Famed children's entertainers The Wiggles sent parents into a frenzy when they posted a photo with out rapper Lil Nas X to their Instagram account and wrote, "New collab in the wind?," according to LGBTQ Nation. Both Nas and the Wiggles had performed at the same festival in Australia. Many parents were supposedly outraged and could not believe The Wiggles would even associate with Nas, who sparked a flurry of conservative backlash with his song and video for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)," in which he gives a lap dance to the devil.
When Sam Smith debuted the title track of their upcoming album Gloria on Saturday Night Live, there was a special guest for the occasion: Sharon Stone, Deadline reported. The Oscar-nominated actress—the star of the Sidney Lumet-directed 1999 movie Gloria, a remake of John Cassavetes' film of the same name—was part of the elaborate music production, which featured Smith surrounded by a large choir. Stone later returned for a cameo in the final sketch of the night, "Film Noir," in which she played the seductress mother of host Aubrey Plaza's Black Widow. In addition, Smith brought out fellow LGBTQ+ singer for an SNL duet of their hit "Unholy," Billboard noted.
U.S. pro tennis player Taylor Fritz told the publication Clay that if a men's player on the ATP Tour came out as gay, he would be welcomed by his peers, according to Reuters. Although women tennis players have come out (such as Russian player Daria Kasatkina), no male player currently competing at the sport's top level has done the same so far. Fritz—who recently lost in the second round of the Australian Open—said players may be reluctant to come out because of the attention that would come with it.
Richard Williams revealed he tried to persuade superstar daughter Serena Williams to play "a couple of more tournaments" but his daughter refused because she simply "can't do it anymore," Tennis World noted. Serena moved away from tennis after the 2022 US Open, in which she lost against Croatian-Australian player Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round.
Regarding Oscar nominations (announced Jan. 24), A24's Everything Everywhere All at Once scored a leading 11 nominations, followed by Searchlight's The Banshees of Inisherin and Netflix's All Quiet on the Western Front, which had nine apiece, Deadline reported. The Best Picture nods went to All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans (with out co-producer Tony Kushner), Tar, Top Gun: Maverick, Triangle of Sadness and Women Talking. Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Austin Butler (Elvis) and Ana de Armas (Blonde) were among those getting nominations in various acting categories. The Oscars are set for Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theater; Jimmy Kimmel will host.
Queerty announced the nominees for The 11th annual Queerties awards. Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island; Loot), Jim Parsons (Spoiler Alert), Keke Palmer (Nope), Rosie O'Donnell (The L Word: Generation Q) and Ryan O'Connell (Queer as Folk) are among those competing for the "Badass" award, honoring the top LGBTQ+ newsmakers. Rebel Wilson, Kit Connor (Heartstopper), singer Tevin Campbell and Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things) are among the stars competing in the "Closet Door Bustdown" category, which recognizes people who shook up the mainstream with their coming-out stories. This year's event honors Dylan Mulvaney, an actress who documented her gender transition to her 10 million followers on TikTok; and musician Rufus Wainwright. Gay music artist VINCINT will perform at the ceremony, taking place Feb. 28 in Los Angeles.
Beyonce faced backlash for her concert in Dubai, United Arab Emirates—her first live performance in years, AllHipHop noted. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies took issue with Beyoncé performing in a nation with anti-same-sex laws. However, according to TMZ, Mathew Knowles (Beyonce's father and ex-manager) believes his daughter united a diverse crowd and brought people closer together; LGBTQ+ media personality TS Madison agreed during an appearance on TMZ and on social media (mentioning that Beyonce has performed in U.S. states with anti-LGBTQ+ laws in place). As for show details, fireworks exploded above the venue at the no-phones show as the artist opened the show singing Etta James' "At Last," Variety noted. (She portrayed James in the film Cadillac Records.) Among other songs she sang were "Freedom," "Beautiful Liar" (originally released with Shakira) and "Naughty Girl." Chloe and Halle Bailey, Nia Long, Kendall Jenner and Rebel Wilson were among the guests.
Tyler Posey came out as queer and sexually fluid in 2021—and the actor told Gay Times that he directly credits Teen Wolf for helping him "accept" who he is "with no shame," Out noted. The actor added that the Teen Wolf series featured LGBTQ+ representation in a very natural way for the time when it aired. Teen Wolf: The Movie premiered Jan. 26 on Paramount+.
The Madonna biopic that was to be directed by Madonna is no longer in development at Universal Pictures, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. The project, which was first announced in 2020, was going to chronicle the singer's career, which spans almost four decades and has gone far beyond music as she has explored art, movies, fashion and charity. Amy Pascal was set to produce the movie, which was co-written by Secretary writer Erin Cressida Wilson and Madonna. (Diablo Cody was previously set to pen the project.)
Legendary English rock band Pink Floyd posted on their official Facebook page that the 50th anniversary of their iconic album The Dark Side of the Moon would be re-released and remastered this year to celebrate the milestone—but homophobes are reportedly upset over the band's use of the rainbow, according to Out. Some anti-gay segments of the band's fandom took the logo as a statement of support for the LGBTQ+ community. However, actor George Takei tweeted out some of the responses, saying, "The furor from the right over the 50th anniversary post by Pink Floyd as 'going woke with rainbows' is peak MAGA ignorance. It's a prism of their own making, as it were."
James Ross—also known as RuPaul's Drag Race season two winner Tyra Sanchez—is returning to drag through the rebranding of King Tyra, according to Out. This return to drag has been in the works for months and there will be a full North American tour. Ross said on Instagram, in part, "Club Tyra is presented by me, James Ross, the creator of Tyra Sanchez and the star of the show! As I transform into Tyra, my team transforms each venue into Club Tyra's pink poppin' experience."
Trans model/actor/singer Laith Ashley publicly thanked Taylor Swift for casting him as her love interest in the music video for "Lavender Haze," Out noted. "Thank you so much [Taylor Swift] for allowing me to play a small part in your story," Ashley wrote. "You are brilliant and this is an experience I will never forget." Swift released a statement saying, "The 'Lavender Haze' video is out now. There is lots of lavender. There is lots of haze. There is my incredible costar [Laith Ashley] who I absolutely adored working with."
Recently, out singer Adam Lambert made headlines when he commented on an Instagram post from The Advocate about The White Lotus star Theo James eyeing the role of George Michael in a rumored biopic, saying, "Yay another straight man playing a gay icon" with an eye roll emoji—but Lambert is clarifying things, Out noted. Talking with Variety while promoting his new film Fairyland, Lambert said, "My actual comment, my little sarcastic comment, was a straight actor playing a gay icon, which I do think is a bit different," he said. "I, by no means, think that gay characters can only be played by gay actors. That would be ridiculous."
Dyllon Burnside—who's been in the Ryan Murphy shows Pose, American Horror Story and Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story—will make his London stage debut in Black Superhero, the debut play from British actor/activist/playwright Danny Lee Wynter, Deadline noted. Burnside will play King—a Black, queer movie star "with the world at his feet"—Wynter told Deadline. The production will run at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs on March 14-April 29.
Today noted that Panic! at the Disco is calling it quits after nearly 20 years, the pop-punk group's lead singer, Brendon Urie, announced. So many places all over the world, and all the friends we've made along the way," Urie wrote on Instagram. "But sometimes a journey must end for a new one to begin." Urie said the band "will be no more" after its upcoming European tour, citing the forthcoming birth of his first child as one reason for the band's breakup.
The Golden Raspberry Awards, aka the Razzies—which shame actors and filmmakers with an annual "worst of"—removed Firestarter's Ryan Kiera Armstrong from their ballot following backlash against including the actress, who is 12, in its annual picks for the worst films and performances of the year, per The Hollywood Reporter. Armstrong, who was 11 when Firestarter was filmed, was up for worst actress along with Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic Park: Dominion), Diane Keaton (Mack & Rita), Kaya Scodelario (The King's Daughter) and Alicia Silverstone (The Requin). The Razzies have nominated children previously, including Jake Lloyd for 1999's Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace; and Macaulay Culkin, who was nominated in 1995 for three films—Getting Even With Dad, The Pagemaster and Richie Rich.
On the Fox show Call Me Kat, 30 Rock alum Jack McBrayer plays new hire Gideon, the baker Kat has tapped to replace Leslie Jordan's Phil—at least for now, TVLine noted. McBrayer's guest stint doubles as a 30 Rock reunion with Cheyenne Jackson (aka Max), who guest-starred on the NBC sitcom as Danny Baker on several occasions. Following Jordan's untimely passing last fall, the Fox comedy opted to keep Phil alive; the winter premiere revealed that he and boyfriend Jalen bought a bakery in Tahiti and wed in an off-screen ceremony.
Actor Jeremy Renner (Wind River; the Avengers movies; TV's Mayor of Kingstown) revealed in a new Instagram post that he broke more than 30 bones in the snow-plow accident that left him hospitalized with blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries, Variety reported. Renner also posted a photo of himself doing leg stretches as he undergoes physical therapy at home. His accident occurred Jan. 1 after he tried to help remove a family member's car from being stuck in the snow near his home.
Jurors for Sundance's U.S. Dramatic Competition walked out of the premiere of Magazine Dreams after the festival failed to provide adequate captioning for deaf and hearing-impaired audience members—including juror and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, Variety reported. Members of the dramatic jury—Jeremy O. Harris, Eliza Hittman and Matlin—collectively walked out of the film as it began after a caption device provided to Matlin didn't work. The festival said the jurors intend to screen the film as a group before Sundance ends.
Two of the DC series on HBO Max, Titans and Doom Patrol, will be ending, Deadline reported. Both recently wrapped their six-episode Season 4A runs on the streamer, and the upcoming second halves of their fourth seasons will be the shows' final chapters. Titans and Doom Patrol are the last live-action series from the slate of the now-defunct DC Universe.
It turns out that singer Rita Ora and actor/director/producer Taika Waititi (who plays an LGBTQ+ character in the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death) have been married for a while, Extra noted. She said on the "Heart Breakfast" podcast, "Yes [I am married]. I am officially off the market, people. I chose to keep it more private and keep it to myself."
Actress Anika Noni Rose married actor Jason Dirden in October—but didn't announce the news until now, according to Extra. Brides.com reported the two exchanged vows at The Paramour Estate in Los Angeles with the help of out actor Colman Domingo (TV's Euphoria and Fear the Walking Dead; films Lincoln and Candyman). Rose told the outlet, "Without consulting each other, we ended up using the same phrase at the end of each [of our vows]. We couldn't have planned it better." The two met in 2014 while working together on a Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun.
Kim Kardashian spoke at Harvard Business School about the success of her multi-billion-dollar SKIMS shapewear business—but the internet wasn't thrilled about it, according to The New York Post. A camera crew followed her as the reality star and SKIMS co-founder Jens Grede talked to Boston students enrolled in the Moving Beyond Direct to Consumer course. Although some of the attendees praised Kardashian, a lot of internet users said things like, "This is hilarious. @KimKardashian can't spell @Harvard."
Actor Robert Pattinson (The Batman; the Twilight films) has been vocal about the "insidious" body standards men face in and out of Hollywood, Variety noted. "Even if you're just watching your calorie intake, it's extraordinarily addictive — and you don't quite realize how insidious it is until it's too late," Pattinson told ES magazine, adding that he "once ate nothing but potatoes for two weeks, as a detox. Just boiled potatoes and Himalayan pink salt."
For the second time, Star Wars actor Mark Hamill clarified why he liked a controversial JK Rowling tweet, Out noted. In the tweet, Harry Potter author Rowling (who's anti-trans) had taken a screenshot of a tweet from trans broadcaster India Willoughby where she said "I'm more of a woman than JK Rowling will ever be," to which Rowling added "citation needed." Hamill has clarified, saying that he meant to show support for Willoughby, not Rowling.
Paris Hilton is now a mother. The businesswoman/media personality and husband Carter Reum recently welcomed their first baby together, a son, via surrogate, People Magazine revealed. Sharing the news on Instagram, Hilton posted a close-up photo of the baby gripping her thumb and wrote "You are already loved beyond words [blue heart emoji]."
A newly resurfaced video shows Tim Allen flashing Home Improvement co-star Patricia Richardson in what TMZ described as a "playful blooper," according to Yahoo! In the clip that TMZ obtained, Allen is wearing a kilt; when he asks Richardson how it looks, she replies, "Hangs long, I just wish it was shorter"—prompting Allen to lift up the kilt and Richardson to scream. The clip resurfaced days after Home Improvement co-star Pamela Anderson accused Allen of flashing his penis at her backstage—which Allen has denied. However, in a statement to Fox News Digital Richardson said, He was well dressed under there," according to Yahoo! "I was just shocked that he lifted the kilt, not by a man in boxer shorts."
Brooke Shields is talking about working with Franco Zeffirelli, the late Oscar-nominated director of her film Endless Love, according to Deadline. Similar to the stars of Zeffirelli's 1968 film Romeo & Juliet, who are suing Paramount for $100M+ for alleged sexual abuse and more, Shields also had an unsettling experience with him. She details the incident in the latest ABC News/Hulu Lana Wilson-directed docuseries Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields that premiered at Sundance. In the doc, Shields says, "The physicality and the exploration of sexuality felt really dangerous to me, and I didn't trust the director to create a safe environment for me." Among other things, Shields also says in the documentary that she was sexually assaulted in the late '80s, according to Page Six.
Gay singer Todrick Hall said friend Stephen "tWitch" Boss—the DJ for the Ellen DeGeneres Show who died by suicide last December—was under a lot of pressure because of his boss's "toxic workplace" scandal, according to Page Six. "People were looking at him like, 'Why are you still supporting this woman?'," Hall said, "and I think he was under a lot of pressure." However, according to TMZ, other friends of Boss have criticized Hall for suggesting this.
Out gay TikTok creator Chris Olsen recently shared a video with his nearly 10 million followers in which he revealed that he's gotten chlamydia three times in an effort to end stigma against the disease, Out noted. Olsen recalled his latest visit to the clinic where he usually tests for sexually transmitted infections—adding that the nurse tried to set him up with her son. Although he declined that offer, Olsen said the nurse "just called me and I do not have chlamydia this time. So, little wins!"
Yung Gravy is reportedly being sued by "Never Gonna Give You Up" hitmaker Rick Astley over the rapper's track "Betty (Get Money)," Page Six noted, citing TMZ. Astley claims Gravy (real name: Matthew Raymond Hauri) ripped off his vocals from his most popular song—released in 1987—by using an impersonated version of his voice. Astley is also suing the vocal impersonator, Nick Seeley.
After almost two years, Marilyn Manson reached an agreement with Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco to end her sexual-assault and sexual-battery case against him, Deadline noted. Filed in federal court in April 2021, Bianco's action alleged that Manson [real name: Brian Hugh Warner] had used "fraudulent offers of movie and music video roles to convince Ms. Bianco to travel to Los Angeles, whereupon Mr. Warner then made threats of force and performed violent sexual acts on Ms. Bianco to which she did not consent."
Adult Swim cut ties with Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland after serious domestic-violence allegations against him came to light, Deadline reported. Following Roiland's exit, Rick and Morty will continue with the title roles, which had been voiced by Roiland, recast. No trial date has been set, but Roiland could face up to seven years in prison if convicted. Hulu has also dropped him from Solar Opposites and Koala Man, Variety noted.
