQ+ fan base,” asking what she hoped to “convey” by posting about her “heartbreak” over Kirk, who “openly opposed same-sex marriage [and] trans rights.” The Tony winner immediately began tearing up, adding, “I came to understand that my comment hurt some folks and that hurt me so badly. I would never.”
Queer actress/helmer Rebel Wilson is back in the director’s chair amid the dispute over her debut feature, The Deb, per Deadline. Wilson—the star of Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids— will write, direct, produce and star in the comedy Girl Group, which is about a pop diva who’s been kicked out of her own group’s reunion tour and served with a community service court order.
The second leg of the concert tour “The Queens: 4 Legends. 1 Stage”—featuring R&B icons Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan and Stephanie Mills—recently kicked off in North Carolina, the AP noted. A rotating stage transitions each 45-minute set into the next performance, introducing each artist to a wide cross-section of concertgoers, and the tour is scheduled to wrap Oct. 5 in Cleveland after stops in Milwaukee (Sept. 27), Atlantic City (Oct. 4) and other cities. The first leg of the tour, produced by Black Promoters Collective, ran from May through June.
British singer Morrissey’s official Facebook page stated that he cancelled two shows in the United States over a “credible threat on his life,” per The Guardian. The former Smiths singer was slated to appear at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut; and at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston. Recently, a 26-year-old man from Ottawa, Canada, was released on bail after allegedly threatening to kill Morrissey at his performance in the city.
Boys Don’t Fight released “Bolero,” the second single from their eponymous debut album that will drop Oct. 17, a media release noted. Boys Don’t Fight is the latest project from Chris Giarmo (he/him), a New Orleans-based multidisciplinary artist; the name of the project comes from the Italo-disco song “Disco Clone,” by Cristina. Boys Don’t Fight released the project’s first video and single, “The Megaman Song,” earlier this month.
The first few hosts and musical guests for SNL’s 51st season have been revealed, per USA Today. On Oct. 4, Bad Bunny will host (for the second time) with Doja Cat as the musical guest; the following week, former SNL cast member Amy Poehler will return to the show as host, with musical guest Role Model; and Sabrina Carpenter will host and be the musical guest on the show’s Oct. 18 episode.
During Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, musician Sarah McLachlan canceled a performance scheduled for a screening of a new documentary chronicling the impact of Lilith Fair, the music festival she founded, according to USA Today. The move, she said, was meant to show support for “free speech.” (She later was the musical guest on Kimmel’s first show back on Sept. 23.) The documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery—The Untold Story premiered on Disney+ and Hulu Sept. 21; the streaming services both are parts of Disney, the parent company of ABC.
Teen Vogue hosted its annual Summit in Los Angeles, featuring today’s most influential cultural icons and change-makers, per a press release. Director/producer/host Raven-Symoné; actor/author/Movement Genius founder Alyson Stoner; model/content creator Vivian Wilson; global band KATSEYE; Wednesday actress Joy Sunday; and model/author Tess Holliday appeared, among others.
Justin Theroux will star opposite Jude Law and Andrew Garfield in Apple TV+’s upcoming limited series Wild Things about entertainers Siegfried & Roy, Deadline noted. Based on the Apple Original Podcast Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy, the series focuses on 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. Theroux will portray hotel mogul Steve Wynn, who signed the duo to a five-year, $57.5-million deal to perform at his Mirage hotel.
Actress Naomi Watts recently supported her daughter Kai, 16, at New York Fashion Week, per People. The teenager opened Jason Wu’s show wearing the designer’s COLLAGE Spring 2026 collection. Kai had told Interview, “Struggling with my gender identity from a young age most likely had something to do with [wanting to be a supermodel]. I always wanted to grow up and be a beautiful, glamorous, influential woman, like Marilyn.”
Adele has reportedly been approached about performing for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, although she hasn’t accepted the offer, per The Daily Beast. However, NFL and sponsor Pepsi denied the claims to Page Six, commenting “We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl halftime show… However, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else.” Adele herself has said she did not like football, stating she only attended football games to watch Rihanna perform.
Billionaire music and film mogul David Geffen, 82—who’s behind Geffen Records and DreamWorks SKG—said he is ready to be “an unmarried man again” while divorcing 32-year-old estranged husband David Andrew Armstrong, per Attitude. In new court filings that TMZ obtained, Geffen said he will pay up to $50,000 a month in spousal support—but only for 12 months; he also wants the payments backdated and credited against what he has already paid. The couple married in March 2023 after meeting several years earlier, when Armstrong was Geffen’s personal trainer.
Davis Mallory—an openly gay Christian man and The Real World: Denver alum who famously came out on TV in 2006—no longer identifies as gay, per Instinct. He posted a video on Instagram from a church event in Hawaii in which he said that he’s no longer “living the gay lifestyle.” Fans have wondered if Mallory has undergone some sort of conversion therapy to which he has responded, “Not really. But God started giving me vivid dreams and healed me from trauma and showed me the spiritual warfare I was under.”
Tom Holland suffered a mild concussion on the set of his upcoming superhero movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day, per Variety. The star took a break from filming as a precaution. Spider-Man: Brand New Day began production in Glasgow, Scotland in early August, and it’s set to release in theaters on July 31, 2026.
Artist, songwriter, producer and philanthropist ZAYN is set to kick off 2026 with his return to the stage with his first-ever Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM, per a press release. Presented by Live Nation and MGM, the residency will take place across seven nights on Jan. 20-31, 2026, with a setlist spanning all four of his studio albums.