opinion
SELECTIVE AMNESIA
The trailblazing Emmy- and Tony-winning actor writes about living as a gay Black man in America, and why this election is so damn important.
Billy Porter is an award-winning actor, singer, director, composer, and playwright. He won the Emmy Award for Lead Actor for his appearance in FX’s Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated drama Pose, and most recently received his second Emmy nomination for this role. A Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee, Porter has numerous theater credits, including the role of Lola in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, which he originated in 2013 and for which he won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards, as well as the Grammy for best musical-theater album. Recently, Porter appeared in the second season of CBS All Access’ The Twilight Zone, and American Horror Story: Apocalypse. He can next be seen narrating HBO Max’s Equal,the third season of FX’s Pose, voicing Audrey II in Greg Berlanti’s remake of Little Shop of Horrors, as well as the highly anticipated Cinderella remake in 2021. Porter’s most recent single “Finally Ready” was released in June 2020; he also released his single “For What It’s Worth” in April to motivate potential votes.