( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME BACK.
MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS THE EMMY, TONY, AND GRAMMY-WINNING
PERFORMER YOU KNOW FROM HIS TIME ON BROADWAY, HIS STARRING ROLE
ON "POSE," AND HIS SHOW-STOPPING RED-CARPET STYLE.
PLEASE WELCOME BILLY PORTER!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
>> YAY!
OH, SHOOT!
THEY'RE PLAYING MY SONG!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) JON BATISTE AND "STAY HUMAN" ARE
PLAYING MY NEW SONG!
CHILDREN!
HEY, GOT TO LET THE CHILDREN KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!
>> Stephen: SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU.
>> IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU, TOO!
>> Stephen: BEFORE WE GET STARTED, THERE'S SO MUCH TO TALK
ABOUT.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: FIRST, I WANT TO TO YOU ABOUT THIS -- YOU
RECENTLY -- YOU MADE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT HARRY STILES
VOGUE COVER.
QUICKLY, IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO THE AUDIENCE WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT
YOU SAID AND WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY.
>> Stephen: APPARENTLY, I'M FAMOUS NOW, AND IT WAS A SLOW
NEWS DAY, SO THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS, HARRY STILES, I
APOLOGIZE TO YOU FOR HAVING YOUR NAME IN MY MOUTH.
IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU.
THE CONVERSATION IS NOT ABOUT YOU.
RIGHT.
>> Stephen: FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW.
HARRY STILES WAS THE FIRST MAN TO APPEAR ON THE COVER OF VOGUE.
>> IN A DRESS.
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
AND, SO, THE CONVERSATION IS ACTUALLY DEEPER THAN THAT.
IT IS ABOUT THE SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION AND ERAY SURE OF
PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CULTURE OF COLOR.
THAT'S A LOT TO UNPACK.
I'M WILLING TO UNPACK IT.
SONS OF THE DRAGGING AND CANCEL CULTURE OF THE INTERNET BECAUSE
I DO NOT NOW NOR WILL EVER ADJUDICATE MY LIFE IN SOUND
BYTES ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO WHEN YOU'RE READY TO HAVE THE RILE CONVERSATION, CALL IT IN.
OKAY?
I'M READY TO HAVE IT!
AND I'M SORRY, HARRY.
I DIDN'T MEAN NO HARM.
I'M A GAY MAN.
WE LIKE HARRY, HE'S CUTE!
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: ARE YOU SURPRISED
THIS COMMENT BLEW UP THE WAY IT DID?
>> I AM SURPRISED BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT
ARE IMPORTANT ON THIS EARTH TO BE TALKING ABOUT.
IT'S JUST WEIRD.
>> Stephen: LET'S DO IT, THEN.
YES, LET'S TALK ABOUT IT.
>> Stephen: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THANK YOU FOR SENDING
TE SHOES.
>> YES!
>> Stephen: OKAY, THIS MID SUMMER YOU SENT ME -- YOU'RE
DESIGNING FOR JIMMY CHU.
>> YES, I HAVE A COLLECTION WITH JIMMY CHU.
IT'S GENDERLESS, ANY SIZE FOR ANY SHOE, AND ALL THE PROCEEDS
GO TO THE TREVOR PROJECT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YES.
>> Stephen: WELL, I WAS THRILLED TO GET IT.
I ALWAYS SAID, YOU'VE GOT A PRESENT FROM BILLY PORTER.
WHAT COULD IT BE?
I OPEN IT UP AND THERE ARE THESE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL SHOES,
THEY'RE LOAFERS WITH TASSELS.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: A ZEBRA PRINT OR LEOPARD?
>> BROWN ZEBRA.
>> Stephen: I SAID, HAND TO GOD, I'M GOING TO WEAR THESE TO
OBAMA'S 60th BIRTHDAY PARTY.
>> OH.
>> Stephen: AND I'M GOING TO WEAR A NICE ZENNIA TAN SUIT,
DARK SHIRT AND ZEBRA PRINT SHOES.
I GOT UNINVITED.
( LAUGHTER ) THE HEAD REASONLINE IS I GOT
UNINVITED TO OBAMA'S PARTY WHICH IS FINE BECAUSE IF I HAD COME IN
YOUR SHOES, NO ONE WOULD HAVE MADE APENSION TO OBAMA.
BUT I DID TAKE A PHOTO AND SEND IT TO YOU BECAUSE I DID WANT TO
WEAR THEM.
THIS IS WHAT I WAS DOING THE NIGHT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT THAT
PARTY.
THIS IS ME IN THE SHOES.
>> OH, I LOVE THAT YOU LIKE MY SHOES!
YAY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I LOVE IT!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THEY'RE
GOODLOOKIN'!
WHERE DO I WEAR THEM?
DO YOU HAVE A RECOMMENDATION?
>> WEAR THEM EVERY DAY ALL DAY.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A SPECIAL OCCASION.
WEAR WHATEVER YOU WANT WHENEVER YOU WANT TO WEAR THEM.
>> Stephen: I'M NOT AS SPECIAL AS YOU ARE.
I NEED SPECIAL OCCASIONS.
EVERYWHERE YOU GO ENDS UP FEELING A LITTLE BIT SPECIAL.
NOW, YOU'VE WRITTEN A NEW MEMOIR.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.
I WROTE A WHOLE BOOK, Y'ALL!
>> Stephen: IT'S CALLED UNPROTECTED, AND THIS IS -- IT
REALLY TELLS THE STORY OF WHAT IT TOOK TO BECOME THE BILLY
PORTER THAT WE ALL KNOW TODAY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: YOU DELVE INTO SOME DIFFICULT TOPICS, AND HOW
DOES IT FEEL TO SHARE YOUR STORY WITH THE WORLD?
>> YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN VERY HEALING, THE JOURNEY HAS BEEN
VERY HEALING.
YOU KNOW, MOST OF IT WAS WRITTEN IN COVID, AND I DISCOVERED HOW
TO HEAL TRAUMA.
YOU KNOW, THE BOOK IS CALLED UNPROTECTED, AND IT'S ABOUT
HEALING MY TRAUMA THROUGH THE POWER OF ART, AND MY HOPE IS
THAT MY STORY AND MY JOURNEY WILL FREE SOMEBODY ELSE AND SET
SOMEBODY ELSE FREE, BECAUSE IT SET ME FREE.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WE WERE HAVING A
CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS BEFORE THE SHOW.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU ARTISTICALLY?
>> THE TRUTH.
AUTHENTICITY AND THE TRUTH.
TELL THE TRUTH.
SPEAK TRUTH TO ALL POWER, ALL THE TIME.
THAT'S WHAT WE GET TO DO AS ARTISTS.
( APPLAUSE ) WE GET TO DO THAT IN A WAY
THAT'S NOT DIDACTIC.
I'M NOT A POLITICIAN, RIGHT.
WE'RE NOT POLITICIANS, SO WE CAN ACTUALLY TELL THE TRUTH.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: I WOULD LIKE TO
VOTE FOR YOU SOME DAY, THOUGH, BILLY PORTER.
>> YEAH, I CUSS TOO MUCH.
>> Stephen: YOU WRITE ABOUT YOUR H.I.V. STATUS IN HERE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: I KNOW THAT MUST BE VERY MEANINGFUL TO MANY
PEOPLE TO HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT IT PUBLICLY.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO TALK ABOUT IT?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A SHAME THAT WAS PERVASIVE IN MY LIFE
FOR THE ENTIRETY OF MY LIFE.
THE 2007 DIAGNOSIS WAS JUST ANOTHER LAYER OF SHAME.
AND, SO, AFTER 14 YEARS, TO SPEAK THAT WAS TO, ONCE AGAIN,
I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, SET MYSELF FREE OF THE SHAME BECAUSE SHAME
IS A SILENCER, AND SILENCE IS A MURDERER.
SHAME IS A MURDERER.
I WAS DYING A VERY SLOW DEATH, AND I HAVE TOO MUCH WORK TO DO
FOR THAT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) SO I HAD TO LET IT GO!
I HAD TO LET IT GO, Y'ALL!
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU HAVE AN INSPIRING LEVEL OF JOY AND
ENERGY AND ZEST FOR LIFE.
WHAT IS YOUR SOURCE OF THAT JOY?
WHAT IS THE WORK YOU DO TO MAINTAIN THAT?
>> WELL, IT'S -- YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT HAS BEEN RECENT, YOU KNOW,
JUST IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, LIKE HAVING TIME.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN SAYING COVID CAME AND SHUT DOWN THE
WORLD SO THAT I COULD HEAL.
LIKE, I HAVE BEEN IN TRAUMA THERAPY, I HAVE BEEN FACING OLD
STUFF.
I HAVE BEEN, LIKE, EXCAVATING THE DEMONS AND, LIKE, YOU KNOW,
I'M FEELING REALLY --, LIKE, REAL JOY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
MY LIFE, AND I'M FEELING REAL HEALING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY
LIFE, AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY POWERFUL, AND I JUST WANT TO BE
ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE WORLD, AND I HOPE THAT THIS
BOOK, YOU KNOW, DOES THAT.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK, BUT
PLEASE DON'T GO AWAY.
WHEN I COME BACK, I'LL ASK BILLY HOW "KINKY BOOTS" TRANSFORMED
HIS CAREER.
STICK AROUND.