Freddie Mercury’s debut solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, is getting a reissue four decades after its initial release, Instinct noted. Set to be reissued on Dec. 5, 2025, the reissue will be sold on translucent green vinyl. The 40th-anniversary edition features a remix by Justin Shirley-Smith and Joshua J. Macrae, who previously brought this take to Mercury’s catalog on the 2019 Never Boring box set.
Sarah Jessica Parker will receive the Golden Globes’ Carol Burnett Award for her contributions to the television industry both in front of and behind the camera, Deadline noted. Parker—a six-time Globe and two-time Emmy winner—will receive her prize during the inaugural Golden Eve primetime special on Thursday, Jan. 8, three nights before the Jan. 11 main ceremony, which Nikki Glaser will host again. CBS will air the special, while Paramount+ will stream it.
FX canceled the show English Teacher after two seasons, Variety confirmed. The comedy series was created by gay actor/writer Brian Jordan Alvarez, who starred as Evan Marquez—a gay high school English teacher in Austin who navigates several personal and political situations at work. According to PopRant, the cancellation of the critically acclaimed show could be linked to the sexual assault allegations against Alvarez. According to a detailed December 2024 investigation by Vulture, former co-star Jon Ebeling has alleged several instances of non-consensual sexual activity that occurred both off-set and during filming of the web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, which Alvarez directed. Alvarez has denied the allegations.
Queer roots music journeywoman Melissa Carper has teamed with singer/songwriter Theo Lawrence on the duet “The Way I Remember You,” per a press release. Out now via Warner Records, the new single “brings a wistful sincerity to their quick-witted and light-hearted brand of early Americana,” the release stated. “The idea for ‘The Way I Remember You’ first came to me on a tour with the Wonder Women of Country in August of 2023,” said Carper. “I was driving the van and thinking of how oftentimes the way we remember a lover from our past becomes distorted over time.”
Herb Ritts: Allies & Icons—a new exhibition honoring the works of the late famed gay photographer Herb Ritts—has opened in West Hollywood at ONE Gallery, WeHo Times noted. Timed to coincide with the public unveiling of STORIES: The AIDS Monument in West Hollywood Park, the exhibition features a collection of Ritts’ black-and-white portraits of cultural icons who used their platforms to combat stigma and raise awareness during the height of the epidemic; among them were Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Magic Johnson, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner and Keith Haring. The installation can be viewed through Dec. 21.
And on a related note, STORIES: The AIDS Monument was unveiled on Nov. 16 in a grand opening ceremony at the SilverScreen Theater at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, a press release announced. The event featured remarks from Irwin M. Rappaport, chair of The Foundation for the AIDS Monument Board of Directors, and some of the others (guests and speakers) at the event included actress Alexandra Billings, West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers, former West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico, U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, actor Daniel Franzese, activist Phill Wilson and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art revealed that its next Costume Institute exhibition will have the theme “Costume Art,” per CNN. Opening May 10, the showcase will pair almost 200 artworks with approximately 200 garments and accessories in an effort to connect fashion and fine art. “Costume Art” is also the show that will animate the splashy annual event the Met Gala. “The title ‘Costume Art’ refers to the history of the Costume Institute,” said Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, who selects each year’s theme, at a press conference.
Queer former WBC boxing champion Christy Martin defended actor Sydney Sweeney after lesbian model/actress Ruby Rose criticized Sweeney’s portrayal of Martin in a new biopic, Christy—which suffered one of the worst box-office openings in recent memory, The Independent noted. Also, Rose—who called Sweeney a “cretin”—claimed on Threads that she was originally slated to play Martin. “Syd not only worked her ass off for this film, she worked her ass off for me,” Martin wrote. “For my story. For so many others suffering in silence. So I want to be clear about who Syd is. She is my friend and ally!”
Openly gay country artist Orville Peck released his Appaloosa EP, described as “a cinematic collection of songs about love and luck, action and ennui, youthful spirit and grown-man emotion,” via Warner Records, a press release noted. The seven-song set includes a new duet with Noah Cyrus and also arrives alongside a music video for the lead single, “Drift Away.”
Ariana Grande is returning to Saturday Night Live on Dec. 20 for her third time, Variety revealed. She’ll be joined by musical guest Cher, who will take the Studio 8H stage for the first time since her SNL debut in 1987. Grande, a Grammy winner and Oscar nominee, stars in the film Wicked: For Good, which hits theaters on Nov. 21; Cher is promoting her autobiography, The Memoir.
Queer comedian/actor/singer Lea DeLaria has kicked off her monthly residency at NYC’s Stonewall Inn, per Gay City News. DeLaria’s residency will feature different themes; the first one was “Bachelor Party” because DeLaria is getting married to Dalia Gladstone, and the show opened with a rendition of “Get Me to Church on Time” accompanied by her versatile musical duo of Arcoiris Sandoval and Marco Panascia.
The trailer is out for The Chronology of Water—Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, per Variety. Adapted by Stewart from Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, The Chronology of Water is about a young competitive swimmer dealing with childhood trauma and addiction who ultimately overcomes her troubled past by channeling her life experiences through writing. The Forge acquired the North American rights to the movie.
For the first time in his career, Bad Bunny won the Latin Grammy for album of the year, USA Today noted. He was nominated for 12 awards at the 26th annual Latin Grammys that took place on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas, and he swept four other categories: best urban music performance, best urban song, best urban music album and best reggaeton performance. Some of the other winners included Alejandro Sanz, Karol G, Paloma Morphy, Trueno, and CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso.
Alan Cumming is returning as the master of ceremonies for season four of The Traitors—and plenty of queer celebrities are in the cast, per Instinct. LGBTQ+ celebrities include The Bachelor alum Colton Underwood, figure-skating icon Johnny Weir, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Monet X Change, Top Chef’s Kristen Kish and former Survivor contestant Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho. Some of the other contestants include Olympic gold-medal winner/frequent Weir co-commentator Tara Lipinski, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams (who recently said she was dating a woman), NFL mom Donna Kelce and Dancing with the Stars pro Mark Ballas.
Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness shared that their husband, Mark Peacock, from the UK, has been granted U.S. citizenship, Queerty noted. “After 5 years my husband is finally an American citizen 
” Van Ness posted. Following a whirlwind romance, Van Ness and Peacock secretly married in a small ceremony in the middle of 2020; Van Ness didn’t reveal the news until posting an end-of-year roundup in December of that year.
Starting next year, the Screen Actors Guild Awards will be known as “The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA,” Variety noted. According to SAG-AFTRA, the move was made to better align the name of the awards show with the name of the statue that is handed out (like with the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Golden Globes). The change also allows the full name of the union, SAG-AFTRA, to be highlighted.
The Accessories Council (Ac) unveiled the 24th digital issue of Ac Magazine: The Jewelry Issue—and Pose actress, model, TV personality and fashion icon Dominique Jackson is on the cover, per a press release. Jackson revealed much about herself, saying, “It’s been a test of faith, but a beautiful journey. I lost work during the strike, brand deals ended and, suddenly, everything I built seemed to crumble. I was depressed, anxious—I suffer from agoraphobia—but I found peace in stillness. Faith was all I had, and it carried me.”
French figure-skating icon Surya Bonaly posted on Instagram that her Las Vegas home was burglarized and her collection of medals from world and European championships was stolen, Cleveland.com noted. She asked residents and pawn shops to contact police if they see foreign gold and silver medals for sale. Bonaly gained international recognition in the 1990s for pushing boundaries in figure skating with acrobatic skills and illegal backflips, per Parade.
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 winner Onya Nurve (aka Justin Woody) is no longer playing the lead in the new North American tour of Kinky Boots starting this November, Out confirmed. Show reps stated, “On behalf of Kinky Boots on Tour, Justin Woody (“Onya Nurve”) is no longer with the company. We are thrilled to share that Omari Collins (“Scarlett D. Von’Du”) will step into the role of Lola. We wish Justin well, and we look forward to bringing Kinky Boots to theatres all across the country.” Rumors about Nurve/Woody’s departure from Boots started with a post from X page @GreenGay.
Tony®, EMMY® and five-time Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist Josh Groban announced his first world tour in 10 years: the 2026 GEMS World Tour, per a press release. The 21-city journey will start in Honolulu, making stops in Taipei, Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Tokyo, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Bahrain, Dubai, Dublin, London, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf before wrapping in Amsterdam. Just recently, Groban released Hidden Gems via Reprise Records.
On HBO’s Alex vs ARod, baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and ex-wife Cynthia Rodriguez Nicolas addressed the alleged infidelity that led to the downfall of their marriage, Us Magazine noted. The couple divorced in 2008—after it was publicly revealed that Alex reportedly had an affair with Madonna, who was also married at the time (to Guy Ritchie). While neither Alex or Cynthia mentioned Madonna by name, the docuseries showed a New York Post headline reading, “A-Rod and Madonna Squeeze Play,” implying the affair rumors were true. “In hindsight, I could have been a better husband,” Alex said on the show.
Gay Good Morning America journalist/co-host Gio Benitez was recently baptized and confirmed at St. Paul the Apostle Church, a progressive and LGBTQ+-inclusive parish in Manhattan, Instinct noted. In a video shared on social media, Benitez was seen in tears as he stood at the altar with his husband, Tommy DiDario, at his side. (DiDario was Benitez’s sponsor during the ceremony.) So, what brought Benitez back to the Church after 25 years? He said it was the inclusive message of the late Pope Francis and the outreach of Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and LGBTQ+-rights advocate.
WWE, in partnership with Choose Chicago, announced that it will return to the United Center in Chicago for Elimination Chamber on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, per a press release. This marks the first WWE Premium Live Event to be held at the United Center in more than three decades. In August 1994, SummerSlam® made history as the first sports event to open the iconic venue.On the last day of BravoCon, Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen announced the cast of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, the latest entry in Bravo’s franchise, Variety noted. The cast includes former Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise contestant Ashley Iaconetti, who eventually married Bachelor in Paradise castmate Jared Haibon Cohen also confirmed that a new season of The Real Housewives of New York City has been cast, and will begin filming soon.