I realize in that moment that Emmy winner Billy Porter is watching me get dressed. I leap out of my computer chair and run to the closet in back of me, throwing on the first shirt I see. “We have Zoom! Why are we not doing Zoom?”
Porter responds incredulously he can’t understand why anyone in their right mind would not use the video feature. I tell Porter that I thought this was an audio-only interview. Expecting to see none of this, I’m in the clothes I went to bed in: a tank top and sweat shorts, with a hat I threw on. A bag with “Vote Betches” written on it is propped up in back of him. My recent interview with Porter was scheduled as an audio-only Zoom call, but because not even Porter’s handlers can stop Porter from setting his own rules, he appears on video in a caftan, casually eating in a rented beach house.
He also has starring roles in two upcoming films: a live-action Cinderella remake, as the Fairy Godmother, and in out Love, Simon director Greg Berlanti’s big-screen take on Little Shop of Horrors. He’s writing two books, his memoir and a children’s picture book. He recorded an updated version of the 1966 protest song “For What It’s Worth,” which he performed on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, to address our current political landscape he’s also featured on The Shapeshifters’ disco number “Finally Ready,” which reflects, in part, his decades-long journey living through the AIDS crisis. 20, Porter recently received another nomination for his portrayal of Pray Tell.ĭespite the pandemic, Porter is remaining prolific. Though winners won’t be announced until Sept. In September 2019, Porter made history as the first openly Black gay man to win in any lead acting category at the Emmys for his role on Pose. In 2013, he originated the role of Lola in Kinky Boots, which led to both a Tony and Grammy award. And then, later, he dismantled those standards (he could sing show tunes, and did). He met music industry standards for Black artists (you had to be R&B). He released solo albums that weren’t widely known.
#Black gay men magazine series
Porter’s mainstream breakthrough, playing ball emcee Pray Tell on FX’s trans-centric series Pose, is an accumulation of dedication to his craft as a singer and actor that began in his 20s in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
Everybody has to remember that I built a career before social media.” The reason, he says, is “I’m 50 years old. I don’t fight with nobody, I don’t have Twitter fights.” “I don’t adjudicate my life or humanity in sound bites on social media. “I don’t give a fuck about social media,” he scoffs, talking about his refusal to be engaged on social platforms. Until she called, he hadn’t even seen it.
“I said, ‘I hear you, I see you, I feel you.’”īut Porter simply didn’t know about the letter, he says. Porter says Waithe got him on the phone to talk about the anonymous letter written by current and former Essence staffers calling themselves “Black Female Anonymous.” The letter was published on Medium on June 28 and called out the magazine for its toxic work environment, just before Porter’s cover story hit newsstands. In this particular moment, his fiery passion stems from a call he received from screenwriter-actress Lena Waithe, who raised an eyebrow after Porter made history as Essence’s first openly gay man to grace the magazine’s cover. On Zoom, Porter commands a computer screen like he does a red carpet. “Now that I have a massive platform, and now that the people want to listen to the Black sissy, I’m gonna talk,” Billy Porter says, fired up, leaning into the camera. By Chris Azzopardi | Photos by Shavonne Wong and Into Action