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Out Exclusives

OUT100: Billy Porter, Performance of the Year

“I was so busy trying to fit in, and then it was like, You don’t fit in, and you ain’t supposed to fit in.”

It's rare to see an actor sustain a flawless performance through a two-hour film. On FX's Pose, as the electric ball emcee Pray Tell, Billy Porter did it through a season of eight one-hour episodes, segueing from clocking competitors on the year's fiercest runway to mourning the loss of his on-screen lover to AIDS to sharing tender chemistry with co-star and fellow Out100 honoree Mj Rodriguez -- all without a visible hint of effort. "It had to be Pose," Porter says between takes of this cover shoot, his first for Out. "And I had to be ready for it. I had to live through what I lived through."

Before creator Ryan Murphy called Porter about joining Pose in June 2017, the performer had just come off the previous TV pilot season un-cast, unfulfilled, and in the midst of what he calls a "breakdown."

"I was like, Is this gonna work out? Should I try something else? It's been 30 years now," Porter says. And while those 30 years have surely not been without highlights, his uphill climb suggests he's one of the more resilient stars in showbiz.

Porter was brought up in the Pentecostal church in Pittsburgh, came out as gay at 16, and says that "every bad thing that could happen happened" (that included bullying, condemnation by family, and -- as he revealed to Out.com in a crushing op-ed on October 31 -- childhood sexual abuse). One strength Porter always knew he had, though, was his singing voice, and in 1990, it brought him to New York City, where he landed his first theater role in the original cast of Miss Saigon.

And yet, while also studying acting at Carnegie Mellon, he faced new challenges. "I was pigeonholed into the only thing that the industry could handle at the time: the magical fairy f****t," Porter says. "Don't get me wrong: What I was given was an opportunity to stop the show, but when it came to my humanity, nobody wanted to discuss that."

Porter_billy_out100_101118_0078_f Spend an hour with Porter, and you'll see all the facets of him that also make up Pray Tell: the excitement, the anger, the pain, the gratitude, the irrepressible animation, and, most of all, the spirit. It was also in the '90s that Porter began to grasp his artistic integrity and what he wanted to give the world. As he reminisces he invokes philosophies snagged from Maya Angelou and Oprah. "How can I be of service?" he says. "What does that mean -- service -- in an industry that's inherently narcissistic? How do you do that? You look the motherfuckers in the face who say you have to hide, and you choose authenticity when it's not popular."

But that's not easy for a gay man of color who knows his unique gifts make him "very specific," and alternately too nuanced and too dynamic for the many drab roles he's been offered. It took more of the '90s and some of the 2000s -- when he was releasing some of his first music, eventually living in Los Angeles, and facing rejection while chasing standard notions of fame -- for Porter to really start living his truth. "I didn't even know I wasn't dreaming big enough," he says. "I was so busy trying to fit in, and then it was like, You don't fit in, and you ain't supposed to fit in."

Porter moved back to New York in 2002 "with a new kind of creative identity," writing and directing plays before finding the first two roles in which he actually saw something of himself. One was as Belize in Broadway's 2010 revival of Angels in America; the other was as drag queen Lola in the original run of Kinky Boots -- a role for which he refused to creatively compromise, and one that won him a Tony in 2013. "And this is the service part," Porter says. "Somebody needed me to stand on that stage as a black, out, gay actor, who took every hit that comes with that kind of life, to stand triumphant and be rewarded for making the right decision."

Porter_billy_out100_101118_1310_f He pauses, muses some more, then later says, "So, the journey to what you're responding to in Pose is all of that. That whole life." Porter praises Murphy as a creative who "understands theater people, and the forgotten person," and Porter, now 49, had long identified as both. He was originally asked to play the dance teacher on the show, and respectfully took the audition but advised it wasn't the best use of his skills. It was then that Murphy wrote Pray Tell for Porter -- a part that has him matching wits with ball consultants like Jack Mizrahi and Twiggy Pucci Garcon, paying tribute to the friends he lost to AIDS in the '90s, and being as "specific" as he wants.

"What I love about being the age I am, and having been in the business for so long," he says, "is that I get to show up, and I don't have to prove that I'm worthy or deserving. It's like, Can he act? That question was on the table for a long time. Today, it's nice, and I'm trying to breathe into it. How am I happy for myself while the world is falling apart? I'm trying to find that balance and lean into the joy while simultaneously going out and fighting every day."

Photography by Martin Schoeller.
Styling by Brandon Garr.
Styling assistant: Kerene Graham.
Groomer: LaSonya Gunter.
Photographed at Schoeller Studio, New York City
Coat by Christian Siriano.
Sweater and pants by Mr. Turk.
Shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti.

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Out Exclusives

Idina, Megan, Kristin, Lea, and Maleah take the stage for LGBTQ+ equality

For Out's May/June cover, Broadway divas join forces to continue the long theatrical tradition in which women and queer people fight for and celebrate one another.

Broadway Divas LEA in BADGLEY MISCHKA Wine Belted Sequin- Embellished Blazer and Wide-Leg Sequin Pants; VICTORIA BECKHAM Pumps; SHAHLA KARIMI Earrings, Bracelet, Ring; KRISTIN in CHRISTIAN SIRIANO Black Lace Dress; MEGAN in ALBRIGHT Archival VERA WANG; SHAHLA KARIMI Earrings and Gold Bangle; MALEAH in LEJANDRA ALONSO ROJAS Gold Shibori SIlk Gown; MEGA MEGA PROJECTS / GROWN BRILLIANCE Necklace, Ring; SHAHLA KARIMI Earrings, Silver Bracelet; IDINA in PAMELLA ROLAND Jeweled DressSam Waxman

ROOTS AND WINGS
Redwood star Idina Menzel gives love to the LGBTQ+ community that connects with and uplifts her.

Idina Menzel in a Jenny Packham black dress with crystal details and Naturalizer black pumpsSam Waxman

Idina Menzel lists some of the many LGBTQ+ people who have changed her life for the better over the years: Geo Brian Hennings, the hair and makeup artist who had just styled her for her Out shoot; Anthony Rapp, “who first taught us how to sing ‘Seasons of Love’” during the first rehearsals of Rent in 1995; and Tina Landau, the director of Menzel in Redwood, a new Broadway show about a queer woman, Jesse, who sets out on a journey of self-discovery in a redwood forest.

The musical “has a lot of creativity, uniqueness, nerve, and talent,” says Menzel, nodding to RuPaul’s Drag Race. “And aside from the C-U-N-T of it all…it celebrates the attributes of the redwoods, which are symbolic for how we all hope to live our lives as human beings, to be resilient and hold on to each other…especially in this very tumultuous climate that we’re living in right now. It’s a beautiful metaphor.”

In many ways, that metaphor of the power that comes from interlocked roots is how she feels about her relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. Menzel credits its members for “teaching me how to be fearless and courageous. And especially since I’m doing a new show this year, and it’s scary, and it’s vulnerable, I look to my friends in the community for their bravery and willingness to celebrate who they are.”

For decades, Menzel, a favorite headliner at Pride festivals, has brought to life characters that resonate with queer fans, from Maureen in Rent to Elphaba in Wicked to the queer-coded Elsa in Disney’s Frozen. Songs like “Let It Go” and “Defying Gravity” have become gay anthems for a reason, and Menzel is proud of originating characters like Elphaba who have inspired outsiders to find themselves.

“I think as a woman who has always struggled with my loudness — being too big, being too much, maybe being too angry, all of those things that I have become self-conscious about or try to reel in, in order to make other people more comfortable around me — I think that Elphaba has taught me and hopefully lots of other people to embrace and harness what makes us fierce, beautiful human beings and to understand that that kind of power is what changes the world. And we don’t need to compromise that for anyone,” she says.

Menzel’s message for her LGBTQ+ fans? “I just want to say thank you. Thank you for all of your letters and your stories, but for your vulnerability, for including me in your life and allowing me to share in your story, sharing with me your connection to the music and the characters, but most of all, for seeing me and supporting me when I’ve been feeling very vulnerable and down — and being my mentors, my guiding light for what it means to get out of bed in the morning, and take a risk, and be courageous.”

This resonates with the message she hopes audiences take away from Redwood, which is “we can’t really do it alone and that we do need to hold on to each other, like the redwood roots do.”

UPDATE: After Redwood did not receive any Tony nominations, the show announced it would be closing Sunday, May 18. See the following statement from Menzel below.

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A post shared by Idina Menzel (@idinamenzel)

Idina Menzel in a Jenny Packham black dress with crystal details and Naturalizer black pumpsSam Waxman

MEGAN’S MISSION
Everything Death Becomes Her star Megan Hilty does is for the gays — as well as trans youth.

Megan Hilty in a Toteme black slip dress, Mega Mega Projects Awe Inspired chain necklaces, Grown Brilliance pearl earrings, and Shahla Karimi diamond necklaceSam Waxman

Megan Hilty disagrees with being named a gay icon. “You can’t say ‘icon.’… That’s saved for Cher,” the actress asserts. But many LGBTQ+ fans of Hilty — known for Broadway productions from Wicked to Death Becomes Her as well as her role on the cult NBC hit Smash — would disagree.

“It’s always nice to be seen and feel like you have support, and I feel like that’s just all I’m trying to do is just be a safe space, on and off stage,” the 44-year-old says. She adds, “I’ve always been such a huge supporter and ally for the LGBTQ+ community, and to feel that love back means the world.”

Hilty memorably creates this safe space in Death Becomes Her, the Broadway adaptation of the 1992 film in which she portrays the diva Madeline Ashton opposite Jennifer Simard. In an early showstopper, “For the Gaze,” Hilty belts how everything she does is, well, for us, as she unfurls a transgender flag and leads a rainbow parade of handsome dancers with assless chaps. Voicing this Pride anthem is “deeply important” to her, she shares.

“I am so thrilled...that I am in a show that, from the beginning, celebrates Pride and announces right from the get-go everything we’re doing is for the gays,” she says. “I am so proud and honored to be able to be the first to voice that song at this time.”

Hilty is also proud to see Smash finally open on Broadway — coincidentally, across the street from Death Becomes Her. “People have been waiting for it for so long, it’s really special that it’s gonna live on in this way,” she observes. Might fans expect a surprise cameo? “I think it’s theirs now. Do you know what I mean? I’d like to respect that, not make it about me.”

But Death Becomes Her is also a story beloved by many queer people for its campy frenemy feud amid a quest for eternal youth. Hilty loves offering a hilarious escape for LGBTQ+ fans. “I’m so grateful that I get to make people laugh right now,” she says.

“The arts have always been a safe haven and a place for the LGBTQ+ community to come…and I’m thrilled to be a part of it,” she adds.

Hilty, a mother of two, tears up as she recounts the meaningful relationships she has formed with the transgender kids of her friends. These young people “have deeply impacted my life,” she says, stressing “how ferociously I want to help protect them and their community very specifically.”

“There’s something about seeing a child’s journey, navigating in these times,” she says in response to the onslaught of political attacks trans kids now face.

Her road to being an ally is ongoing. “I’m always just trying to learn how to be better, and that’s just listening, being present, going out of my way to, like, really hear my friends’ stories and hear from them how I can show up for them in ways that are really meaningful and impactful,” she says.

Megan Hilty in an archival Vera Wang dress from Albright, Shahla Karimi earrings and gold bangle Sam Waxman

ORIGINAL GLINDA
As a Broadway legend and a Christian woman, The Queen of Versailles’s Kristin Chenoweth preaches LGBTQ+ love.

Kristin Chenoweth in a Versace silver metal dressSam Waxman

Kristin Chenoweth “can’t wait for Pride. I have something special planned,” teases the Tony winner and Wicked’s original Glinda.

And of course she would (look out for a video surprise). From the Land of Oz to Pushing Daisies to playing a queer woman in Running With Scissors, Chenoweth has given life to many stage and screen characters beloved by the LGBTQ+ community, who adore the actress for her Oklahoma charm, musical talents, and fierce advocacy. It’s no wonder Billy Eichner included her as one of the few straight people in the gay rom-com Bros, in which she appeared wrapped in rainbows and topped with a Stonewall Inn headpiece.

Being called a gay icon is “a very special compliment,” says Chenoweth, who interprets it as “I’m loved, and they know I love them too.”

“I know Pride wasn’t designed for someone like me, but I have pride,” she says of the season. “I’m gonna go out and be proud of who I am, that God made me like this, and God made you like you, so we have to celebrate that. And it’s a whole month of it, so it’s also a time to look really cute.”

Chenoweth made headlines earlier this year when she blasted One Million Moms, a right-wing hate group, for boycotting Wicked for its “LGBTQ+ agenda.” Chenoweth, who had a cameo in the Universal film, called it “silliness.” As a Christian, she often pushes back against those who wield the Bible for bigotry.

“The community has been told that they are going to hell, that no one loves them, when the exact opposite is true. God loves them. In fact, he designed them,” she asserts. “He designed us, so that what you’ve been told is exactly a lie. It’s the opposite. You are loved, you are cherished, you are wanted, and even if your families don’t feel that way, which I know that has happened to a lot of my friends, God feels that way.”

Though Chenoweth admires many LGBTQ+ people, she gives particular love to Jinkx Monsoon, who made history in 2024 by becoming the first drag performer to play Matron “Mama” Morton in Broadway’s Chicago. “She’s kind of been a little bit of a trailblazer for me, like RuPaul.… I was so proud of her. She blew me away,” Chenoweth gushes.

Chenoweth is preparing for her Broadway return this fall in The Queen of Versailles, based on the 2012 documentary about the Siegel family, who set out to build one of the country’s most expensive single-family homes amid the Great Recession. Chenoweth portrays the matriarch, Jackie, and sees the musical’s message of hubris as particularly resonant right now.

“It’s the American Dream at any cost. It’s a cautionary tale. It’s tragically beautiful or beautifully tragic, depending on your opinion,” she says, adding, “Oh, you’re gonna love it. The looks are amazing.”

The actress is also gearing up for the return of Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp, held in her home state of Oklahoma, which gives at least 60 teens the opportunity to learn and act with theatrical professionals. “My camp is for everyone in the middle of the Bible Belt,” she says. “It’s fabulous. You’re invited.”

Kristin Chenoweth in a Christian Siriano black lace dressSam Waxman

QUEEN LEA
From Disney princesses to the Broadway stage, Old Friends star Lea Salonga uses her voice to support LGBTQ+ people — including her trans son, Nic.

Lea Salonga in an Araks black slip dress, Brunello Cucinelli black cape, Mega Mega Projects Grown Brilliance necklace and bracelet, and Shahla Karimi ringSam Waxman

It was the audition that launched a legendary career: In 1988 Lea Salonga sang “On My Own” from Les Misérables as the then 17-year-old Filipino singer vied for the lead role of Miss Saigon in London. Salonga got the part. She went on to lead Miss Saigon on Broadway and became the first actress of Asian descent to win a Tony Award.

Salonga has been a barrier-breaker on Broadway ever since (including in Les Misérables as Éponine). For a generation of queer Disney lovers, she is also the singing voice of two princesses, Jasmine and Fa Mulan. “There are folks who look at me in the face and say ‘Reflection’ is my anthem, that is my song when I was still trying to figure stuff out,” she says of the Mulan classic about the “secret me I’m forced to hide.”

“For a whole group of people with incredible, impeccable taste to look upon me as an icon? That’s it,” she says. “That’s the tweet, as the young ones say.”

Being on the cover of Out was an “easy ask,” Salonga attests, and it “felt timely” considering the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks in the country. Earlier this year, Salonga spoke to People about being an ally for transgender young people like her 18-year-old son, Nic.

“It’s important for me to speak up for kids like my own kid, because trans folks are being erased, as if their existence never happened. But trans folks have been around forever,” she says.

“The only thing that trans folks, any LGBT person wants, is to exist and to live and to love in the way that they were born to. Full stop,” she adds. “And so I am advocating for my son to be a successful human being, to be the person that he has always meant to be. My job is just to usher this young person into figuring all of that out. And to try to defend him as best as I can.”

Alongside Bernadette Peters, Salonga currently stars on Broadway in Old Friends, a Stephen Sondheim revue. And her love for Nic is on full display during each performance of “Loving You,” a song from Passion that can be “a little creepy” within its original one-act musical about obsession, Salonga admits, but not in her heartfelt reinterpretation.

Salonga recalls how Julia McKenzie, an artistic consultant on Old Friends, whispered to her, “You have to sing this song for the person in this world that you love the most.” And so, “every night I sing it for Nic, wearing a purple jacket, which is Nic’s favorite color, so it’s like I’m channeling my son as I sing this anthem of love.”

Salonga carries this love into Pride season — and urges other parents of LGBTQ+ kids to do the same. “Just love your kids and be proud that they are brave enough to fight for who they are,” she says.

What’s next? Salonga will perform as The Witch in Into the Woods in the Philippines, and Nic will play Jack. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” she smiles.

Lea Salonga in a Badgley Mischka wine belted sequin-embellished blazer and wide-leg sequin pants, Victoria Beckham pumps, and Shahla Karimi earrings, bracelet, and ringSam Waxman

MALEAH'S JOY
Already a Tony (and Grammy) winner at age 22, Hell’s Kitchen star Maleah Joi Moon is a shining light for queer visibility in the theater world.

Maleah Joi Moon in a Lapointe Marine satin cowl neck gown and Demarson earrings, necklace, and bangleSam Waxman

It’s been a banner year for Maleah Joi Moon. The queer actor made her Broadway debut in Hell’s Kitchen — the acclaimed Alicia Keys jukebox musical — in 2024 alongside stage legends Kecia Lewis and Shoshana Bean. For her portrayal of the lead role of Ali, Moon won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and even a Grammy Award for the cast album.

Moon, who uses she/they pronouns, also garnered a spot on last year’s Out100, Out magazine’s annual list of LGBTQ+ changemakers. In that profile, they called their Hell’s Kitchen run, which wrapped in March, an “absolute dream come true.” And they are honored to be part of an art form that allows LGBTQ+ folks and other members of marginalized communities to feel welcome and seen.

“Art was just about taking the maybe unseen pieces of yourself and putting them on display so that people like you can come to the theater and see themselves reflected in art onstage for the last century,” Moon attests. “Like if we go from vaudeville all the way to Rent and like post-contemporary musicals and things like that, for people to come to the theater and have their brains opened up to a world not the way it is, but the way that it should be and the way that it could be, is beautiful.”

Moon’s possibility models include the divas who joined her on the cover for this Pride issue, which celebrates female trailblazers like Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Lea Salonga, and Megan Hilty, who are beacons for the LGBTQ+ community. “Oh, my goodness, the women that I’m getting to work with today are women that I’ve literally looked up to not only for the last couple of years since I started Broadway, but like my whole life, and it’s wonderful company to be in,” she says. “I mean, it’s the divas and the star power and also the great nature of these women that I’m surrounded with today, all of it is just wonderful. Wonderful is the word for all of it.”

Moon is also proud to represent the diversity of her identities on a magazine cover, which she knows has the power to uplift others. “The stigma, maybe for Black and brown people, especially West Indian people like me, around queerness and around being a part of the LGBT community can be scary sometimes, but to be acknowledged in Out magazine and be a part of the history of it all and to be seen as myself and all the composites that make me who I am, it’s wonderful.”

So what projects are next for the 22-year-old diva? “I don’t know if I could tell you about them today, but I will say, look out for me. It’s gonna be an exciting year, and I’m looking forward to not only the rest but all the things that 2025 may bring after this Broadway run,” she concludes, adding, “I can’t wait to see what the world has to offer going forward.”

Maleah Joi Moon in an Alejandra Alonso Rojas gold shibori sIlk gown, Mega Mega Projects Grown Brilliance necklace and ring, and Shahla Karimi earrings and silver braceletSam Waxman

This cover story is part of the Out May/June "Pride" issue, which hits newsstands May 27. Support queer media and subscribe— or download the issue through Apple News, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader starting May 15.

talent:IDINA MENZEL @idinamenzel MEGAN HILTY@meganhiltyLEA SALONGA@msleasalonga KRISTIN CHENOWETH@kchenoweth MALEAH JOI MOON@maleahjoimoon

model: JORDAN HALL @boy.radio
photographer: SAM WAXMAN@wamsaxman
digital tech: AUSTIN RUFFER@austinyourface
kristin and idina stylist: DEBORAH WATSON @debswatson
kristin and idina stylist assistant: HANNAH KRALL@hannahkrall
megan, lea, and maleah stylist: KERRI SCALES@kerri_scales with ART DEPARTMENT@artdeptagency
megan, lea, and maleah stylist assistant: WHITNEY LEFF@whitney_leff
megan, lea, and maleah stylist assistant: LIAM KENNEY@liamkonline
tailor: MARK BURNETT@badboyburnzee
kristin and megan glam: BRUCE WAYNE@brucewaynemua
kristin and megan glam assistant: KATHY BENGANHAM@kathybgemini
idina glam: GENEVIEVE HERR@genevieveherr with SALLY HARLOR@sallyharlorartists
idina hair: GEO BRIAN HENNINGS@geobrianhmu with EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS@exclusiveartists
lea glam: YUKO TAKAHASHI@yukoonthego
maleah glam: LB CHARLES@lbcharlesbeauty
maleah hair: GREGORY ALEXANDER @greg0ryalexander
videographer: STUART SOX@sox_andthecity

Out Broadway divas LEA in BADGLEY MISCHKA Wine Belted Sequin- Embellished Blazer and Wide-Leg Sequin Pants; VICTORIA BECKHAM Pumps; SHAHLA KARIMI Earrings, Bracelet, Ring; KRISTIN in CHRISTIAN SIRIANO Black Lace Dress; MEGAN in ALBRIGHT Archival VERA WANG; SHAHLA KARIMI Earrings and Gold Bangle; MALEAH in LEJANDRA ALONSO ROJAS Gold Shibori SIlk Gown; MEGA MEGA PROJECTS / GROWN BRILLIANCE Necklace, Ring; SHAHLA KARIMI Earrings, Silver Bracelet; IDINA in PAMELLA ROLAND Jeweled DressSam Waxman

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visible & vibrant

OUT100: Billy Porter, Performance of the Year

“I was so busy trying to fit in, and then it was like, You don’t fit in, and you ain’t supposed to fit in.”

R. Kurt Osenlund

For Out's May/June cover, Broadway divas join forces to continue the long theatrical tradition in which women and queer people fight for and celebrate one another.

Daniel ReynoldsDaniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.

Daniel Reynolds
Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.