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10 August 2026
“He said he’d think about it.”
– Gus Kenworthy shares what beau Andrew Rigby said when
he proposed. Of course, he eventually said yes. The couple now sports
matching Cartier rings – Andrew’s is platinum, while Gus finally took the gold.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not going to write about it. No siree. The texts came in while the drama was unfolding. “Isn’t it heartbreaking?” said one text. “Is it? Is it really?” My heartbreak is reserved for precious few situations. But I did have one question – how many are in “a flurry”? I assume it’s more than “a few”, but probably less than “a gaggle”. If it were crows, it would be “a murder” – but that’s just a bit too on the nose. I will make one observation – if you are going to emulate a celebrity, shoot higher than Demi Lovato!
There’s a story circulating in Boston that has given me a red rump – which has been seen by quite a few in various international cities. It’s regarding Drag Queen Story Time with Ms. Patty – which took place at the South Boston branch of the Boston Public Library. One person on social media who shall remain nameless posted the story and quipped, “Being trans is a mental illness.” Sigh – where to begin. First, I don’t know Ms. Patty, but I wouldn’t assume she’s trans. She could simply be a drag queen – neither of which I’d identify as a mental illness. One person responded to this post, “This is about grooming kids.” Same question I asked in the previous story – “Is it?” Was Mrs. Doubtfire grooming anyone? “Grooming kids”? To become what? Drag queens? In Boston we had Boomtown hosted by cowboy Rex Trailer. Was that grooming kids? To become cowboys? Please tell me what Captain Kangaroo was grooming kids to become (other than bunkmates with Mr. Green Jeans). Is a woman dressing as a princess and reading to kids grooming them to become…royalty? Maybe this is what happened to poor, misunderstood Meghan Markle. Maybe one too many princesses read to her as a child!
Bowen Yang received critical acclaim when he played the iceberg from Titanic on Saturday Night Live. Was he grooming kids to become icebergs? I’m starting to think perhaps some princess read to him as a kid, because he’s the latest celebrity to take on the leading role of Oh, Mary! Yes, Yang will make his Broadway debut as Mary Todd Lincoln starting on September 15th. The production also released a rather funny video of Bowen finding his inner Mary Todd, which you can see on BillyMasters.com.
Someone who was most certainly groomed as a child is my dear friend, Thirsty Burlington – not to be confused with Burlington Coat Factory. The beloved drag queen (not a person of the trans persuasion) has been sidelined these past few years by illness. But for one night, she will return to the stage of the RedRoom in lovely Provincetown. The show is billed as Thirsty and Friends – and her friends will be Varla Jean Merman, Tammie Brown, Dina Martina and Nina West. Frankly, we should all have such a glittering array of friends. It’s a fundraiser for Thirsty’s medical expenses, and I can’t think of a better way to spend the evening of August 22nd. Grab your tickets at RedRoom.club.
Cheyenne Jackson recently appeared in Provincetown, and a video from his show melted even my heart of stone (if indeed stones can be melted). Cheyenne was joined on stage by his son Ethan for an a capella version of Michael Jackson’s “I’ll Be There”. I defy you not to melt when you see the video on his social media or our website.
And now, a story I missed due to my European travels. Way back on June 13th, Barry Manilow was playing the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. He was singing and playing behind the baby grand, when all of a sudden a guy jumped up on the stage brandishing…a piece of paper and a Sharpie! He managed to get next to Barry and put the paper and pen down on the piano as security tackled him. Without missing a beat, Barry signed the paper and waved it singing, “And this one’s for you,” which worked out well since that’s the song he happened to be singing! The guy retrieved it and was tossed back into the crowd. “Be nice to him,” said Manilow, “he’s a fan,” which earned him an immediate standing ovation. Needless to say, the clip will show up on BillyMasters.com.
Next year, The View is turning 30 – and I know this because I moved into my sumptuous Beverly Hills adjacent abode on the day it first aired. Executive producer Brian Teta has said that he’d like to incorporate every former View host into the season-long celebration. While I suspect Jenny McCarthy will be the hardest one to cajole (to say nothing of Meghan McCain), many people wondered whether Rosie O’Donnell would be game. I can put your mind at ease and report that she has no hesitation about returning to the show. “I will go on the 30th anniversary,” Rosie said on The Tangled podcast, “in whatever way they want me.” This led to comedian and former co-host Michelle Collins posting a video from Milan, Italy. “I just heard that Rosie O’Donnell…said that she heard all the co-hosts from The View were being asked back for the 30th season. Now, that was news to me. Maybe ‘cause I’m travelling so much my invite somehow got lost.” This led to some damage control from Teta, who made a statement: “We love seeing all the excitement about The View’s 30th, lots of plans are in the works, but no invites have gone out.”
Rosie also told Tangled that she would like to revive her daily talk show. She even has a vision of what it would be. “It would look a lot like my old show, to tell you the truth. I think America wants nostalgia. I think what they don’t want is celebrity culture. I think celebrity culture is dead in America…I’d like to do mostly human-interest stories, tell good news, have fun and games with people like we used to, get to have Broadway on – and if a celebrity wants to come on and chat, that’s fantastic. But it wouldn’t be because they had a movie to promote.” Until then, Rosie guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! the week of August 17th.
Whoopi Goldberg got tongues wagging about her View salary – but I think everyone misunderstood. When she was a guest on Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, they were talking about what she loves about doing the show. Whoopi answered quite simply, “The check. I love the check.” When Keke said, “I can only imagine what that check is,” Goldberg shut her down – “No, no, you can’t. Trust me, you can’t. You would be shocked.” Palmer kept going on like it was a HUGE check, and said she’d love to fill in. Whoopi tried to clear it up by saying, “But as soon as they showed you that check, you’d be like, ‘What the…!?’” Goldberg has always said that what she likes is that she gets a STEADY check. But, trust me, it’s not huge…and Whoopi and I both know huge!
By the by, Keke will soon have another check coming in. In 2027, she’ll be hosting The Voice. Oh, don’t get excited – Carson Daly is not going anywhere. Keke is hosting the season called The Voice: Celebrity – where “celebrities” compete. Something tells me NBC is using the term “celebrity” like ABC uses “stars” in that dancing show. Carson will continue being a producer for the “Celebrity” season, and plans to return in subsequent years.
Our Ask Billy question had me quite confused. Karl in NYC wrote, “Did you hear the news about Angelina Jolie’s brother coming out? I thought he’s been out for years.”
He was certainly out when I met him over two decades ago. I remember it like it was yesterday – which is when this headline came out: “James Haven, Brother to Angelina Jolie, Comes Out As Gay”. Here was the biggest surprise – in 2025, he married a woman. And yet, there’s more. Apparently he was married to Romi Imbelli after she appeared on The Real L-Word (for the record, she always presented as bi). Their marriage lasted 25 days and was annulled – probably by mutual agreement. They clearly stayed close because Haven made his proclamation on Imbelli’s Substack. “I’m gay,” to which Romi exclaimed, “As gay as can be.” Boy, she said a mouthful! It’s all rather curious to moi, who recalls meeting Haven at the Oscars in 2000. As you’ll recall, that was the year Angelina was photographed kissing him on the lips. I believe I met them after the awards, at the Vanity Fair party. Haven introduced himself as Jamie, and introduced his sister as Angie. After a few drinks, they canoodled. I canoodled. I’m not exactly sure who I canoodled with, but the photos will surely turn up on BillyMasters.com.
When I may have canoodled with both Jamie and Angie, it’s definitely time to end yet another column. It’s all kind of hazy, but I believe I awoke the next day with an unexplained Band-Aid in a somewhat private area. Shortly thereafter, Angelina started wearing that vial around her neck. You don’t think…. Nah, it couldn’t be. For more unexplained phenomena, check out BillyMasters.com – the site that always gets to the bottom of things. Should you have a question I am equipped to answer, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Angie and Jamie star in a remake of Flowers in the Attic. So, until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.
Billy Masters
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