At 50-years-old, Billy Porter‘s success narrative continues to prove his age “aint nothing but a number.”
Evidence of this could be found at the 71st Emmy Awards on Sunday (September 22) when the ‘Pose’ star walked away with the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as ballroom emcee Pray Tell on the FX series. Making him the first openly gay Black man in history to nab the honor, Porter made sure the audience knew it was one he didn’t take lightly.
“It took many years of vomiting up all the filth that I had been taught about myself, and half-believed, before I was able walk on the earth as though I had a right to be here,” Porter said, quoting James Baldwin. “I have the right, you have the right ― we all have the right!”
Look below to see his acceptance speech in full:
#PoseFX‘s Billy Porter at the #Emmys: “The category is love, y’all, love!” https://t.co/nAKOeMzLKN pic.twitter.com/HdxkfdFqgL
— Variety (@Variety) September 23, 2019
Having won an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony award, Porter only needs an Oscar to achieve EGOT status. Click here to see the night’s full list of winners.
CONGRATULATIONS
Now this is someone who deserves their Emmy.
He didnt win because he was black or gay , he won cause he is talented and gave great performances week after week, episode after episode. He brings pose to life . I still think he belongs in the supporting category.
Billy porter and Bob odenkirk (better call saul) were the strongest in that category .
no, you are only comfortable with his win over Jarell’s win for WHEN THEY SEE US, because when you see Billy, you don’t see all of the qualities & character traits that make a more traditional black man, intimidating to you. Billy is a very watered down version of black male dominance — therefore making him very palatable for white consumption and acceptance. you may not consciously realize that this is the reason why you praise his win & denounce Jarrell’s, but psychologically, Billy poses NO THREAT to the white male gaze.
So what ur indirectly saying is Billy porter is not a real black man cause he does listen to gangsta rap and look like a thug and doesnt act aggressive etc. U are promoting a very dangerous kind stereotype of how a black man Is suppose to be
Who are u to define what a traditional black man is?
This is why many black men cant come out as gay
This is why many black men do stupid stuff on the streets to prove they are “real men” and end up in jail doing 25 to life
This is why black men cant wear pink, or like fancy clothes , or like make up or listen to beyonce or Rihanna, cause people like u will say they are not real black men.
Looking at Billy porter , I dont see myself in him. He has no traits I possess. He has been in this business for long and he deserves his accolades. He has won a Tony, which is the hardest award to even win in the entertainment business.
Change ur silly mentality.
Black men and men in general should be allowed to wear dresses that doesnt make them less of a man. Ancient Egyptian men who were black wore dresses and makeup.
NO FOOL, I did not mean PHYSICAL, SURFACE stereotypes.
when i said, “when you see Billy Porter”… i am referencing his non-threatening, very watered down, less than progressive stance as a black man in America. he does not touch current BLACK ISSUES about race or class structure. he will go on and on about gender or sexuality in the press, but stands clear of projects & topics that deeply rooted in the framework of a project like, “WHEN THEY SEE US”.
Most of Billy’s work as a whole has been easy, fluid, white accepted material. So yes, when you and others “SEE HIM”, he does not present with the intense, militant, conscious minded essence of a black man who knows his struggle and the poisons of his oppressors in this country.
The white husband and forced dresses are only an extension of his poorly developed vision of who he is as a black man.
you do not have to agree & after reading some of your recent comments, i clearly see why you wouldn’t.
material like WHEN YOU SEE US is intimidating to vermin who are not in tune with the injustices & fragments of failure fueled into the roots of black existence from birth here in this godforsaken America.
Billy Porter is a much easier pill to swallow than the conscious mind of a Malcolm X or Nat Turner or Denzel Washington or Ava Duvernay or even a JUSSIE SMELLETT.
His watered down appeal is framed to appeal to white masses … hence your praise of his win over Jharrel Jerome’s.
i know that you don’t fully understand.
let’s just agree to disagree because i can’t possibly teach my organic black male experiences to one who walks in completely different, left feet shoes.
U are beyond stupid.a complete idiot.
Ur not talking about appearance but u brought up Billy porter wearing gowns and make up. U talked about billy being soft and feminine, isnt that physical appearance.
Why would billy porter talk about when they see us, he isnt part of that project. He has his own project to promote. Can u see Rihanna promoting beyonce lemonade, she has her own work to promote u dummy.
Billy porter wearing a gown is a statement, it threatens toxic masculinity. It’s not only black people who are outraged by Billy wearing a dress, white people, women etc are always outraged cause they are threatened.
Denzel has won 2 oscar
Ava duvernay has won Emmys also for her documentary
She has been nominated for an oscar. She not that talented.
Jussie is a fraud. Who has brought shame to the LGBT community
What is intimidating about a show like when they see us. What is the technical achievements in that show. The show is a by the books biopic mini series.
Complex well directed well written shows like escape from donorama and Chernobyl deserve more recognition.
What make jharell more traditional or more intellectual about Billy porter. Jharell was in moonlight, he played a gay character, that was his breakout role
I have heard Billy speak and he is intelligent and articulate as hell.
U sound like those gays who hate feminine gays u suffer from internalised homophobia and self hatred. u are feminine ur self but u try ur hardest to hide it cause u hate urself
Black men in African countries tie wrappers around their waist. Ancient Egyptian wore dresses and makeup
In the past, pink was a colour for boys while blue was for girls
I will never agree to disagree with an ignorant dunce like u. U are wrong, ur ideology Is wrong, ur comments are wrong. FOOL
NO FOOL, I did not mean PHYSICAL, SURFACE stereotypes.
when i said, “when you see Billy Porter”… i am referencing his non-threatening, very watered down, less than progressive stance as a black man in America. he does not touch current BLACK ISSUES about race or class structure. he will go on and on about gender or sexuality in the press, but stands clear of projects & topics that are deeply rooted in the framework of a project like, “WHEN THEY SEE US”.
Most of Billy’s work as a whole has been easy, fluid, white accepted material. So yes, when you and others “SEE HIM”, he does not present with the intense, militant, conscious minded essence of a black man who knows his struggle and the poisons of his oppressors in this country.
The white husband and forced dresses are only an extension of the poorly developed vision he has of himself as a black man.
you do not have to agree & after reading some of your recent comments, i clearly see why you wouldn’t.
material like WHEN YOU SEE US is intimidating to vermin who are not in tune with the injustices & fragments of failure fueled into the roots of black existence from birth here in this godforsaken America.
Billy Porter is a much easier pill to swallow than the conscious mind of a Malcolm X or Nat Turner or Denzel Washington or Ava Duvernay or even a JUSSIE SMELLETT.
Billy’s watered down appeal is framed to appeal to white masses … hence your praise of his win over Jharrel Jerome’s.
i know that you don’t fully understand.
let’s just agree to disagree because i can’t possibly teach my organic black male experiences to one who walks in completely different, left feet shoes.
I completely agree with you Brent Christopher.
As an openly gay black man myself, I do celebrate this WIN for Billy & our community at large.
HOWEVER… let it be made CLEAR, the main reason why Billy has won is because he is not intimidating to the gay white male “panel” of Hollywood. He is soft, effeminate & very non sexual in appeal. It’s EASIER for white Hollywood suits to embrace the gay men from our community like Billy, RuPaul & Karamo — all of whom effeminate themselves for red carpet arrivals & mainstream press headlines. They are all married to mayonnaise white men & are very non progressive in their vocal fight for black civil rights or other issues pertaining to black gay men SPECIFICALLY.
I knew Billy would be rewarded for wearing gowns up and down red carpets all of this year. He has been willing to play the game & that is mostly why he is being praised and lauded. Yes, his on screen performance of Pray Tell in POSE is good. However, it’s the off screen politics & watering down of his black masculinity that made him the “perfect” first timer “they” wanted for their Monday morning cover stories.
THIS IS THE TRUTH & NOT SIMPLY AN OPINION.
You are equating being soft and feminine to weakness. Smh. Ur inner misogyny jumped out
U are promoting the ideology that softness is weakness that’s why the world is in a horrible state right now
Soft feminine people are actually the strongest people on the planet.
The stonewall riot was started by feminine men in dresses , where were the masc gays when the police were harassing and arresting the innocent gays? Nowhere to found, probably hiding in a corner.
It was soft feminine men that came out to fight against oppression and that’s why u have rights today as a gay person.
What is black masculinity? Pls explain. U sound like my homophobic aunt. U sound like that guy that say no home every 5 minute.
to white men, being effeminate and soft is easier for them to embrace & accept in the presence of a black man. you aren’t aware of that? you don’t know that white men are intimidated by headstrong black men like Shaun King, Marcus Garvey, Jussie Smollett, Tupac Shakur & Denmark Vessey? is it news to you that a flamboyant gay male in Hollywood will be granted access to the front lines of the industry before one who presents somewhere in the middle between hyper masculine & extremely effeminate? BLACK MASCULINITY isn’t a physical type. it does not necessarily have a look. Billy does present himself as being politically conscious and rooted in the upheaval of black people. that is why he is so embraced & accepted & rewarded & praised. he does not give off the energy or vibe that he believes in the social, political or financial advancement of black people on American soil. his entire fight is solely rooted in an overall LGBT melting pot of bu||sh*t. he never separates and gives public power to his black experiences — therefore, cutting off the characteristics projected by a SPIKE LEE; the qualities that make the black man intimidating to a white Hollywood.
and please dear, do not think for a second that you are giving me a history lesson on how the Gay Revolution was ignited. it was a BLACK TRANS WOMAN named Marsha & not “men in dresses” who pierced those moments into LGBT & overall American history. let’s be CLEAR.
none of that changes the fact that Billy is not a strong minded, dominant black male. Dyllon Burnside who plays RICKY will never be celebrated in this same way until or unless he too begins to water himself down, attach himself to a pasty white dude & display no sense of black identity off camera.
if you don’t GET what is going on right now, i cannot further she new light.
to be soft & effeminate isn’t weak at all.
it’s merely easier for white males in Hollywood to embrace as it concerns opening doors of opportunity for men of color.
understand now??
U are dumb as hell.
Shawn king has been exposed as a fraud. Shawn king is not even black , he is barely black.
Jussie smollett is a complete disgrace who has brought shame to the community.
Besides why do u need white gays to embrace u as a black man. U dont like white people but u are begging for their acceptance.
Marsha who threw the first brick at stone wall, many claim she was trans, many claimed he was a drag queen. It was feminine men, drag queens that led the stonewall riot and feminine men.and drag queens are still the ones fighting for equality till today.
I cant argue with u, u suffer from serious self hatred. U hate urself. U are talking in circles. Name dropping frauds like shawn king and jussie smollett, how can I take u seriously. Smh
A dumb fool who thinks he knows all. shameful. Bye
“you don’t know that white men are intimidated by headstrong black men ”
U can be soft and feminine and still be head strong.
Ur inner misogyny is jumping out. U probably think women are weak and should stay in the kitchen.
U mentioned jussie smollett, lol. Jussie smollett is not head strong or masculine, he is a coward, for him to stage that attack and go on national TV to cry and play victim, that is a sign of cowardice. Strong men dont stage crimes and play victim.
Shawn king is a fraud who steals money. Strong men dont steal pr take what doesnt belong to them. Strong men have integrity and accountability.
Ur mentality is poor. Change it.
I suffer from self hatred because I am conscious enough to realize that progressive minded black men are not honored or celebrated as much as those who present less headstrong & militant? LOL! okay.
You misunderstood my initial comments about Billy being “effeminate”, assumed that I was criticizing that from my personal standpoint & RAN WITH IT!
You are totally & completely NOT UNDERSTANDING MY POINT.
His character traits make him more acceptable to white Hollywood. That is the point. If I had issues with effeminate men, I would not be married to my very beautiful, effeminate husband. 3 years wed. 8 years romantically tied.
Please understand “Clarkson” that the dominance of a black man in mind, body & spirit is very intimidating to the powers that be. It’s FACT. In order to be successful & Garner this award recognition, a gay black actor could NEVER present as anything more than the physical TYPE that most people think of when they hear, “gay black man”.
And if he wants to succeed for the long haul, he must not present to be too politically conscious or socially aware — at least not on a public platform.
I can’t help you understand that any clearer.
Billy checks ALL THE BOXES.
Lol so basically because he doesn’t look like how you want (a stereotype) that’s the only reason he’s successful ?? what masculine prison roles can bully play that we will believe?
@ Brent Christopher, all your assessment about this “win” for the gay culture are SPOT ON, and proven by the simple fact that both Billy Porter and Rupaul shared the moments of their historic “wins” with a WHITE MAN on both of their arms in full display for the world to see. That simple action summed up all your facts in a nutshell.
Billy and Jharrel weren’t even nominated for the same categories and they both won… you managed to outdumb Clarkson, you must be really stupid
Black men who wear dresses are real black men
Black men who wear make up are real black men
Black men who smile and laugh and dance to beyonce and listen to Rihanna are real black men
Stop propagating dangerous stereotypes and silly standards of what a black man is supposed to be or how a black man is suppose to act
Most black men are walking around angry and unhappy with their lives cause they cant be themselves, they cant live their truth, they are living their lives to please society, that’s why black men are angry and unnecessarily violent. This is why many black men are in prison, cause they believed gang banging or robbing or shooting people etc was what a “traditional black man” does.
White men wear dresses and makeup and nobody says they are not real men.
Black Men who wear dresses, make up, high heels, gowns & carry hand bags ARE REAL MEN!
Black Men who dance to Madonna, Christina Aguilera, classic P!NK & Cardi B …. ARE REAL MEN!!
Black Men who giggle, cross their legs, twirl their wrists & shake their round beautiful behinds, ARE REAL MEN.
Black Men who shy away from speaking out against the injustices of their black brothers on platforms given to them as gifts from the universe, SHOULD CHECK THEIR MANHOOD.
Black Men who only date, sleep with & marry individuals outside of the black community SHOULD CHECK THEIR MANHOOD.
Black Men who soften themselves to appear more acceptable to the white male power gaze SHOULD CHECK THEIR MANHOOD.
Black Men who exist in the spotlight who do not defend the oppression brought upon their people by creating art that reflects those realities, SHOULD CHECK THEIR MANHOOD.
White Men, Asian Men & other Non Black Men on blogs or websites who attempt to dictate the feelings of a grown black man living a daily organic, black experience, SHOULD CHOOSE TO POSSIBLY STAY IN THEIR PRIVILEGED LANES.
Congrats to Billy. I adore him, I really do but why is Pray Tell getting most of the accolades? Blanca’s character is worthy of recognition as well. She is the star for God’s sake and damn good.
Uhmmm yeah no. MJ Rodrigues acting was mediocre at best and I absolutely love pose! If anything, I feel like India and Billy are the only ones who would even be considered award worthy actors/actresses from this series. The others aren’t horrible, but not noteworthy.
Indya Moore’s performance is also exquisite on POSE. I completely agree!
THANK YOU! I absolutely agree! MJ RODRIGUEZ is the rock amongst the “POSE” cast. It is completely unfair that her performance is constantly being overlooked by the mainstream awards committees, critics & press. Blanca is an incredible character & I too want to see her second season efforts celebrated more during the 2020 Awards Season✊?
Completely unfair. MJ isn’t Angela Bassett by far, but she embodies Blanca’s character effortlessly. I agree that her character deserves just as much recognition as Pray.
“none of that changes the fact that Billy is not a strong minded, dominant black male.”
Who are u to say Billy is not a dominant black man. If u get into a fight with him, he would probably whoop ur àss even tho Billy is 50 years old. Lol
What makes a strong minded dominant black man? We are waiting for an explanation.
can we talk offline? i can tell that you are very intelligent, but i think you misunderstood my initial comment. i think you assumed that “I” was attacking Billy’s physical character traits & quite honestly, i am only attracted to effeminate men. my husband is very “soft” & i have loved him for damn near a decade.
I was trying to simply say that the “INDUSTRY” only pushes our more effeminate gay men to the forefront. They are seemingly less intimidating & easier to embrace.
shoot me your email address.
i can’t go back & forth in this comment section anymore. ill also send you my photo so you know who you’re talking to offline.
this doesn’t have to be such a negative experience.
Lol don’t waste your time, Clarkson is the resident tgj ignoramus that worships Camila Cabello LOL. That tells you all you need to know about the intelligence level of this person.
Oh wow another sympathy vote for us black people. Kind of sad irrelevant people are being given these awards just so none of us start saying emmys so white. Next year, mark my words there will be a black host and all black winners for all the prestigious awards of the night. Billy porter much respect to you but do we really believe a show on Fx about black gay people deserves would normally ever get any awards at all. This is all just a ploy so the African American community doesn’t cancel award shows
Now that Hollywood has seen how powerful the black community is when it comes to supporting films that are inclusive of the black community such as the success of black panther get out and us. Hollywood is going to award black people left and right whether they are deserving or not just say they can continue to profit of us. We are the fools as black people for putting up with such ignorance and celebrating wins that wouldn’t have happened ten years ago and realizing that this is Just a way to keep our mouths shut and give the white man our money
He and Cynthia Erivo will be EGOTS very soon https://youtu.be/oMp58oVociw
He’s soo annoying