Before we look back on 2021, let’s wrap some unfinished business. This year’s Kennedy Center Honors were just awarded, and it was a fantastic group of honorees … led by the Divine Miss M. Inexplicably, her presentation was done without the participation of Marc Shaiman or Barry Manilow. For shame, Kennedy Center, for shame; these things never happened on Caroline Schlossberg’s watch. Bette was inducted alongside Justino Díaz, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels and Joni Mitchell—and with a president in attendance!
There’s not much to say about Being the Ricardos. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy historical fiction. But how on Earth did Aaron Sorkin miss the only famous quote regarding Lucille Ball possibly being a Communist? When Desi Arnaz brought her out before the taping in question, this is what he said: “I want you to meet my favorite wife, my favorite redhead—in fact, that’s the only thing red about her, and even that’s not legitimate—Lucille Ball.”
In the span of 24 hours, Colton Underwood came out to his family, told all to Robin Roberts, signed a deal with Netflix and began filming a reality show—not necessarily in that order! You’d think that’s hard to top, but Mr. Big returned, got killed off, resurfaced in a commercial and, just like that, saw his entire career implode.
There were many milestones in 2021. Billy Porter came out as HIV-positive. David Archuletta came out as bisexual. Football player Carl Nassib came out as gay. Singer T.J. Osborne also came out. Tom Daley finally took home Olympic gold. Garrett Clayton got married. Pete Buttigieg and Lance Bass became daddies (not together). And Kataluna Enriquez was crowned Miss Nevada—the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for Miss USA.
Many luminaries left us in 2021. We particularly remember Ari Gold, Jeffrey Sanker, Stephen Sondheim and Tommy Kirk. A trio of Mary Tyler Moore castmates passed away. Cloris Leachman, Ed Asner, and Gavin MacLeod all helped turn the world on with their smiles. And if Florence Ballard was the soul of The Supremes, Mary Wilson was the heart. Rest in peace.
By sitting down with Oprah, the former Meghan Markle pretty much put a nail in her coffin, as far as the British royal family is concerned. Thus far, she and Harry have cashed in … I mean, weathered the storm. Meanwhile, that old woman is calling the shots in England.
Another Meghan—this time, Meghan McCain—left The View. In her audio-only autobio, she revealed her decision to depart was made after she teasingly accused Joy Behar of missing her during quarantine. “I did not! I did not miss you! ZERO!” shrieked Joy. If there’s one thing you can say about Shecky Behar—you know where you stand. It must be noted that The View is a bit less appointment TV without Meg.
Ellen was cancelled … again! DeGeneres said she always wanted to end her talk show in its 19th year. Yeah, and Jussie Smollett really was attacked by white MAGA terrorists while picking up food at a Chicago Subway at 2 a.m.!
It was a terrific year for “Billy Masters LIVE”. I got to gab with many of my fantasy men, and some of my favorite ladies. I’d hate to choose between Christopher Atkins, Rex Smith and Eric Roberts. When it comes to divas, you can’t go wrong with Martha Wash, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Marilyn Maye, Marilyn McCoo, Darlene Love, Freda and Scherrie Payne, Ruth and Anita Pointer, and Melissa Manchester (who was at the Kennedy Center Honors). I can’t forget some fabulous moments with Lainie Kazan, Renee Taylor, Ruta Lee and Sherri Shepherd. This year, I hosted panels with some great guys, including Bruce Vilanch, Charles Busch, Ben Patrick Johnson, Mark MacKillop, Jason Dottley, Jonny Beauchamp, Frank DeCaro, Michael Riedel … oh, the list is endless. You can check out all the shows on our YouTube channel, Billy Masters TV, or on BillyMasters.com/TV.
Aaron Carter attempted to resurrect his career by signing to appear in Naked Boys Singing, in Las Vegas. That contract was terminated within days, leading many to wonder what took so long. I had the remaining naked boys on “Billy Masters LIVE”. In fact, I flew to Las Vegas to film them doing their opening number, “Gratuitous Nudity”—which they sang while wearing underwear! Someone out there perhaps felt short-changed and sent us a video of them singing the closing number … in the buff! Needless to say, you can see that on BillyMasters.com.
Nude guys pop up on our website with alarming regularity. Jonathan Bennett “accidentally” posted his privates via a reflection in his coffee cup. Not to be outdone, Lil Nas X AND River Viiperi “accidentally” posted their privates via a reflection in their chrome shower fixtures (different showers, different fixtures). The only thing they had in common was ending up on BillyMasters.com.
When Colton Underwood is easy to top, it’s definitely time to end another year of columns. The more things change, the more things stay the same. Like finding the best gossip and hottest guys on BillyMasters.com—the site that doesn’t care if you’re naughty or nice. If you have a question, send it to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before anything happens to our beloved Betty White! So, until next year, remember: One man’s filth is another man’s bible.