Actor Billy Porter took a shot at the American education system for allegedly “ignoring” queer artists’ contribution to the culture.
Speaking with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on Live With Kelly and Mark to promote his new musical, Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For, Porter said that queer artists have been overlooked in favor of traditional artists like Duke Ellington.
“Everybody knows Duke Ellington, but very few people know one of the mastermind behind Duke Ellington, and his name was Billy Strayhorn,” Porter said. “He’s one of he greatest jazz musicians, writers, and arrangers of all time.”
Porter said that information about Strayhorn “didn’t come out” during Duke Ellington’s heyday due to Strayhorn’s sexuality.
“He took a backseat to Duke Ellington back in the day because he was queer,” Porter said.
“We grew up in the same neighborhood, and I didn’t even know about him until I graduated from the Creative and Performing Arts high school and moved to New York City and found a book. That’s unacceptable. So I’m so grateful to be able to bring this story to life,” he added.
Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For will be playing in Pittsburgh until October 11; Porter said he hopes that the play makes it onto Broadway.
Billy Porter made headlines over the summer when he publicly told Disney CEO Bob Iger “fuck you” over the SAG-AFTRA strike.
“I don’t have any words for it, but: fuck you,” Porter said about Iger. “That’s not useful, so I’ve kept my mouth shut. I haven’t engaged because I’m so enraged. I’m glad I’ve been over here [in London]. But when I go back I will join the picket lines.”
“I have to sell my house,” Porter continued. “Yeah! Because we’re on strike. And I don’t know when we’re gonna go back. The life of an artist, until you make fuck-you money — which I haven’t made yet — is still check-to-check. I was supposed to be in a new movie and on a new television show starting in September. None of that is happening. So to the person who said, ‘We’re going to starve them out until they have to sell their apartments’ — you’ve already starved me out.”
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.