The husband of fashion icon Diane von Fürstenberg, Barry Diller, has publicly come out as gay for the first time. 

On 6 May, New York Magazine published an excerpt from the tech billionaire’s upcoming memoir Who Knew – which peeled back the curtains on his sexuality and longtime romantic relationship with Diane.

“While there have been a good many men in my life, there has only ever been one woman, and she didn’t come into my life until I was 33 years old,” he wrote.

“There are many complex aspects of my relationship with Diane von Fürstenberg: romantic love and deep respect, companionship and world adventuring, then disappointment, and separation, and finally marriage.”

Diller went on to say that he “never questioned” his sexuality’s “basic authority” over his life, adding that he was only afraid of the reaction of others.

“And when my romance with Diane began, I never questioned that its biological imperative was as strong in its heterosexuality as its opposite had been. When it happened, my initial response was, ‘Who knew?'” he continued.

“I’m well aware that this part of my life has caused confusion and lots of speculation. A relationship that began with indifference, then exploded into a romance as natural to us as breathing, surprised us and everyone else. It really is the miracle of my life.”

Diller went on to give insight into his first meeting with Diane in 1974 – who was married to Prince Egon Von Fürstenberg at the time.

Describing the fashion icon as oblivious and dismissive, the former movie exec recalled being confident that he would never meet her again.

However, that changed when Diller was invited to a party celebrating his close friend and agent to the stars Sue Mengers, which Diane was ironically hosting.

 

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Before diving into his second meeting with his now wife, Diller opened up about his extensive and private dating life with men, revealing his first same sex experiences started in his teenage years, “street cruising in West Hollywood.”

“The subterfuge continued into my 20s, save one Fourth of July weekend when a guy I had met invited me to join him on Fire Island. Since I had never been in any kind of ghetto (other than a rich one), I wasn’t prepared for a place that was all guys, all the time,” he wrote.

“I had so much early career success you might have thought I’d conquered what I saw as the biggest danger in my developing life. I’d conquered other phobias, but fear of exposure still had a tyrannical hold on me, so much so that it stunted any chance of my having a fulfilling personal life.”

Diller went on to say that he locked away anything related to his sexuality, adding that he became so successful at compartmentalising his feelings that it “both ruled and riled his life ever since.”

“I never discussed my personal life, lowlight as it was, with anyone. Even though as the years went on, I began to be realistic and understood that ‘everyone knows,’ I never wanted to make any declarations,” he continued.

 

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“So many of us at that time were in this exiled state, so stunted in the way we lived. I hated having to live a pretend life, one that was totally silent on all topics normal people talked about with each other. Of course, I could have declared my sexuality, come out as some others were doing, but I was among the many at the time who were too scared to do so.”

Since coming out wasn’t an option for Diller, he created and followed a unique “bill of rights” that allowed him to live within a blurred line. 

Some of the rules included never bringing a man to a heterosexual event or never doing anything that would make anyone believe he was living a heterosexual life, like having a “beard”.

“It wasn’t courage – it was simply the minimum conditions of my conduct, and I recognise it now as the opposite of courage,” Diller explained.

With his bill of rights firmly cemented in his brain, Diller attended Sue’s party.

However, his life was turned upside down when he met Diane again. Instead of having a dismissive attitude, Diller said the beloved fashion designer greeted him with a “dazzling smile”.

 

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“As we walked, we made little asides to each other, and then, like in the gym scene from West Side Story when everyone else fades away and Tony and Maria are left along, Diane and I found our way to a sofa, far away from the rest, and we stayed there for a long time,” he said.

“There was a glow around us that was setting off sparks, accurately described by the French as a coup de foudre. Flushed and completely discombobulated, I said, ‘I’ve got to go,’ and she walked me to the door.”

Their second meeting proved to be life-changing for Diller, who recounted their passionate escapades and the start of their official romantic relationship.

The 83-year-old also revealed that he initially kept his romance with Diane private because he didn’t know how to define it properly. However, despite staying under the radar, people began to notice that they had a profound and emotional connection.

 

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“People started saying, ‘Huh’ What is it with this person? We thought he liked only men,'” he wrote.

Towards the end of the excerpt, Diller shut down the reports, labelling him and Diane as close friends.

“We weren’t just friends. We aren’t just friends. Plain and simple, it was an explosion of passion that kept up for years. And, yes, I also liked guys, but that was not a conflict with my love for Diane,” he said.

Read the full excerpt from Diller’s memoir Who Knew here.

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Chappell Roan has set the record straight on her feelings about Bowen Yang’s Saturday Night Live sketch.

Back in September, the Fire Island star was accused of mocking ‘The Giver’ singer when he portrayed the viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng on Weekend Update.

In the sketch, Yang’s character opened up about the challenges of her viral fame, disclosing that she had been “going nonstop, running around, eating lettuce, trying to bite the water from a hose. And the response has been overwhelming.”

“But it has come to the point where I need to set some boundaries. Reminder, women owe you nothing. When I’m in my enclosure tripping over stuff, biting my trainer’s knee, I am at work. That is the project,” Moo Deng exclaimed.

“Do not yell my name or expect a photo just because I’m your parasocial bestie or because you appreciate my talent. The only hippos in media were either hungry, hungry or Jada Pinkett Smith in Madagascar.

“But now I’m your favourite hippo’s favourite hippo.”

Towards the end of the sketch, Collin Jost pointed out that Moo Deng’s complaints were similar to Roan’s recent statements about fame, which resulted in Yang telling everyone to leave the singer alone.

Following the episode’s release, some of Roan’s fans accused the Wicked star of making fun of the ‘Pink Pony Club’ singer and her journey navigating the entertainment industry.

While Yang shut down the claims at the time, the ‘Hot to Go’ singer has remained mum about her thoughts on the sketch… until now.

When discussing the skit and fan backlash during a recent appearance on the Las Culturistas podcast, Roan revealed to co-hosts Matt Rogers and Yang that she “wasn’t even mad”.

“I was like, ‘I bet she thinks it’s funny,'” said Rogers, prompting the ‘Coffee’ songstress to say, “I did! I didn’t feel anything.”

Yang also recalled the conversation he had with Roan’s drag mother, Sasha Colby, who assured him that the singer wasn’t angry.

“Sasha Colby and I were talking, and I was just like, ‘Yeah, everyone’s mad,'” he said. “I was like, ‘Is she okay?’ And Sasha was like, ‘Yeah, girl, she’s laughing. She’s loving it.’ I was like, ‘Okay, well, then that’s fine.'”

Building upon Yang’s story, Roan assured fans that they don’t have to get mad on her behalf, adding: “We’re fine. So what is there to be mad about? Also, this is what happens, that is SNL. It’s comedy.

 

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“And for people to – even if you were to push it further, harmless. It’s comedy. I don’t understand. I just don’t know the line anymore. Even if you didn’t think the Moo Deng sketch was funny or anything, you didn’t have to say anything.”

Toward the end of the segment, Roan doubled down on not being offended by the skit, stating that she didn’t feel protected or unprotected.

“People sticking up for me in that situation, or not sticking up for me, made me feel no different. Because I didn’t need it either way. Because I was not offended,” she concluded.

Check out Roan’s full interview on the Las Culturistas podcast here or below.

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The director of Fire Island has addressed the idea of a potential sequel.

Back in 2022, LGBTQ+ movie enthusiasts were treated to the queer Pride and Prejudice retelling/rom-com starring Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, Tomas Matos and Zane Phillips.

The film, which is currently streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK, follows two best friends – Noah (Booster) and Howie (Yang) – as they embark on their annual weeklong vacation to the titular gay hotspot.

Upon release, fans and critics praised the Andrew Ahn-directed comedy for centring the queer Asian-American experience and for exploring issues such as body image, wealth and race, as well as its celebration of LGBTQ+ culture.

As the Lydia Bennett-based Luke, Rogers memorably went viral for his scene with Keegan (Matos) in which the breakout duo pay homage to Marisa Tomei and her Oscar-winning role in My Cousin Vinny.

Over the last few years, Fire Island fans (including us) have called on the cast and crew to return for a sequel.

While nothing has been officially greenlit, Ahn recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he and Booster mulled around the idea of a potential follow-up.

“There’s always been conversation about doing a sequel,” he told the news outlet. “I don’t know if a real concrete idea has been formed yet, but there are things in the ether.”

Towards the end of his statement, Ahn revealed that Booster “always jokes” that a Fire Island sequel would be like the hit Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That, adding: “Where it’s 30 years later, and they’re older and gayer. We’ll see what happens.”

Ahn isn’t the only one who has talked about a potential Fire Island sequel.

In a 2023 interview with GAY TIMES, Matt Rogers said there were “immediate” conversations about a follow-up film after the release of the gaycation comedy.

The Las Culturistas podcast co-host added that “there was some talk” about the sequel taking place in Provincetown and focusing on the nuptials of Howie and Charlie, where they would “run into the characters that were from the first movie”.

“It would be a really interesting continuation,” explained Rogers. “The truth is, you do pull away from the dock, watch them dance, and you do wanna know what’s next.

“That is, I think, a compliment to the ensemble and the wonderful script. You do fall in love with the characters by the end. More than just the characters, their group dynamic was worth following.”

Booster also shared his two cents on a Fire Island sequel in a separate interview with GAY TIMES in 2022.

“While I don’t know that I necessarily feel all the way inspired to write another gay vacation movie at this time, I would definitely do anything to work with this cast again,” he said. 

“Maybe what will happen is I’ll do an And Just Like That… sort of style film in 20 years from now. We’ll all return to Fire Island, and we’ll see where these characters are in 20 years.”

While the future of the Fire Island universe remains uncertain, Ahn is blessing LGBTQIA+ movie enthusiasts with other pieces of queer-led media.

On 18 April, the acclaimed director’s new film, The Wedding Banquet, will hit theatres in the US.

A remake of the 1993 classic of the same name, the upcoming rom-com follows lesbian couple Angela (Kelly Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone), who are trying to have a baby via IVF but can’t afford a third round of fertility treatment.

Min (Gi-chan, in his English-language debut), their friend, is the “closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire,” meaning he has “plenty of family money, but a soon-to-expire student visa.”

After his boyfriend, the commitment-averse Chris (Yang), turns down his marriage proposal, Min decides to arrange a green-card marriage with Angela, offering to fund Lee’s IVF in exchange.

Check out the full trailer for The Wedding Banquet below.

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Conrad Ricamora and Jack Falahee have reflected on the impact of their trailblazing How to Get Away With Murder couple.

Over the past week, Entertainment Weekly has been celebrating two decades of Shondaland, the television company founded by Shonda Rhimes that includes iconic dramas like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and Bridgerton, as well as Netflix’s new mystery series The Residence.

As part of this celebration, Ricamora and Falahee joined the publication to reminisce on How to Get Away With Murder, the legal thriller that starred Academy Award winner Viola Davis as Annalise Keating, a defense attorney and law professor who becomes embroiled in a murder plot with five of her students.

Ricamora remembered how his character, Oliver, was initially intended to be a guest appearance. The Fire Island star was confident in his talents, however, and “wasn’t surprised” he became a regular “because I’m good at what I do”.

“Facts,” added Falahee, who played Connor. “Conrad knocked it out of the park. The chemistry was palpable for both of us and Pete Nowalk, the creator of the show, I remember him coming to me and saying, “Well, he’s the guy, like, he has to come back, right?” And I was like, “Yeah, absolutely.””

How to Get Away With Murder memorably blazed a rainbow trail over the course of six seasons with Oliver and Connor, who became one of the most iconic gay couples on television. Of course, Annalise also made history as one of the first major Black bisexual leads on the small-screen.

Another groundbreaking storyline involved Oliver’s HIV status, which was praised for humanising and normalising the experience of living with HIV, showing that people who are HIV-positive can lead full and successful lives. The storyline was credited with helping reduce stigma, promoting awareness of HIV treatments, and providing a much-needed positive role model for viewers.

Ricamora, who remembered “growing up in the 90s when the AIDS epidemic was starting to come under control”, said he was proud that How to Get Away With Murder brought HIV/AIDS “back into the consciousness of media”.

Falahee added: “I remember after the HIV and then the PrEP episodes started to air, Pete and [producer] Betsy [Beers] and Shonda [Rhimes] came to us, and they said that there was an HIV advocacy group that had reached out to them and said that after the episodes aired, they saw a noticeable tick in PrEP prescriptions in certain metro areas that they attributed to the show airing.”

Ricamora reflected on a vacation with his husband, where the manager of his Airbnb approached him and thanked him for the depiction of Oliver and Connor’s romance: “He said that everything that our relationship portrayed allowed his conversations [with friends and family] to be much easier or to be had in the first place.

“Of course, I started crying when he was telling me this. It’s something that you don’t expect. I’ve come across this gratitude throughout living after How to Get Away With Murder.”

For Falahee, it was “powerful” for him to be part of ‘Coliver’ as it provided him with “direct communication” to the show’s fans.

“There’s people that stop me on the street and say, “Your relationship gave me the words to come out to my parents or talk to my boyfriend about PrEP” or fill in the blank,” he shared. “It was such a wild show, but there were so many very grounded things that actually made an impact in people’s lives.”

As their interview came to a close, Ricamora reflected on the impact his character had on Asian American men in mainstream media, who were historically portrayed as “being emasculated and having no sex life and being the butt of every joke”.

The characterisation of Oliver shattered these stereotypes, leading to Asian American men approaching Ricamora to “say this helped them have confidence in themselves. Not only that, but what it’s done for me in terms of healing that part of myself is something that I will hold dear”.

Quoting Annalise Keating, Falahee said “love is love” is the “legacy” of How to Get Away With Murder, from ‘Coliver’ to Davis’ lead and the plethora of other queer characters introduced in the series.

“It’s so bizarre to have been on the show during Trump’s first presidency and now, into a second one. It has illuminated how important visibility and representation is when real life seems completely out of control and society is fraying at the seams,” he continued.

“The most powerful experience as an actor on the show is seeing how some kid in Russia or Alabama or remote Italy, that this show is a life raft for them and a lifeline. To be a small part of that storytelling is really important to me.”

You can read Conrad Ricamora and Jack Falahee’s full interview with Entertainment Weekly here, and reminisce on Coliver’s best bits from season one below.

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Joel Kim Booster has opened up about his intense gay awakening experience that left him with stitches.

On 20 March, Grindr dropped a new episode of their podcast, ‘Who’s the A**hole?,’ which features host and Drag Race icon Katya interviewing celebrities on “juicy and messy” topics.

For the show’s latest entry, Katya sat down with Fire Island star Booster, who opened up about his engagement with Michael Sudsina and when they plan to tie the knot.

“I think it’s probably going to be one or two years probably. Only because of the nature of my work, it’s very hard to plan in advance for something,” he explained.

“I will say, one of the main reasons why we decided to get engaged and get married is that I want to throw a party. And yes, I can throw any kind of party I want, and it doesn’t have to be connected to the wedding, but I do want it to be a production.”

In addition to discussing his upcoming nuptials, Booster got candid about his gay awakenings, revealing that he had both a “sexual gay awakening and cultural gay awakening.”

“For me, the sexual part of it would be Scott Bakula in the opening credits of Quantum Leap because when he’s in that blue smoke in that tan body suit, I, at four years old, thought that that was what a naked man looked like, I had no frame of reference at that point and I was so fascinated, I was like, ‘I want to see this more and more and more,” he revealed.

The Loot star went on to reveal that he was so enthralled with Bakula in Quantum Leap that it caused him to fall and get stitches.

 

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“I remember, in fact, I was jumping from couch to couch, there was a coffee table in the middle of it, and my sister had put on Quantum Leap, and suddenly I saw him in that blue smoke and almost mid-air, I went “woah”, and I fell and gashed my head on the coffee table and had to get stitches because that is how powerful my gay awakening was,” Booster recalled.

While Booster’s cultural gay awakening didn’t result in him going to the hospital, it still left a lasting impact on him.

“The cultural gay awakening would be Famke Janssen in Golden Eye killing a man with her thighs because I said, ‘I didn’t realize that was an option, and I was like, ‘Women can be so powerful,'” he said.

Of course, the pair’s interview included some juicy NSFW moments, including Booster’s disdain for shower sex.

After Katya mentioned the wet activity, the talented comedian compared it to being waterboarded.

“If you’re having shower sex, you’re being waterboarded or you’re out of the water shivering. Either way, it’s Zero Dark 30 every single time you’re in the shower,” he joked.

 

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Lastly, Booster opened up about the brutal Grindr experience he had with a Gen Z user.

“I’ll talk about the 23-year-old because this is–– you’re talking to strangers you don’t know. You are building a rapport and I was speaking to this young man, and we had a fun shady-like teasing rapport back and forth,” the comedian explained.

“But at one point, I was like, ‘I’m old, and I have to go to bed. I’m so sorry,’ and he was like, ‘Okay, boomer ha ha,’ or something along those lines. And again, totally in bounds with what the relationship we set up, and I said, ‘Well, at least I look younger than you do, lol.’

“And then he decided to take from that to ‘Well, adult acne and acne scars will do that for a person. And Gen Z’s ability to zero in on your greatest insecurity– I was so shocked, like I stopped responding obviously, and of course, this is the thing that was the big disconnect for me was like, the next day he kept being like, ‘When are you coming over? When are you coming over?'”

Check out Booster and Katya’s full sit-down here or below.

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The hilarious first trailer for Mid-Century Modern is finally here.

Created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, the multi-cam sitcom follows “three best friends — gay gentlemen of a certain age – who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs where the wealthiest one lives with his mother.

“As a chosen family, they prove that no matter how hard things get, there’s always someone around to remind you it would be better if you got your neck done.”

The series will star Nathan Lane as Bunny Schneiderman, Matt Bomer as Jerry Frank, Nathan Lee Graham as Arthur and Linda Lavin as Sybil Schneiderman, Bunny’s mother.

As per Hulu’s character descriptions, Bunny is a “successful businessman with one foot in retirement” who is “forever in search of love, but he first has to be convinced he’s worthy of it”.

Bomer’s character, Jerry ditched the Mormon Church and his marriage in his early 20s “after his wife informed him and the rest of the congregation that he was a homosexual.

“Now a latter-day saint in the literal sense of the term, Jerry is pure of heart. He is also hard of body and soft of head. ”

 

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Graham’s Arthur is a “dignified, elegant fashion industry veteran who believes that life will never quite match the grace and panache that would exist if only he were in charge.”

And lastly, Sybil’s “strengths are her weaknesses: wise, caring, and iconoclastic – which sometimes means she’s critical, smothering and amoral”.

On 6 March, Hulu finally treated LGBTQIA+ TV enthusiasts to the first trailer for Mid-Century Modern.

At the start of the teaser, Bunny welcomes his visiting best friends – Arthur and Jerry – into his fabulous Palm Springs home, with the latter commenting on how big it is.

It then shows our beloved trio dipping their toes in the local gay scene, which doesn’t appear to go well for Bunny and Arthur.

“I’m just saying it’s been a minute since we’ve been out in the wild, so it might take some time,“ Arthur exclaims.

However, it doesn’t take long for Jerry to grab a handsome gentleman caller, who Fire Island star Zane Phillips plays.

As the trailer progresses, Bunny suggests that his friends move in with him and his no-nonsense mother, Sybil.

“Hear me out, we’re alone. We never see each other,“ Bunny says. “You’ll both move in here. Let’s be together while we still can, like a family.”

The hilarious Mid-Century Modern trailer also featured a sneak peek at some of the show’s upcoming guest stars, including Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Pamela Aldon (Better Things), Billie Lourd (American Horror Story), Stephanie Koenig (English Teacher), Kimberly Coles (Living Single) and more.

While the series promises laughs, eye candy and unapologetically queer content, it’ll also feature some heartbreak due to Lavin’s tragic death in December.

Linda Lavin

In a statement to Deadline, a representative for the Alice star confirmed that her passing stemmed from complications from lung cancer.

Before her death, Lavin had shot seven of the 10 episodes and was set to return at the start of the year to complete filming.

On 24 January, Mutchnick announced that the show would be giving a heartwarming send-off to the legendary talent and her character in the episode “Here’s to you, Mrs Schneiderman.“

“Saying goodbye to the character of Sybil was painful. Saying goodbye to Linda Lavin was heartbreaking,“ he wrote on Instagram.

Check out the full trailer for Mid-Century Modern – premiering on 28 March – below.

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The first trailer has arrived for The Wedding Banquet, starring queer icons Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran.

A remake of the 1993 classic of the same name, the upcoming rom-com follows lesbian couple Angela (Tran) and Lee (Gladstone), who are trying to have a baby via IVF but can’t afford a third round of fertility treatment.

Min (Gi-chan, in his English-language debut), their friend, is the “closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire,” meaning he has “plenty of family money, but a soon-to-expire student visa.”

After his boyfriend, the commitment-averse Chris (Yang), turns down his marriage proposal, Min decides to arrange a green-card marriage with Angela, offering to fund Lee’s IVF in exchange.

Their quiet plan to elope is thrown into chaos when Min’s grandmother (Oscar winning Minari star Youn Yuh-jung) arrives from Korea to meet her future granddaughter-in-law and insists on hosting an extravagant wedding celebration.

The Wedding Banquet was directed by Andrew Ahn, the visionary behind Fire Island (2022), which has been hailed as one of the best LGBTQIA+ films of the decade. (Yang also memorably starred in the rom-com as Howie.)

Ahn co-wrote the script with James Schamus, who was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and won a BAFTA for producing Brokeback Mountain (2005).

In the first trailer for The Wedding Banquet, Angela, Lee and Chris “de-queer the house” as Min returns from the airport with his grandmother, Angela’s ally mother laments her daughter’s decision to marry a man and Chris comments on the ‘absurdity’ of their situation.

The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. It will receive a theatrical release in the U.S. on 18 April. Watch the trailer here or below!

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Raya and the Last Dragon star Kelly Marie Tran has publicly come out as queer.

The 35-year-old talent announced the exciting news during a recent Vanity Fair feature for her film The Wedding Banquet – which is a remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 queer romantic comedy of the same name.  

“I haven’t said this publicly yet, but I’m a queer person,” she exclaimed.

Tran went on to gush about the upcoming Andrew Ahn-directed project and how portraying her gay character didn’t feel like acting.

“The thing that excited me about it was I got to play a person that I felt like I knew. I don’t feel like I’m acting at all in this movie,” she continued.

“I’m here doing this amazing movie with these amazing people. I’ve never been in a queer space before. I’ve never truly felt this accepted.”

Taking place in Seattle, Washington, The Wedding Banquet remake follows Angela (Tran) and her girlfriend Lee (Lily Gladstone), who are trying to have a baby through IVF, and their best friends Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-chan), who live in the former couple’s guest house. 

Similar to its predecessor, the film features a faux wedding plan, with Min and Angela agreeing to walk down the aisle to appease the former’s conservative Korean parents and secure a green card. At the same time, Angela intends to use the opportunity to raise money for IVF treatments.

 

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Elsewhere in her interview, Tran revealed that she and Angela shared similar life moments – especially regarding the character’s coming out journey with her mother, played by Minari star Joan Chen.

“I came out to my mom in a very specific experience. The scenes that I have with Joan Chen in this movie are very similar to the experience that I had,” she explained.

Before publicly coming out as queer, Tran had consistently used her platform to support the LGBTQIA+ community.

Following the release of Raya and the Last Dragon, she affirmed fans who theorized that the title character is queer.

“I think if you’re a person watching this movie and you see representation in a way that feels really real and authentic to you, then it is real and authentic,” she told Vanity Fair. “I think it might get me in trouble for saying that, but whatever.”

Tran also expressed her hopes for more LGBTQIA+ representation in future Disney projects, stating: “There’s a lot of work to be done in that respect. I’d love to see a Disney warrior who – I don’t know, can I say this without getting in trouble? I don’t care – is openly in the LGBTQ+ community.”

Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet remake is set for release in 2025.

Check out the trailer to Lee’s 1993 classic here or below.

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Jonathan Bailey has opened up about the benefits of filming Fellow Travelers and Wicked back to back.

Over the last few years, the beloved talent has curated an incredible career, becoming one of the industry’s most in-demand actors.

Between 2022 and 2023, Bailey filmed not one but three projects simultaneously: Bridgerton season three, Fellow Travelers and Wicked.

While his schedule was jampacked, it proved to be beneficial for the Crashing star and his craft.

During a recent interview with GQ, Bailey revealed that his Fellow Travelers role helped him approach his Wicked character, Fiyero Tigelaar, with a different lens.

“I just look back on Fellow Travelers with such fond memories. The confidence in telling that story, I think, is actually present throughout Fiyero,” he explained to the news outlet.

“Wicked is so about identity. The resonance of the themes is even louder, I think, on film… Playing Tim [in Fellow Travelers] just beforehand allowed me to sort of maybe expand that part in a way that I wouldn’t have done otherwise.”

Upon its release in October 2023, Fellow Travelers received universal acclaim, with many critics and viewers praising Bailey for his portrayal of the passionate gay congressional staffer Tim Laughlin.

His performance even earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait too long to see Bailey’s Fellow Travelers-inspired rendition of Fiyero, with Wicked set for release on 22 November.

The synopsis reads: “The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads, and their lives take very different paths.

“Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future.

“Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.”

In addition to Erivo, Grande and Bailey, Wicked’s cast is absolutely stacked, with supporting performances from Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Shiz University’s headmistress Madame Morrible, and Ethan Slater (Spongebob Squarepants) as Boq, an “altruistic Munchkin student”.

More star power incoming: newcomer Marissa Bode as Elphaba’s “favoured sister” Nessarose, Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) as the Wizard of Oz, Bowen Yang (Fire Island) as Pfannee, Bronwyn James (Harlots) as ShenShen and Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) as original character Miss Coddle.

You can watch the trailer in full here or below.

The post Here’s how filming Fellow Travelers helped Jonathan Bailey prepare for Wicked appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Attention horror enthusiasts! A first look into the new LGBTQIA+ horror comedy, Queens of the Dead, has arrived. 

Back in July, Deadline announced that Tina Romero – daughter of the “King of Zombies” filmmaker George A. Romero – was directing the forthcoming queer zombie movie.

Set in Brooklyn, New York, the project follows a dysfunctional group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies who are forced to band together to survive a bloody zombie apocalypse.

The film – which was penned by Romero and comedian Erin Judge – features a stacked cast, including Nina West (Drag Race), Dominique Jackson (Pose), Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Jaquel Spivey (Mean Girls), and Tomas Matos (Fire Island).

More star power incoming: Brigette Lundy-Paine (I Saw the TV Glow), Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Quincy Dunn-Baker (No Hard Feelings), Becca Blackwell (Bros), Riki Lindhome (Knives Out), Shaunette Renée Wilson (Black Panther) and Margaret Cho (Fire Island).

On 25 October, the aforementioned news outlet reported that Charades acquired the international sales rights to the film.

“This project fits perfectly into the DNA of Charades: a talented director who enjoys subverting genre conventions and revealing a universe that is uniquely her own, featuring a five-star cast,” Charades chairman Tohann Comte gushed in a statement.

While a release date has yet to be announced, an intriguing first-look photo featuring Jackson, O’Brian, Spivey, West, and Matos has been released.

In the snapshot, their characters are shown with worried expressions as they look at something off-camera.

First look at horror comedy ‘QUEENS OF THE DEAD’ from Tina Romero, daughter of George A. Romero.

Starring Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Cheyenne Jackson, Jaquel Spivey, Nina West and more.

A group of drag queens and club kids team up to fight zombies. pic.twitter.com/zciCf2MwyI

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) October 25, 2024

The recent Queens of the Dead news comes a few months after Romero spilt all the tea to FANGORIA about the film and taking over her dad’s zombie horror legacy. 

“My dad’s zombies were always reflecting what was going on in the world, and I almost feel a responsibility to take the torch and keep the Romero zombie alive, upholding, respecting, paying homage to it, while also introducing myself and my own voice as a filmmaker, and my own perspective. Which is different form his,” she explained.

Romero also teased that the film would be a “conga line through the zombie apocalypse.”

“I really believe that zombie movies should be fun. And my hope is that audiences find this movie to be a fun ride that’s packed with some good jump scares, an some yummy gore and some pretty amusing characters,” she added.

Stay tuned for more Queens of the Dead updates.

The post Queens of the Dead: Here’s your first look at Tina Romero’s LGBTQ+ horror comedy appeared first on GAY TIMES.