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23 February 2026
“I do have more socially liberal views.
Some of my best friends are gay.”
– Savannah Chrisley on the Behind the Table podcast
(an offshoot of The View). Doesn’t she also have a
family member who is gay? Someone very close to her?
How was your birthday, Billy? Thank you for asking. It was one of the best birthdays ever. It was even more brilliant after hearing how the artist formerly known as Prince Andrew spent his birthday – in the pokey! Admittedly, I might have enjoyed a birthday in a British prison more than most. But something tells me it wasn’t the type of celebration Andrew anticipated. The icing on the cake was when his brother, King Charles III, refused to intervene. “The law must take its course.” Happy bday, sir. And so say all of us.
It also wasn’t a good week for Shia LaBeouf – a name one rarely mentions anymore. He was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and, according to reports, he attacked one Jeffrey Damnit and screamed, “You’re a fucking faggot”. Damnit, it should be noted, had on mascara, eye shadow and lipstick. But it was Mardi Gras in New Orleans, for fuck’s sake! Another queer man, Nathan Thomas Reed, was a witness: “I want it to be known that he was calling people ‘faggot.’” A newspaper quoted LaBeouf saying, “These faggots put me in jail – I’m a Catholic.” And yet, this utterance was omitted from the “sworn probable cause statement” filed in court.
When Jonathan Groff announced he was leaving Just In Time, I mused that the list of “names” who could helm a show about Bobby Darin were few and far between. Rumors abounded that Hugh Jackman was approached, but I felt the ideal person was Matthew Morrison. Of course, I always think the ideal person is Matthew Morrison. Jeremy Jordan got the gig, and I am sure he’ll be great. But there is something of a hiatus between when Groff leaves (March 29th) and when Jordan can start (April 21st). What to do, what to do? Enter the magnificent Matty, who will play the role for three weeks. I expect a surge at the box office. I’m surging just thinking about it.
A provocative event is headed off-Broadway. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is returning to the stage in a revival of Jay Presson Allen’s Tru – playing bon vivant Truman Capote. Most people identify this show with Robert Morse, who helmed the 1989 Broadway production. While smaller in concept, we are certain that Capote would approve of this new venture since it will be staged in the former home of the great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. That venue is currently known as the Library of the House of the Redeemer – which sure sounds like a metaphor for something. The run starts on March 6th and ends April 12th, but I suspect that will change.
People, please leave John Lithgow alone. He was cast in HBO’s Harry Potter series and immediately started getting harassing messages on social media about author J.K. Rowling’s perceived transphobia. “I take the subject extremely seriously. She has created this amazing canon for young people, and it has jumped into the consciousness of the society. It’s about good versus evil, kindness versus cruelty. I find her views ironic and inexplicable. I’ve never met her, she’s not really involved in this production at all…It upsets me when people are opposed to me having anything to do with this. But in Potter canon, you see no trace of transphobic sensitivity. She’s written this mediation of kindness and acceptance. And Dumbledore is a beautiful role.” So there!
Here’s something even I didn’t see coming – Rowling is in the Epstein files! To be fair, lots of people are in there for non-nefarious reasons. Apparently, Epstein was invited to the 2018 Broadway premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Amusingly enough, it seems that while he did show up, he was turned away at the door.
Jinkx Monsoon is preparing to take London by storm. She’ll be appearing in a revival of Peter Quilter’s play, End of the Rainbow, portraying the legend that is Judy Garland. The play focuses on the last months of Garland’s life. This is a strictly limited run that will open on May 15th at the Soho Theatre Walthamstow.
Hollywood was a-buzz last week when hundreds of hopefuls descended on FOX Studios to try and snag a role in the reboot of Baywatch. Most people auditioned for what were described as the “gender-neutral roles” of Robin or Jordan (think Alexandra Paul). The actors, probably weak from hunger, were instructed to make an acting choice and tell the director which part they were auditioning for (in costume…or lack thereof). A couple of people didn’t have to go through these paces. A late addition to the original series, David Chokachi, was invited to join this new venture reprising his role of Cody Madison. Another familiar face is hunky Stephen Amell (the former Arrow), who has been cast as Hobie Buchannon, most notably played by Jeremy Jackson.
The Heated Rivalry boys are finding ways to keep busy before filming season two. Connor Storrie is in talks to join Peaked, a big-screen comedy – because I’m sure he’s a laugh riot (we’ll find out when he hosts SNL on February 28th). Not to be outdone, Hudson Williams has already signed with Crave (the network that produced HR) to appear in a half-hour drama series about the myth of Baba Yaga. You had me…then you confused me.
You’ve probably heard that El Presidente’s minions removed the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument. Why? According to the Department of the Interior, one is not allowed to display “non-agency” flags at National Park System locations. However, that guidance provides for “limited exceptions” – which apparently this isn’t. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal vows to return the flag to its pole. “The mean-spiritedness of the Trump administration seems to know no bounds. But we as a community are not going to take it standing by idly as our history, and by extension our human rights, are attempted to be erased.” He was supported by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “I am outraged by the removal of the Rainbow Pride Flag from Stonewall National Monument. New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history. Our city has a duty not just to honor this legacy, but to live up to it. I will always fight for a New York City that invests in our LGBTQ+ community, defends their dignity, and protects every one of our neighbors – without exceptions.” With great hoopla, the NYC officials reinstated the flag on February 12th. And there it remains…for now.
In his quest for continued relevance, Colton Underwood made a curious revelation with even more curious grammar: “After my Netflix show came out, there was two active players in the NFL that reached out to confide in me and asked for advice and help and one has a family…I think there was the complication of me all of a sudden being poster boy for ‘out athlete’ when that Netflix show dropped. I was not ready to be anybody’s mentor. I was still very much coming out to myself. All of a sudden now I have people I feel responsible for, like, advice. I really, it’s like, I’m the last.” So, let me get this straight – he was ready to have a network following him around, but he wasn’t ready to help others? What if they wanted help on camera? I bet he’d have been ready for that!
We hear that the complimentary condoms placed in the Olympic Village ran out in record time. The entire Village was condom-free after only three days – and that was before Gus Kenworthy even got there! People are placing the blame on the organizers. A local paper reported, “In Paris, the athletes received 300,000 condoms – two per day each – but the number for these Winter Games were significantly lower.” Well, there are some differences. First, that was the summer – which naturally lends itself to rampant sexual activity. Secondly…you know, Paris!
This week’s Ask Billy question comes from Frank in Philadelphia: “I just saw a commercial for Lacoste underwear with a really hot guy in the shower. He looks so familiar, but I can’t place him. Help!”
That would be the lovely and talented Taylor Zakhar Perez, who you know primarily from Red, White & Royal Blue. The commercial begins in a shower, which certainly puts Taylor and his taut torso in the best light. Then the undies go on. A source told me that there was much concern on the set which required Taylor to “flatten himself out” – whatever that means! There’s a good amount of ass shaking and hair flipping while Perez dances around blasting music through his headphones. And yet he somehow manages to hear someone clear his throat in the distance. So much for plot development! You can check out every dripping millimeter on BillyMasters.com.
When underwear models are being asked to “flatten out”, it’s definitely time to end another column. In other bits of madness, I have four countries and three continents left on my endless excursion. But no matter my locale, I still deliver the unfiltered dish on www.BillyMasters.com – the site that never makes an exception. If you have a question, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com and and I promise to get back to you before we find out which royal will be arrested on my next birthday! So, until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.
Billy Masters
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