Billy Masters 03.07.24
"A tiger and a little bit of meth I can make MGK gay."
—Joe Exotic posts a photo of Machine Gun Kelly with this inscription. Frankly, I probably wouldn't be trying to turn anyone with a gun!
This column almost opened with a quote from Oklahoma State Senator Tom Woods—who, needless to say, is a Republican. Last week, at a public forum, he was asked something which deserves to be quoted in its entirety: "Is there a reason why you won't answer about the 50 bills targeting the LGBTQ community in the state of Oklahoma? If you are ashamed of those bills, they shouldn't be there?" Senator Woods said, "We are a religious state and we are going to fight it to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state—we are a moral state." I must have dozed off at some point because I do not recall anything religious when I saw "Oklahoma!". And I'm not entirely sure some states are religious and others are atheist. But, loyal fans know that when this column began over a quarter of a century ago, it was called "Filth". So thank you, Mr. Woods, for the shout-out! But, it should be noted, he is correct—my column never appeared in print in Oklahoma.
History was made at Mar-a-Lago last week—it hosted a gay wedding! Now, I don't know if this was the first gay wedding at the venue—but I'm fairly certain Marjorie Merriweather Post knew her share of gays! We're told that Donald Trump gave his personal approval for the ceremony to take place. That's probably because the guys getting hitched were Dan Medora and John Sullivan. Sullivan happens to be the vice chairman and treasurer of the Log Cabin Republicans of Tennessee, and posted the following: "Huge thank you to Donald Trump for giving us the green light to have our wedding at the beautiful Mar-a-Lago club." While Trump has been known to pop in unexpectedly on private events at the club, he skipped this one. He probably was worried he'd catch the bouquet!
This reminds me of a story we had to cut a few weeks ago due to space limitations. A man who is a devotee of our former president decided to get a tattoo of Trump on his arm. Except after posting it, most people pointed out that it looks more like Ross Mathews. Oh, the irony!
Don Lemon just hit the jackpot. According to reports, CNN must pay him an early termination fee in the amount of $24.5 million! Is it just me, or is he suddenly looking more attractive? The payoff is based on the time he had remaining on his contract. Still, I'd bet he'd rather not have the money and be on CNN instead of heading to X/Twitter!
Eagle-eyed Madonna fans noted a minor change in her show. During "Live To Tell", she has a photographic montage of people who have succumbed to HIV-related illnesses. Recently that montage was suddenly missing singer Luther Vandross. When asked, Madonna's camp confirmed the change, saying that representatives from the Vandross estate objected to his being included. It should be noted that Vandross never confirmed he was gay or HIV-positive.
Someone who is certainly out is Andy Cohen. The Bravo honcho is still reeling from Brandi Glanville's suit which we discussed last week (look it up on BillyMasters.com). This week, he's being attacked by Leah McSweeney—who, I must say, I've never heard of. Apparently she's a former "Real Housewife of New York City", and she's filed a suit against Cohen. In it, she calls Bravo "a rotted workplace culture that uniquely depended on pressuring its employees to consume alcohol." Hard to argue with that. She then specifically targets Andy by saying that he "engaged in cocaine use with 'Housewives' and other Bravolebrities that he employs." Well, I'm SHOCKED. Shocked that any legal document includes the word "Bravolebrities"! She goes on to say that although the defendants knew she had an alcohol problem, they "colluded with her colleagues to pressure Ms. McSweeney to drink, retaliated against her when she wanted to stay sober, and intentionally failed to provide reasonable accommodations that would aid her efforts to stay sober and able to perform." Here's my problem with that—if I tell you to jump off a bridge and you do it, is that my fault? You have free will. OK, I probably wouldn't say it to someone with diminished cognitive issues. And if I'm not mistaken, that's a prerequisite for Bravolebrities!
I recently told you that Jinkx Monsoon would reprise her history-making portrayal of Matron "Mama" Morton in the Broadway production of "Chicago" this June. But she's got another high-profile gig coming up before that. Starting on April 2nd, she'll be playing Audrey in the off-Broadway production of "Little Shop of Horrors". While certainly a plum assignment, this one is not completely unprecedented. Back in 2019, the then-billed Mj Rodriguez played the role of Audrey at the Pasadena Playhouse. OK, perhaps that was even more eventful—a trans woman of color. But good for you, Jinkx.
The Elton John musical version of "The Devil Wears Prada" has undergone many rewrites since its lackluster debut in Chicago back in 2022. For the oft-delayed London premiere this fall, producers have enlisted the aid of a real diva—Vanessa Williams. It's perhaps a bit on-the-nose. After all, Wilhelmina Slater on "Ugly Betty" was basically a rip-off of Miranda Priestly in "Prada". But at least we know Vanessa can play the role. More than a few critics have noted that in Chicago, the role of Andy was played by a black woman. This led to many reviews focusing on Miranda being mean to a black underling—thus injecting a racial undertone. Now that we have a Miranda of color, what will that dynamic be like? Or will Andy now be Caucasian? And what would that mean? Frankly, it's all too exhausting.
Another person headed to the British stage is Todrick Hall. He'll be starring in a new musical based on the tepidly received Cher flick, "Burlesque". He'll be playing the role of Sean—which was played onscreen by Stanley Tucci. Both Steve Antin (director and writer of the film) and Christina Aguilera (film co-star) are producers of this new incarnation, which will have its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House in June. We're also told that the show will feature several songs by Todrick, Aguilera, Sia, Diane Warren, and others.
Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Henry in Chicago: "What will happen to 'Queer Eye' now that Bobby Berk has left? Will there only be a Fab Four?"
Have no fear—he's already been replaced. And, one could argue, Netflix has traded up. Joining the cast for season 9 is Jeremy Johnson, who you probably know as Jeremiah Brent. When and why he changed his birth name is one of those unknown mysteries—like the purpose of the Sphinx. Aside from being quite a looker, the only thing I know him from is being Mr. Nate Berkus...and, frankly, how long or thick a resume do you think that requires? Don't answer that! Come to think of it, this is not his first replacement gig (well, second if you count his personal life). Jeremy/Jeremiah was previously hired by Bravo to replace Brad Goreski when he left "The Rachel Zoe Project". That was a somewhat ignoble experience. He lasted eight episodes, during which he was hired, fired, and rehired—only to not return the following season. Which begs the question—do these reality show experts actually know anything? Or are they simply people who are cast based on their looks? While researching Johnson/Brent, I see these two jobs, and then see a list of magazine covers he's graced. Is he good at anything other than looking good? Trust me, I don't say that as if it isn't a full-time job. But, you know, some of us read! If you wanna read and look at a bunch of pretty pictures, go to BillyMasters.com.
When Jeremiah Brent has a real name and a stage name, we've definitely got something to look into as we end yet another column. You know who else has two names? Porn stars and escorts. You don't think...nah, probably not. But I'll look into it while you check out www.BillyMasters.com, the site that uncovers the most interesting things. If you have a question or wanna just slip me a tip, dash a note off to [email protected] and I promise to get back to you before Jeremy/Jeremiah replaces ME...or I replace him! So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.