The 70‑year‑old choreographer and television personality, who has been part of DWTS since its first season in 2005, described himself as “the least planning person” and emphasized that he still loves the work and the audience connection the show provides.

Bruno addresses his future on DWTS

In a recent interview about DWTS season 35, Tonioli was asked directly whether he had considered how long he wanted to continue as a judge on the U.S. ballroom competition.

Tonioli replied that he does not map out an end date and instead focuses on the joy he still finds in the role, saying he “really, really” enjoys the job and the energy of the public.

In a separate segment highlighting the same remarks, he elaborated that he plans to remain as long as producers continue to want him on the panel, adding that he “really love the show.”

When an interviewer suggested there was “no Dancing With the Stars without Bruno,” Tonioli responded modestly but did not dispute his intention to stay, underscoring that there is no formal exit plan in place.

A fixture since the show’s early days

Dancing With the Stars premiered in the United States in 2005, adapted from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, with Tonioli installed as one of the original judges and remaining in that role across dozens of competitive seasons.

Over that time, the series established a format pairing celebrities with professional dancers, and Tonioli became known for his animated critiques, expressive body language and emphasis on performance quality as much as technical precision.

His long tenure on the U.S. series followed his earlier work on Strictly Come Dancing in the U.K., where he judged from the launch of that program in 2004 until 2019, frequently commuting between the two countries to appear on both versions.

As pandemic travel disruptions made that schedule difficult, Tonioli eventually departed Strictly’s judging panel permanently while choosing to remain with DWTS, cementing the U.S. series as his primary television home.

Leaving ‘Strictly,’ staying with ‘Stars’

Tonioli confirmed in 2022 that he would not return to Strictly Come Dancing, citing the logistical challenges of travel and the move of DWTS to streaming on Disney+ in the United States as key factors.

During that announcement, he explained that DWTS’s move to Disney+ and its live‑streaming format required continuity, and that he could not guarantee weekly travel to the U.K., leading to Anton Du Beke taking his place as a permanent Strictly judge.

At that time, Tonioli stressed that the decision to leave the British series was his and that he supported Strictly’s need for stability on the judging panel after years of remote or intermittent appearances.

Since then, he has repeatedly described DWTS as the project he plans to prioritize, reinforcing that stance again in early June 2026 when asked about any future exit.

Franchise expansion and evolving format

Tonioli’s comments came as ABC and Hulu prepare to expand the DWTS franchise with a new series, Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, scheduled to debut in July 2026.

The spinoff is set to focus on professional dancers within the franchise and is described as part of a broader 2026 expansion for the long‑running ballroom format.

In his June interview, Tonioli said he is not part of The Next Pro but noted that “friends” of his are involved, adding that he could not reveal more ahead of the spinoff’s launch and encouraging viewers to tune in.

His remarks highlight how the main DWTS series and its extensions continue to generate work and visibility for professional dancers, celebrities and creatives across multiple platforms, including broadcast and streaming.

Cultural impact and visibility

DWTS, like Strictly Come Dancing before it, has become a significant platform for diverse contestants, including LGBTQ+ celebrities and professional dancers, to share their stories with a wide audience.

Over its many seasons, the show has featured same‑gender partnerships and queer contestants, contributing to broader visibility for LGBTQ+ communities within mainstream entertainment, although the specifics and frequency of those pairings have varied by season.

Tonioli, who has worked across both the British and American formats, has often emphasized the importance of performance, emotion and connection in his feedback, elements that can help affirm the identities and narratives of dancers and celebrities whose experiences are underrepresented elsewhere on television.

In past interviews about Strictly, he has also expressed admiration for the show’s empowering presentation of women hosts, saying the U.K. series “works best” with two women fronting it, an outlook consistent with efforts to center gender equity and inclusive representation in entertainment.

What Tonioli’s stance means for fans

For DWTS viewers who have followed Tonioli’s judging style for more than two decades, his statement that he will remain “until they want me” signals continuity at a time when many long‑running TV properties are retooling or rotating on‑screen talent.

His decision to anchor his future to the producers’ wishes, rather than a personal retirement timeline, suggests that any change in his role is more likely to come from a creative or structural shift within the franchise than from his own desire to step back.

At the same time, DWTS’s expansion into projects like The Next Pro indicates that the franchise is growing beyond its original format, potentially creating new opportunities for professional dancers, including LGBTQ+ dancers, to build careers on and off camera.

For now, Tonioli’s message is clear: as season 35 approaches and the show explores new formats, he sees his place firmly behind the judges’ desk, responding to each performance in the same animated fashion that has defined his public persona since 2005.

Poehler told Holland she has watched the clip “more than most movies,” underscoring just how deeply the performance has embedded itself in internet culture. Holland replied, “I get more compliments for that dance than any piece of work I have ever done,” reiterating a sentiment he has expressed in earlier interviews about the enduring fame of the two‑minute routine.

How the ‘Umbrella’ performance unfolded

Holland’s Lip Sync Battle appearance, filmed to promote Spider‑Man: Homecoming, began with a tap‑inspired rendition of “Singin’ in the Rain” performed in a grey suit against a classic musical‑style backdrop. The routine then smashed into Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” complete with artificial rain, as Holland ripped off the suit to reveal fishnet tights, black shorts, a fitted black vest, red lipstick, and a short dark wig, embracing a drag‑coded aesthetic that surprised the studio audience and viewers at home.

The actor delivered a tightly choreographed dance amid the downpour, integrating floor work, high‑energy kicks, and synchronized movement with backup dancers in a staging that has since been replayed tens of millions of times across platforms. Nearly a decade later, Comedy Central’s upload of the performance has amassed more than 172.5 million views on YouTube, making it one of the most‑watched clips in Lip Sync Battle history and a frequent reference point in discussions of mainstream drag and gender‑fluid performance.

A career defined by a two‑minute clip?

Despite a filmography that includes the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the disaster drama The Impossible, and several high‑profile projects, Holland said the lip sync remains the work people bring up most often when they meet him. Mandatory, a pop‑culture outlet that summarized his Good Hang appearance, noted that Holland “asserts that he is recognized more for that moment than for his Spider‑Man films,” even as he promotes the upcoming epic Odyssey.

Holland framed the discrepancy with a mix of humor and exasperation, calling the number the thing “everyone brings up” and describing how the performance “haunts” him because of how often it is mentioned compared with his carefully chosen acting roles. At the same time, he stressed that he is proud of the Lip Sync Battle appearance and sees it as an “amazing time” that left a “lasting impact” on both his career and popular culture.

Comfort with femininity and early dance training

Poehler suggested on the podcast that one reason the “Umbrella” performance resonates is that Holland appears “comfortable with feminine side,” a comment she connected to his history as a boy in ballet and musical theatre. She referenced his time in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical, where he first played Billy’s friend Michael before taking on the title role in 2008, placing his Lip Sync Battle turn in a longer arc of dance‑centered performance and gender‑nonconforming stage roles.

Holland’s experience with ballet and musical theatre contributed to the technical polish of the routine and may help explain why many LGBTQ+ people and allies embraced the performance as a joyful, non‑derisive take on drag‑inspired femininity in a mainstream setting. Poehler framed his performance as an example of someone navigating “what is typically male what is typically female,” highlighting how his comfort in that space helped the clip stand out from other instances where men in dresses are played primarily for laughs.

Behind‑the‑scenes nerves and wardrobe debates

Holland told Poehler that he was “really excited” but also nervous about performing a live dance number, worrying about the possibility of missing choreography on such a visible stage. He recalled that in dress rehearsal, a member of the creative team asked if the shorts could be cut even shorter, prompting him to push back and say he was “doing enough” and that the look was already “years ahead of its time.”

The actor admitted that he did not spend much time considering how the broader audience might react to the gender‑fluid styling, focusing instead on the fun of building a number that escalated from classic musical to full‑scale pop spectacle. During the live taping, he sensed the studio audience initially deflate as he started “Singin’ in the Rain” in a suit, worrying that younger crowd members did not understand the reference, then felt the energy spike when he tore off the suit to reveal the drag‑coded outfit.

Family concerns and the risks of going viral

Holland has previously said that his father, writer and comedian Dominic Holland, tried to dissuade him from doing Lip Sync Battle out of concern that such a flamboyant performance could harm his long‑term career. According to Holland, his father believed a slower, more measured path to fame would be safer, warning him about relying on viral moments rather than sustained acting work.

Reflecting on that advice, Holland told The Independent in 2021 that the show was “incredibly stressful” but ultimately “incredibly successful,” helping his career even as it became the go‑to reference point when people talk to him. In recounting those comments alongside his new remarks on Good Hang, outlets have highlighted how the performance marks a turning point where a single viral clip began to rival his blockbuster work in shaping his public image.

Resonance with LGBTQ+ audiences and mainstream drag visibility

Holland’s “Umbrella” routine is frequently cited online in conversations about positive masculinity and straight‑identified men embracing femininity without mockery, especially in contrast to older comedy tropes that used cross‑dressing purely as a joke. Commentators have noted that his earnest, high‑effort commitment to the look and choreography distinguished the performance from less affirming portrayals and contributed to its popularity among LGBTQ+ viewers who value playful, respectful engagement with drag and gender expression.

The ongoing life of the clip—circulating on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and X in edited and meme forms—illustrates how a short, gender‑fluid performance can evolve into a cultural touchstone that outlives its original promotional context. For many viewers, the routine functions both as a showcase of Holland’s dance training and as a moment of mainstream television where drag aesthetics were treated as joyous spectacle rather than punchline, even if the segment itself was not explicitly framed as drag.

Balancing blockbuster roles and a viral legacy

As Holland prepares to debut in Odyssey, where he plays Telemachus in a reimagining of the Greek epic directed by Christopher Nolan, coverage of his Good Hang comments has emphasized the tension between his ambitions as a serious actor and the persistent association with a two‑minute musical performance. The actor has said he is “calculated” in choosing projects and invests “blood, sweat, and tears” into his film work, even as audiences continue to gravitate toward the exuberant Lip Sync Battle clip as their primary reference point.

Holland’s reflections underline a broader reality for contemporary performers: a single viral moment, especially one that engages themes of gender expression and performance, can define public perception long after the cameras stop rolling. Even as he moves into more mature roles, his “Umbrella” drag‑inspired routine remains a key part of his legacy, particularly for viewers who saw in it a playful, affirming challenge to rigid ideas about how men are “supposed” to move, dress, and perform on screen.

Mescal, known for roles in Normal People, All of Us Strangers and the forthcoming Gladiator II, framed his intervention as a response to what he described as an increasingly urgent political climate. “Given the political climate at the moment it feels more and more pressing that we make our voices heard,” he said, adding: “This is a moment for respect, safety and recognition. Trans rights are human rights.”

Organisers and outlets covering the march have described Mescal’s comments as his first explicit public statement on trans rights, distinguishing them from previous roles in LGBTQ+ stories or general support for queer communities. Coverage emphasised that the actor is joining a widening chorus of public figures who are speaking directly about legal protections, social hostility and media narratives affecting transgender people in the UK.

London Trans+ Pride 2026: “Our Future, Our Fight”

London Trans+ Pride organisers have set the 2026 march for Saturday 25 July, marking the event’s eighth year as a grassroots-led protest and demonstration through central London. This year’s theme, “Our Future, Our Fight,” is framed by organisers as a response to what they describe as escalating threats to transgender people’s rights and safety in the UK and beyond.

Organisers say they expect the 2026 march to match or exceed last year’s demonstration, which drew an estimated 100,000 participants and has been widely reported as the largest trans pride event in history. PinkNews likewise reported that 2025’s London Trans+ Pride turnout reached 100,000 people, with organisers inviting both transgender protesters and allies to return in similar numbers this year.

The 2026 march is being presented not as a parade but as a protest, centring demands for healthcare access, legal protections and freedom from harassment for transgender people and the wider trans+ community. In their announcements, organisers highlight the march as a space for visibility and resistance, emphasising that trans+ people will lead the demonstration while allies are encouraged to attend in solidarity.

A growing chorus of high‑profile supporters

Mescal’s statement appears as part of a series of messages of support coordinated around the London Trans+ Pride 2026 theme announcement, featuring a broad mix of artists, activists and politicians. Among those highlighted are Spice Girls singer Mel B, actor and writer Michaela Coel, singer Jessie Ware, presenter and actor Jameela Jamil, model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

PinkNews and other outlets also note that Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney is among the public figures lending their support, continuing her visibility work as a young Black transgender actor in mainstream television. Coverage across LGBTQ+ and entertainment press stresses that these endorsements arrive in a context where trans advocates say legislative proposals and media narratives have intensified pressure on transgender communities.

Several outlets characterise Mescal’s involvement as notable because he is a high‑profile, award‑nominated actor widely associated with prestige film and television, which may help broaden the audience for London Trans+ Pride’s messages. Scene Magazine similarly frames his statement as reflecting a “growing sense of urgency” and an important show of allyship at what organisers call a “critical moment” for transgender rights.

“Respect, safety and recognition” as key themes

Across interviews and press releases, organisers underscore three recurring demands: respect, safety and recognition for transgender people in daily life, law and healthcare. Mescal’s statement mirrors this language, explicitly describing the present as “a moment for respect, safety and recognition” while urging supporters to “make our voices heard.”

PinkNews reports that London Trans+ Pride organisers are calling out what they see as “fewer protections” and heightened hostility facing transgender communities, and are using this year’s event to demand more robust safeguards. Scene Magazine likewise quotes organisers warning that 2026’s march comes at a “critical moment,” tying the “Our Future, Our Fight” theme to wider struggles over healthcare access, legal recognition and social inclusion. Coverage stresses that the march remains trans‑led and protest‑focused, centring the voices of transgender and non‑binary people while welcoming allies to participate.

While the exact route for the 2026 march has not been detailed in the coverage reviewed, reports consistently describe the demonstration as taking place “in central London” and building on previous years that saw routes pass through major city landmarks. Organisers characterise the event as both a celebration of trans+ lives and a direct challenge to what they describe as discriminatory laws and hostile media narratives.

Media, fandom and the visibility of allyship

Entertainment and LGBTQ+ outlets note that Mescal’s visibility as a critically acclaimed actor may carry particular resonance for transgender audiences and allies who have followed his work in queer‑themed projects. His performances in films and series that explore queer relationships have contributed to a devoted fan base, and commentators suggest that explicit support for transgender rights may help some audiences feel more seen and affirmed.

Blogs and culture sites, including OMG.BLOG, have amplified Mescal’s exact words, reproducing his call for “respect, safety & recognition” and reiterating his statement that “Trans rights are human rights.” These outlets situate his comments within a wider media ecosystem in which celebrity statements can have both symbolic and practical effects, including drawing additional attention to grassroots organisers’ demands.

Organisers have not announced any official speaking line‑up for the 2026 march in the coverage surveyed, and there is no confirmation that Mescal or other high‑profile supporters will attend or address the crowd in person. Articles instead focus on the significance of public statements themselves, presenting them as part of a broader narrative of solidarity with transgender people at a time of heightened scrutiny.

Looking ahead to July’s march

With just under two months until London Trans+ Pride 2026, organisers are urging transgender people and allies to prepare for what is expected to be another large‑scale demonstration centred on trans liberation. Reports suggest that the march will again combine protest chants, community speeches and memorial moments, reflecting both the joy and grief present in many trans+ spaces today.

Media coverage indicates that London Trans+ Pride continues to position itself as a trans‑led demonstration distinct from more corporate‑sponsored pride events, with grassroots organisers foregrounding demands for systemic change. Against this backdrop, Mescal’s decision to speak publicly on trans rights for the first time is being reported as one of several high‑visibility endorsements amplifying calls for dignity, equality and safety for transgender communities ahead of the July protest.

Manilow’s comments were published this week in a Los Angeles Times interview, where he looked back on his 2017 decision to publicly acknowledge that he is gay and married to his longtime manager, Garry Kief. Describing that moment, he said the announcement itself turned out to be far less dramatic than he once feared, calling it “a non-event” and saying audience reactions confirmed that many fans had long assumed he was gay.

‘They all knew’ but silence felt safer

In the new interview, Manilow says that while he never felt he was actively hiding his sexuality, he nevertheless avoided speaking about it because of what it could have meant for his career during earlier decades. “I never really hid it, but in the ’70s and ’80s, that would have killed the career, and I didn’t want to do that,” he told the Los Angeles Times, adding that his response was simply, “So I just never talked about it.”

He also said that when he did come out publicly, “Nobody gave a s***,” explaining that fans and colleagues “all knew” and that his private life had never been a secret in personal circles, even if it remained unspoken in the press. The singer has previously used similar language when describing his later‑in‑life coming out, telling other outlets in recent years that the public acknowledgment of his sexuality changed little in his day‑to‑day life or his relationship with his audience.

A long partnership, finally named

Manilow married Garry Kief, his manager and partner, in 2014, after more than three decades together, but their relationship was not publicly confirmed until several years later. Reports of their marriage began circulating in 2015, before Manilow formally came out in a 2017 People magazine feature in which he spoke openly about their relationship and his sexuality.

At the time, Manilow said he had worried that publicly claiming his identity as a gay man might disappoint his largely female fanbase, many of whom had followed his career since the 1970s. In that earlier profile, he recalled thinking “I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay, so I never did anything,” a sentiment that he is now revisiting as he describes the era in which he first became a star as actively hostile to openly LGBTQ+ entertainers.

Industry pressure and stigma in the 1970s

Manilow’s comments echo earlier statements he has made about the music industry climate when he first rose to prominence, including an appearance on CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” in which he said that in the 1970s “you didn’t come out” if you wanted to maintain a mainstream pop career. He has also described being implicitly warned by industry figures about the risks of being openly gay, saying record executive Clive Davis pointed to Elton John’s experience as an example of how public discussion of sexuality could damage an artist’s commercial success at the time.

In another televised conversation, Manilow said that if he had come out early in his career, it “would have killed my career, it would have been over immediately, done,” underscoring how deeply he believed his livelihood depended on staying silent about his identity as a gay man. Those remarks align closely with his new comments to the Los Angeles Times, in which he frames his earlier closeting as a strategic decision made within a hostile cultural context, rather than a denial of his identity or relationships.

Personal burden and later relief

Manilow has previously described the years he spent keeping his sexuality out of public view as a “burden,” saying that the tension between his private reality and public image weighed on him as his career grew. In an interview published last year, he said he had been “always worried” that his career could “go away” if he were perceived as too open about his personal life, even as he acknowledged that attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people had shifted.

After coming out publicly, Manilow has occasionally joked that he felt “insulted” by how little fuss was made about the announcement, suggesting with humor that the anticlimactic reaction underlined how much fear he had carried unnecessarily. Yet he has also consistently emphasized that the quieter response meant his fans accepted him without the backlash he once dreaded, and he has expressed gratitude that younger LGBTQ+ artists can be more open today than he felt he could be at the start of his career.

Health, legacy and continuing work

The new comments about his coming‑out timeline and career risks appear against the backdrop of recent news that Manilow has been diagnosed with lung cancer, information he discussed in the same Los Angeles Times interview cited in several reports. Coverage notes that he is continuing to work and promote new music, including a reimagined version of his 1992 song “Another Life” released earlier this month ahead of his upcoming album “What A Time,” due in June 2026.

While Manilow’s latest remarks focus primarily on his own path, they contribute to a broader historical record of how gay and bisexual entertainers navigated mainstream success in eras when being openly LGBTQ+ often meant lost opportunities, cancelled tours or restricted airplay. For LGBTQ+ advocates and historians, his reflections on choosing privacy to survive in a hostile industry help illustrate how social and industry pressures limited the options available to many artists of his generation, even as his later‑life openness highlights the changing landscape for LGBTQ+ people in entertainment today.

Background and new remarks

The comments came in an interview with music magazine The FADER about Petras’s upcoming independent album Detour, which follows her split from major label Republic Records and marks a deliberate shift toward more personal songwriting. In that conversation, Petras described Detour as a project where she feels “in control again” artistically and emotionally, after a period of frustration with label delays and leaked music.

Discussing the song “Brutalist,” she said it may be the first time she has spoken so directly in her music about her trans identity and about traveling across Germany with her father to access hormone therapy as a young teenager. She linked those memories to the broader story of how, from her early teens onward, she became a familiar public figure in German media as one of the most visible transgender young people in the country.

A childhood in the spotlight

Petras first drew widespread attention in Germany when, at around 13, she appeared on the television program Stern TV to talk about her medical gender transition and her efforts to access gender-affirming surgery earlier than the usual legal age of 18. She went on to feature in documentaries and talk shows discussing her journey, which led some outlets to refer to her as the “world’s youngest transsexual,” language she and many advocates now regard as outdated and stigmatizing.

In the new interview, Petras said that when she first spoke to the media she was “12 talking about it,” adding: “I kind of regret because privacy was really blurred,” though she emphasized that at the time she felt “really unashamed” and saw her openness as simply stating facts about her life. She has previously described how that media attention could feel dehumanizing, telling LGBTQ+ outlet PinkNews in 2020 that as a teenager she was “minimised to genitals” in coverage and that the experience was “disgusting.”

The singer has also spoken about the intense bullying she endured growing up, saying in past interviews that she was suicidal as a child and that being believed and supported by her parents was crucial to her survival. In a 2022 video conversation, she recalled becoming a “joke” on German TV after early documentary appearances and said that the experience made her retreat into her room and focus on music as an escape.

Regret, pride, and blurred boundaries

Petras’s choice of the word “regret” in her latest remarks has drawn attention because she has often expressed pride in her transition and in advocating for access to care, even while criticizing how media framed her story. In the new coverage, she stresses that she still believes she made “the right choices” about her transition and remains proud of them “to this day,” underscoring that her misgivings are about exposure and privacy rather than about being transgender or accessing gender-affirming care.

PinkNews reports that Petras describes a tension between her desire to help other transgender people by sharing her story and the way media attention turned her into a symbol or target at a very young age. She has said in earlier interviews that as a teenager she participated in multiple documentaries because she “wanted to help people” and believed she had a responsibility to be a visible example for others without supportive families.

At the same time, Petras has described how that visibility could feel like a loss of control, noting that headlines often reduced her to her transition and that some doctors and commentators scrutinized her body rather than her wellbeing. In the FADER interview, she connects those early experiences to a broader worry about how much of herself to share now, saying she still wrestles with how to talk about being transgender in interviews without having it overshadow her work or alienate parts of the transgender community.

“A weird climate… especially about trans kids”

Petras’s reflections are also explicitly tied to current debates about transgender youth, particularly in the United States, where she now lives and works. PinkNews notes that she told The FADER that “now that in America, there’s so much shame around sex” and that sexual education is treated as taboo, which she contrasted with her childhood straightforwardness about her transition.

She described the current atmosphere as a “weird climate right now especially about trans kids in particular,” adding that “they’re the enemy right now,” a phrase she used to capture how transgender children and adolescents have become focal points in political and media conflicts. While the interview does not delve into specific legislation, multiple U.S. states in recent years have proposed or enacted restrictions on access to gender-affirming care for minors, a backdrop that informs the resonance of her comments.

By revisiting her own early experiences in the public eye, Petras pointed to questions about how much pressure is placed on transgender children to explain themselves and to serve as spokespersons, particularly when political rhetoric frames them as a problem to be solved rather than as young people entitled to privacy and care. Her comments highlight that, for some transgender adults, looking back on childhood media exposure can involve complicated feelings—gratitude for the support that made transition possible, pride in surviving and thriving, and discomfort about how much of their story became public property before they were fully able to consent.

From early advocate to Grammy winner

Beyond the current discussion, Petras has become one of the most prominent transgender pop artists in the world, achieving mainstream recognition with the 2022 single “Unholy,” a collaboration with Sam Smith that later won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. In her Grammy acceptance speech, she thanked her mother for believing her when, as a child, she told her family she was a girl, emphasizing that this support helped keep her alive.

Throughout her career, Petras has alternated between foregrounding and downplaying her trans identity in her public persona, noting in a 2020 interview that she initially tried not to talk about it in order to avoid having her artistry reduced to her gender. She has said she later re-evaluated that approach after hearing from LGBTQ+ fans who felt let down by the lack of explicit acknowledgment, describing the balance between visibility and privacy as “a very hard” one.

In music interviews over the past few years, Petras has explained that she wants her songs to offer escape and joy, especially for young LGBTQ+ listeners who may be dealing with bullying or family rejection, mirroring the way pop music helped her when she felt isolated at school. The decision to address her trans identity more directly on *Detour* appears to be part of this evolving relationship with her own story, as she experiments with ways to be honest about her past without re-opening the harms of earlier media scrutiny.

What her comments mean for debates on youth visibility

Petras’s remarks do not directly prescribe policy or speak for all transgender people, but they highlight several themes that recur in discussions about young people’s rights and representation. First, her distinction between regretting blurred privacy and affirming the correctness of her transition underscores that regret about exposure is different from regret about being transgender or accessing care.

Second, her memories of being turned into a symbol or spectacle as a teen resonate with concerns raised by advocates who caution that media and political narratives can instrumentalize transgender children, either to advance restrictive agendas or to seek inspirational stories, without fully centering their safety and autonomy. Third, her characterization of the U.S. climate as one where trans kids are treated as “the enemy” reflects worries among LGBTQ+ organizations about the impact of hostile rhetoric on young people’s mental health and willingness to seek support.

As discussion of her FADER interview circulates, Petras’s story offers a high-profile example of how a transgender child’s early decision—or opportunity—to speak publicly can shape the rest of their life, in both empowering and painful ways. Her reflections invite ongoing questions for families, journalists, and policymakers about how to ensure that transgender children who choose visibility can do so with informed consent, robust support, and the option to reclaim privacy as they grow up.

Melanie C said it “was assumed or suggested that I was gay,” making clear she did not personally mind people thinking she might be queer, but she objected to how those conclusions were based entirely on appearance and clothing. She described it as “a bit s—” that commentators and sections of the media felt able to label her sexuality without knowing her, adding that who someone dates is “none of their friggin’ business.”

A history of speculation and stereotyping

Melanie C’s latest remarks sit within a much longer history of public and tabloid speculation about her sexuality dating back to the late 1990s, when short hair, tattoos and a muscular build led some outlets to insist she must be a lesbian. In earlier interviews from that period, she expressed anger that such coverage both stereotyped lesbians and branded her a liar when she said she was straight, arguing that journalists were projecting a narrow idea of how lesbian and bisexual women “should” look.

Over time, Melanie C has reflected on how that scrutiny affected her while also acknowledging that it helped deepen her connection with LGBTQ+ communities. In a 2022 interview promoting her memoir The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl, she said she had come to “love” that people once assumed she was a lesbian because it gave her “an affinity with the gay community,” even though she had previously felt frustrated by being forced to constantly rebut claims about her orientation.

From ‘accusations’ to changing culture

In recent years, Melanie C has described how the tone around sexuality speculation has shifted, especially compared with how tabloids treated rumours in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She has said that coverage of her during the height of the Spice Girls framed being gay almost like an “accusation,” whereas similar gossip today is often less overtly hostile, reflecting broader cultural changes around LGBTQ+ acceptance in mainstream entertainment.

Nonetheless, she continues to call out the idea that spectators are entitled to demand labels from public figures or to speculate aggressively about their identity. In a 2021 interview, Melanie C criticised what she described as dehumanising lines of questioning about her sexuality and relationship status, arguing that “whoever you want to sleep with is nobody’s business apart from your own and the person you want to sleep with,” a stance that aligns with her more recent comments about privacy on Mitch Churi’s show.

Allyship, Pride stages and trans-inclusive advocacy

Alongside clarifying her own sexuality, Melanie C has repeatedly emphasised her role as an ally, particularly to LGBTQ+ fans who grew up with the Spice Girls and to transgender and non-binary people facing discrimination. She has performed at multiple Pride events worldwide, including WorldPride in New York and celebrations in São Paulo, often appearing with British queer performance collective Sink The Pink and explicitly dedicating her sets to trans and non-binary communities.

In a 2019 interview, she said that touring with Sink The Pink had opened her eyes to the scale of transphobia, including hate crimes and systemic barriers, especially in the UK. She spoke about learning from transgender performers and community members, stressing that people must be able to live as who they truly are rather than being forced into “miserable” or secret lives, and she has carried that message into later Pride appearances and interviews.

The Spice Girls’ LGBTQ+ legacy

Melanie C has also regularly linked her personal journey with sexuality rumours to the broader LGBTQ+ following that the Spice Girls developed from the mid‑1990s onward. She has said that although the group’s original “Girl Power” slogan focused on girls and young women, the band quickly realised they were also resonating with gay men, lesbians and other queer fans, many of whom had not yet come out and found something affirming in the group’s message of inclusivity and self‑expression.

In interviews, she has described how the Spice Girls moved from talking solely about girl power to promoting a more general ethos of acceptance, saying that the group never took its LGBTQ+ fanbase for granted and always tried to be visibly welcoming. That legacy continues to influence how Melanie C approaches questions about her own identity, as she balances correcting misconceptions with a clear message that no one should be shamed or stereotyped for being gay, bi, trans, non-binary or queer.

Challenging the ‘look’ of sexuality

At the heart of Melanie C’s recent clarification is a wider critique of the way popular culture still associates certain styles of dress, body types or gender expressions with particular sexual orientations. Her experience shows how women and non-binary people who present in an athletic, androgynous or “tomboyish” way are often labelled by others, sometimes even when they have not discussed their sexuality publicly or are still working it out for themselves.

By drawing attention to how unfair it felt to be defined by clothing and haircuts, Melanie C has amplified a message that many LGBTQ+ advocates have long stressed: that there is no single way to “look” lesbian, bisexual, queer or straight. Her insistence that assumptions about sexuality are both intrusive and outdated sits alongside an ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ rights, visible in her performances at Pride events, collaborations with queer artists and outspoken support for transgender people’s safety and dignity.

The CBS Mornings co‑anchor, 71, told Cooper that speculation about a supposed secret romance with Winfrey, 72, has followed them for much of their nearly 50‑year friendship. On the podcast, King reiterated that the rumors do not reflect reality, while also emphasizing that there is nothing inherently negative about people assuming someone might be gay or lesbian.

‘It used to really bother me’

King recalled that the speculation intensified in the 1990s after her divorce from ex‑husband William Bumpus, when a tabloid story suggested she and Winfrey were “secretly gay” and implied that was the reason for the split. The broadcaster told Cooper that the coverage, including a report in The National Enquirer, deeply affected her, saying, “It used to really bother me,” particularly because she was navigating life as a newly single woman at the time.

King explained that headlines portraying her as being in a secret relationship with Winfrey made dating more complicated, sharing that people sometimes assumed she was not interested in men. She quoted herself as having told Winfrey at the time, “It’s hard enough for me to get a date on a Saturday night and now people think I’m a lesbian,” underscoring how tabloid narratives can shape perceptions of someone’s identity and romantic availability.

Over time, King said she learned to tune out gossip and speculation, telling Cooper that she has reached a stage in life where “very few things get to me” and that she no longer lets such rumors dictate how she feels about herself or her friendships. Even so, she acknowledged that people continue to make insinuations about her relationship with Winfrey, noting that some still say they believe there is “truth” to the rumors, comments she said she now chooses to ignore.

‘If we were gay, we would tell you’

In her conversation with Cooper, King delivered one of the interview’s most quoted lines when she said, “Number one, if we were gay, we would tell you because, believe me, there’s nothing wrong with it.” She then added, “It’s just, I prefer a man,” clarifying her own orientation while affirming that being gay or lesbian is not something she views negatively.

Multiple outlets highlighted King’s insistence that she and Winfrey have never tried to hide who they are, and that if their relationship were romantic rather than platonic, they would be open about it. Her comments also echoed a long‑standing message from both women that they support LGBTQ+ people while asserting that their own relationship is a deep, non‑romantic friendship.

King’s phrasing, specifically her emphasis that there is “nothing wrong” with being gay, drew attention from LGBTQ+ media outlets that framed her remarks as both a rejection of false assumptions and an affirmation of lesbian and gay identities. At the same time, she remained clear about her own preferences, reiterating during the episode that she is interested in men and discussing what she looks for in a male partner.

A difference in how King and Winfrey handled the rumors

Throughout the interview, King contrasted her response to the rumors with Winfrey’s more hands‑off approach, describing how the two women disagreed about whether to confront the speculation publicly. King said she once asked Winfrey to address the allegations directly on The Oprah Winfrey Show, arguing that a clear statement could help counter narratives that were hurting her dating prospects.

According to King, Winfrey declined to make such a statement, telling her, “No, we should just leave it be,” a response King said led to back‑and‑forth disagreements between the two friends on how best to handle the gossip. King recounted telling Winfrey, “That’s fine for you to say. You have somebody. I don’t,” pointing out that Winfrey’s long‑term relationship with businessman Stedman Graham meant she did not face the same assumptions in the dating world.

Winfrey has previously denied being a lesbian in other interviews, including a widely reported conversation with journalist Barbara Walters years earlier, where she said she was not a lesbian and had been in a committed relationship with Graham since the 1980s. While Winfrey did not participate in the new podcast episode, King’s recollections suggest that their strategy, at least at the time, was to avoid amplifying rumors by responding directly to them in the media.

Friendship, public fascination and LGBTQ+ narratives

King and Winfrey’s friendship, which dates back to their early careers in local television in Baltimore, has been a frequent subject of public fascination, with their close bond often celebrated in media while also fueling speculation about whether they were more than friends. On *Call Her Daddy*, host Alex Cooper suggested that some of the rumors appear rooted in discomfort with “genuine gorgeous female friendship,” a remark that points to how societal expectations can blur the line between close companionship and romantic interest, especially among women.

Coverage of King’s remarks has also unfolded against a broader cultural backdrop in which public figures’ sexual orientations are frequently scrutinized online, sometimes in ways that can affirm visibility for LGBTQ+ people and sometimes in ways that feel invasive or reductive. In this instance, King’s comments simultaneously reject a false narrative about her own life and underscore that identifying as gay or lesbian is not, in her view, a slur or a scandal, but simply one of many valid ways people can experience love and connection.

King also described how she personally handles intrusive attention, saying she does not want to hide from paparazzi “like some criminal” and would rather walk past them without comment than be ushered out a back door. That approach, she suggested, allows her to maintain a sense of agency and transparency without feeling obligated to respond to every rumor or headline that arises.

For many LGBTQ+ audiences, the story lands at the intersection of two dynamics: longstanding underrepresentation of lesbian and queer women in mainstream media, and a tendency to speculate about the orientation of women whose deep friendships do not conform to narrow gender norms. King’s insistence that she respects gay and lesbian people while clearly naming her own identity offers one example of how public figures can respond when their lives become a canvas for others’ assumptions.

Looking ahead: living openly, on her own terms

As King continues to co‑anchor CBS Mornings and pursue other media projects, her latest comments suggest she intends to live with openness about her relationships without letting old narratives define them. She emphasized that she has reached a point where, while rumors still circulate, they no longer have the power to cause the distress they did in the years immediately following her divorce.

For Winfrey, who has been with Stedman Graham for nearly four decades, the long‑running intrigue about her and King’s relationship has become just one thread in a much larger public life, one that has included earlier denials of being a lesbian while expressing support for LGBTQ+ equality. King’s latest reflections show how, even years later, such speculation can shape the experience of women whose closest relationships defy easy categorization—and how those women can reclaim the narrative in their own words.

The set, staged on the TSX Stage above the intersection of Broadway and 47th Street, effectively turned one of the world’s busiest crossroads into a sprawling, open-air nightclub as thousands of people danced beneath the screens. Organizers partnered with LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr for the show, which was billed as “Grindr Presents: Madonna LIVE in New York” and livestreamed globally via Grindr and YouTube.

Setlist: old anthems and new confessions

Madonna’s Times Square appearance ran roughly 15 minutes and featured a six‑song set that blended dance classics from Confessions on a Dance Floor with new material from Confessions II. Multiple outlets report that she performed “Hung Up,” “Get Together,” and “I Love New York” from the 2005 album alongside new tracks “I Feel So Free,” “Bring Your Love,” and “Love Sensation” from the upcoming release.

Madonna opened with “I Feel So Free,” with long‑time collaborator and producer Stuart Price on turntables behind her, underscoring the sonic continuity between the two Confessions eras. She also used the platform to debut “Love Sensation,” which UK outlet Attitude identifies as her new single, confirming that the Times Square event functioned both as a Pride celebration and a major album rollout moment.

Throughout the show, screens around the square pulsed with rainbow lighting and pulsing visuals synchronized to the music, emphasizing the concert’s club‑like atmosphere despite being staged in a public thoroughfare. Reporters on the scene described Times Square as a “massive dance floor,” with fans and unsuspecting tourists alike turning the area into an impromptu club as they sang along and recorded the performance on their phones.

Pride messaging and LGBTQ+ tributes

Beyond the spectacle, the concert was framed explicitly as a Pride Month celebration and a salute to LGBTQ+ communities who have long formed the core of Madonna’s audience. Multiple outlets report that Madonna greeted the crowd with variations on “Hi, gays” and “C’mon, gays,” later expanding the salutation to “Come on gays, girls, guys, dolls. Happy Pride!” as she acknowledged the diversity of people gathered below.

As she performed, enormous digital displays around Times Square showed images of LGBTQ+ trailblazers, including transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson, artist Keith Haring, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, situating the event within a longer history of queer and trans resistance and creativity. Footage and eyewitness accounts describe the rainbow-lit stage and Pride flag imagery washing the venue in color, highlighting a visual commitment to inclusion alongside the musical celebration.

At one point, Madonna is reported to have flipped the venue lights into the colors of the Pride flag while a montage of Pride’s “radical, riotous roots” played across the screens, linking the performance to the legacy of LGBTQ+ uprisings and organizing. The imagery dovetailed with Grindr’s positioning of the night as an evening of “pure queer joy,” with promotional materials inviting people to “grab your friends, turn up the volume, and join us for a night of music, celebration, and pure queer joy.”

Partnership with Grindr and the making of ‘The Square’

The Times Square event was the latest and most visible installment in Madonna’s partnership with Grindr, which has included app-based teasers and livestream announcements leading up to the release of Confessions II. According to coverage of the show, Grindr notified users about the pop‑up only shortly before it began, helping create a sense of urgency and spontaneity as fans rushed to the site.

The performance also served to unveil “The Square,” described as a new entertainment and events space integrated into the TSX digital billboard in Times Square, designed to host live performances above street level. Reports indicate that the hidden stage, concealed behind what appeared to be a standard high‑resolution display, opened at approximately 6:27 p.m. Eastern Time, revealing Madonna to the crowd and instantly reconfiguring the square into a performance venue.

Grindr’s first‑ever global livestream of a major artist performance allowed people unable to attend in person to participate digitally, reflecting the increasing role of LGBTQ+-focused platforms in hosting large‑scale cultural events. Clips from the performance have since circulated widely on social media and news platforms, amplifying both Pride messaging and anticipation for Confessions II.

Album rollout and what comes next

Confessions II is scheduled for release on July 3, 2026, framed as a direct sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor and continuing the dance‑forward, club‑inspired sound that defined the earlier album. Coverage notes that the Times Square show formed part of a broader rollout that has included teasers on Grindr, a strong visual identity echoing the original Confessions era, and strategic Pride Month alignment to reach queer and transgender listeners worldwide.

Throughout the event, Madonna wore outfits that referenced Pride symbolism, with at least one report noting a look incorporating pink, blue, and white—the colors of the transgender flag—paired with a silver crop jacket and blue-tinted glasses. Other descriptions emphasize a pink corset, thigh‑high stockings, and silver lace‑up boots, underscoring the performance’s club aesthetic and the artist’s continuing embrace of bold, gender‑playful fashion.

One widely cited estimate suggests that approximately 50,000 people experienced the show in person in Times Square, either watching directly from the plaza or catching glimpses from surrounding streets, though precise attendance figures have not been independently confirmed across all outlets. Regardless of exact numbers, visual evidence and reporter accounts indicate a dense, enthusiastic crowd that included local residents, LGBTQ+ community members, and international visitors drawn into the moment by the spectacle overhead.

As the set concluded, Madonna thanked the crowd and wished them a happy Pride, closing the brief but highly visible concert with a message that echoed her long‑standing support for LGBTQ+ equality. For many fans, both in Times Square and watching via Grindr and YouTube, the performance functioned as an unofficial opening ceremony for Pride Month 2026, blending protest history, queer joy, and a new chapter in Madonna’s dance‑music catalogue.

On The Lost Tour, Bridgers and her team are extending that policy to some of the largest rooms she has headlined to date, requiring fans to store phones and other devices in Yondr pouches for the duration of the performance. Organizers say the approach is aimed at minimizing recording, curbing distraction, and restoring focus to the live exchange between artist and audience, an experience that can be particularly meaningful for LGBTQ+ listeners who often find affirmation and community at Bridgers’ shows.

From secret club shows to MSG

The arena announcement caps a month‑long run of under‑the‑radar club dates that quietly marked Bridgers’ return to solo performing. Throughout May 2026, she played a series of surprise, mostly acoustic shows in small venues across the United States, including cities such as Roswell, New Mexico; Lubbock, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Jackson, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; Macon, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Lexington, Kentucky; Huntington, West Virginia; Toledo, Ohio; Champaign, Illinois; Bloomington, Indiana; Davenport, Iowa; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Fargo, North Dakota.

Those pop‑up shows were often advertised via simple flyers and word of mouth, with strict “no recording devices” policies that required attendees to seal their phones before entering, mirroring the system that would later be used in New York. Fans who attended reported that Bridgers performed a mix of previously released songs and new, unreleased material, making the small shows an early laboratory for music expected to feature on a forthcoming project.

Madison Square Garden served as the culminating statement of this low‑key comeback phase. The June 4 concert, presented in collaboration with streaming platform TIDAL as “TIDAL Presents: Phoebe Bridgers at Madison Square Garden,” was billed as her first New York City show since 2022 and sold out under a lottery‑based ticket system.

$1 tickets and immigration justice

To gain access to the MSG show, fans registered for a lottery that offered tickets priced between $1 and $20, with all proceeds designated for the Community Justice Exchange’s Immigration Bond Freedom Fund, which helps secure the release of people in immigration detention while their cases move through the system. Registration was open until late on June 1, with successful applicants notified the following day and digital tickets distributed on or before the day of the show, a structure designed to limit scalping and keep prices accessible.

Coverage from outlets including LATF USA and Grimy Goods emphasized that fans could purchase up to two tickets at the low price tiers, reinforcing an attempt to reach a broad cross‑section of listeners rather than an elite subset of superfans. For queer and immigrant communities, as well as LGBTQ+ immigrants and asylum seekers, the partnership signaled a high‑visibility alignment with legal support work that aims to reduce detention and promote due process, though the specific demographic breakdown of attendees has not been publicly reported.

Inside the venue, attendees were asked to place phones, smartwatches, smart glasses, cameras, and other recording devices into Yondr pouches, which remained in their possession but could only be unlocked at designated stations outside the seating bowl. Organizers described the night as a “phone‑free” event from the outset, and local listings warned that there would be no mobile use allowed in the arena, meaning the usual stream of concert footage on social media was replaced by post‑show recollections.

Inside The Lost Tour: dates, support, and ticketing

The Lost Tour is scheduled to begin in September 2026, with North American arena dates in cities including Chicago, Columbus, and Brooklyn before continuing through Europe and the United Kingdom in November and December. Among the U.S. stops listed are Chicago’s United Center on September 19, Nationwide Arena in Columbus on September 22, and back‑to‑back nights at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on September 25 and 26, with further cities outlined in tour announcements.

In North America, Bridgers will be joined by Alex G as a support act, while the European and U.K. leg is set to feature Isaac Wood, widely known for his work as the former frontperson of Black Country, New Road. Both openers come from adjacent indie and experimental rock circles, positioning the tour as an indie‑leaning package that may appeal broadly to young audiences, including LGBTQ+ listeners who have gravitated toward these artists’ emotionally direct songwriting.

The Fader reports that presale registration for tickets is open via Bridgers’ official channels through June 7 at 11:59 p.m. local time, with registered fans gaining access to purchase windows on June 9 and 10. Stereogum notes that, similar to the MSG show, the tour will also include a philanthropic component: $1 from each ticket sold is slated to be donated to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network , a prominent U.S. organization focused on supporting survivors of sexual violence.

Phone‑free policy at scale

The Lost Tour extends the no‑phones concept trialed in small rooms and at MSG to a full arena and international level, with all shows set to employ Yondr pouches or similar technology. Secret London notes that the London date, part of the European leg, will follow the same rules as the U.S. concerts, with fans barred from filming or using phones during the performance.

This approach situates Bridgers within a small but visible group of high‑profile artists experimenting with phone‑free tours, a trend that has drawn mixed reactions but has also resonated with concertgoers who say it can make shows feel more intimate, even in large arenas. For queer and transgender fans who often describe concerts as safer or more affirming spaces than their day‑to‑day environments, a device‑free policy can heighten the sense of shared presence while reducing the fear of being filmed without consent, although individual experiences will vary.

A return after three quieter years

High Road Touring’s artist biography notes that Bridgers’ May 2026 club date at The Liberty in Roswell, New Mexico, was her first solo performance in nearly three years, following a period in which she was more publicly active with supergroup Boygenius than under her own name. The same write‑up cites reporting from Pitchfork indicating that she used that Roswell show to revisit songs such as “Motion Sickness,” “Kyoto,” and “Garden Song,” alongside new material introduced under the cloak of a strict no‑phones rule.

Wikipedia’s up‑to‑date discography summary corroborates the sequence of May pop‑up shows, including dates in Roswell, Lubbock, and Little Rock, where attendees said Bridgers premiered songs that have not yet appeared on streaming platforms. Neither the tour announcement nor the associated press materials explicitly confirm a release date or title for a new studio album, but the push toward a full arena tour, together with the debut of multiple unreleased songs, suggests that a larger body of work is in progress.

For LGBTQ+ audiences who have embraced Bridgers’ writing on grief, mental health, and identity, her return to headlining scale offers renewed opportunities to gather in visibly queer‑affirming spaces, from small Southern clubs to some of the world’s most prominent arenas. With The Lost Tour, Bridgers is pairing that emotional reach with a structural experiment in how big‑room concerts can look: cheap entry for at least one landmark show, a clear philanthropic component on the main run, and a steadfast refusal to let phones mediate the night.