Cohen and Sobieski attended the event to support musician John Mayer, whom Bravo described as Cohen’s close friend.

The pair posed together on the event’s navy-blue carpet, smiling with their arms around each other.

The appearance was reported as a milestone because Cohen and Sobieski had previously shared their relationship publicly online but had not formally appeared together on a red carpet.

People identified the event as a SiriusXM performance by Mayer in Amagansett and published a photograph of Cohen with Sobieski in its celebrity-photos coverage.

What They Wore

Cohen wore a long-sleeved denim shirt over a white T-shirt, along with light-wash jeans, according to Page Six.

Sobieski wore a black T-shirt and olive-green trousers for the occasion, the same report said.

The informal styling reflected the setting: the event was held in the Hamptons as part of Mayer’s intimate SiriusXM appearance rather than a major film, television or awards ceremony.

A local Hamptons report said Mayer was scheduled to perform at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, with Cohen participating in a pre-show conversation.

A Relationship Kept Private at First

The red-carpet appearance came approximately one year after Cohen and Sobieski began dating.

Bravo reported that the two met at a Fourth of July party in 2025.

Cohen had initially chosen to keep the relationship out of the public eye while the couple got to know each other, according to Page Six.

That report said Cohen described the relationship as developing “slow and deliberate.”

Cohen also reportedly said that Sobieski preferred a more low-key lifestyle, a factor he considered before discussing the relationship publicly.

Page Six reported that the couple became Instagram official in July, when Cohen posted a photograph from a date night with the caption “Date” followed by heart and lightning-bolt emojis.

Bravo placed that social-media post on July 18 and described it as a photograph from a dinner date in the Hamptons.

Cohen’s Public Profile

Cohen is the host of Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” a late-night television program associated with interviews and discussions about reality television.

He is also associated with the “Real Housewives” franchise as an executive producer, according to Page Six.

Page Six reported that Sobieski had not watched the “Real Housewives” series before dating Cohen.

The report also said Cohen had discussed Sobieski’s introduction to his children and described the relationship as having progressed without a major disagreement during its first year.

Those comments were reported in connection with Cohen’s SiriusXM program “Radio Andy.”

Why the Appearance Drew Attention

Celebrity relationships often attract heightened attention when a couple moves from limited social-media acknowledgment to a formal public appearance, and several outlets framed Cohen and Sobieski’s arrival as a new stage in their relationship.

Bravo used the phrase “red carpet official” to describe the appearance.

PinkNews likewise described the event as the couple’s red-carpet debut and reported that the two attended Mayer’s performance together.

The reports did not identify any announcement of an engagement, marriage or other change in the couple’s relationship status.

Instead, the documented development was the public nature of their joint appearance and the continuation of a relationship Cohen had previously characterized as private and intentional.

As of August 31, coverage from Bravo, Page Six, PinkNews and People consistently identified the August 26 event as Cohen and Sobieski’s first red-carpet appearance together.

Daisy Chain Fields united a women-led lineup boasting queer pop star Chappell Roan, breakout rapper Doechii and riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill behind issues of women's health, workplace protections and legal rights. Ahead of Saturday's festival in Irvine, California, Rodrigo announced the show had already raised enough to make a $10 million donation to 10 nonprofit partners including Planned Parenthood, National Women's Law Center and Black Mamas Matter Alliance.

Philanthropist Melinda French Gates pledged another $10 million through her Pivotal Ventures in a surprise appearance at the start of Rodrigo's set, praising her for "showing a new generation how much their voices matter."

Rodrigo said the festival's artists and activists give her hope despite the “regression of women's rights” today.

“That's actually why I fell in love with the name ‘Daisy Chain,'” she said Friday. "It served as a reminder of how individual parts can come together to create something strong and unbreakable."

Rodrigo, 23, has made a name channeling the rage and dissatisfaction of modern romance into chart-topping songs that are equal parts Taylor Swift and Alanis Morissette. Now, she looks to bridge the gap between Gen Z and nonprofits, which have struggled to build relationships with younger donors who tend to prefer informal ways of giving.

The connection is not lost on Daisy Chain Fields attendees.

“People don’t join together and mobilize unless they feel connected to the group that is mobilizing," said Grace Slevin, 24. "What’s better than music?”

All-star benefit concerts have proven popular for driving millions of dollars toward everything from refugee relief to pandemic response. But it's been decades since a young artist with Rodrigo's following brought her peers together for gender justice.

That focus comes as President Donald Trump attempts to overhaul family planning grants that reproductive health clinics use to provide birth control and treat sexually transmitted infections. His administration paused $27.5 million last year for such organizations, including some Planned Parenthood affiliates, before officials agreed to restore the money.

For Slevin, an Orange County, California, resident who does anti-sex-trafficking advocacy, Daisy Chain Fields embodies the sentiment of “be who you needed when you were younger." She loves that attendees are welcome to learn about the beneficiaries' work in addition to donating.

Nonprofit partners engaged with fans in Daisy Chain Fields' “philanthropy village.” Festivalgoers collected pins from booths as they learned about health services from Planned Parenthood or pay tribute to caregivers through the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

An art installation by the Guerilla Girls, anonymous artist activists, invited fans to air their grievances on chalkboards. Handwritten responses included “PROTECT QUEER KIDS!” and “Put women in charge and pay us more!!!” as well as “ICE OUT!” and “ABORTION RIGHTS 4 ALL.”

Younger generations expect a level of authenticity beyond a “pseudo-sort-of-progressiveness,” Slevin said.

“They can see just how deeply intertwined the music is with the cause," she said. "It’s not just, like, a second thought.”

Do you get déjà vu? Rodrigo's effort recalls '90s feminist push

Rodrigo took inspiration from Lilith Fair, the all-women festival that raised $10 million for charity from 1997 to 1999. Sarah McLachlan, who founded the show to dispel the music industry’s notion they couldn't book women consecutively, performed with Rodrigo Saturday.

Planned Parenthood National Director of Arts and Entertainment Caren Spruch recalled working on Lilith Fair, adding that concert outreach is an important tool to reach people "where they are.”

That culture-shifting work grows more important during times like this, she acknowledged, when abortion clinics are closing in restrictive states and anti-abortion groups are pushing the courts to limit access to drugs most commonly used in abortion.

Rodrigo, Spruch said, talks about those topics with “no shame or stigma.” As she did with other nonprofits, the three-time Grammy winner appeared in informational videos on Planned Parenthood's social media.

“All of that does so much to help us normalize the whole range of reproductive health and rights," Spruch said.

Intergenerational change

Melissa Shaw, 33, drove to the festival from Tucson, Arizona, with her 8-year-old daughter.

They didn't plan to spend the day camped out for close-up views. Shaw wanted to let her daughter ask questions as they explored the nonprofits and visited art installations. She appreciates that Rodrigo is not only promoting well-known organizations such as Planned Parenthood, but also groups focused specifically on Black maternal health or baby formula access.

“It’s really important for me as a parent to expose my daughter to celebrities who set that example," Shaw said.

To her, the lineup seemed intentionally curated to attract multiple generations. Her daughter loves Rodrigo and Roan, and she herself grew up listening to Bikini Kill and fellow performer Santigold. She saw many mother-daughter duos sharing their festival plans online.

The festival's nonprofit partners were eager to join that multigenerational community of women, too.

“At a time when decisions about our bodies, our health, our safety and our futures are being made for us not by us, a day built around care and community is its own kind of statement,” FreeFrom founder Sonya Passi said in a statement.

National Domestic Workers Alliance President Ai-jen Poo said the festival's joyful atmosphere serves as a “powerful reminder to women everywhere of all ages that, no matter what, we have each other.”

Her organization works to ensure federal workplace protections for domestic workers, who are disproportionately women and immigrant women. She wants to recruit more young people, many of whom she said are worried they can't afford to take care of their loved ones or start families.

“The only way change happens is through intergenerational connection and movements in our country," she said. "This generation of young people has the opportunity to really change how we support caregiving for future generations.”

Philanthropy takes center stage

Organizers vowed to work with nonprofit partners to put the grants toward their most urgent and underresourced needs.

Newer nonprofits also appreciated the opportunity to expand their networks. Black Mamas Matter Alliance co-founder Angela Doyinsola Aina said the nonprofit, just 10 years old, reached people who wouldn't have otherwise encountered their work on Black maternal health.

For the National Women's Law Center, the gift offers flexibility to plug their own budgetary holes as they litigate sex discrimination cases. Uma Iyer, the nonprofit's chief external affairs officer, said the support also boosted staff morale.

“We work on really hard things every day,” she said. “It was really energizing for us and it’s been really uplifting.”

Including both everyday audiences and front-line workers in benefits is key, according to Farm Aid co-executive director Jennifer Fahy. The annual fundraising concerts — launched by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp to raise awareness of family farmers' challenges —- celebrated their 40th anniversary last year.

“It’s just wonderful to see an artist of that generation, that new young generation, who is embracing that opportunity that exists to do these kinds of events, to share the stage and microphone to highlight issues that are important to the artist," Fahy said.

Singh is being presented by the BBC and LGBTQ+ media outlets as the first Sikh South Asian queen to compete on the UK edition of the international drag competition.

The 36-year-old Manchester performer is one of 12 contestants seeking the title of the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar.

The full cast comprises Alik, Anita Piss, Coral-Hole Mandi, The Delta Quadrant, Flesh, KY Kelly, Lucky Roy Singh, ma_danni_x, Mocha, Naya Thorn, Paris Baby and Tequila Thirst.

The BBC’s official introduction describes Singh as a Punjabi performer from Manchester whose drag combines Bollywood and Punjabi influences.

“Wake up United Kingdom, your Maharani has arrived!” Singh says in the BBC’s cast profile.

Singh describes the character’s aesthetic as an “East meets West” celebration of culture, heritage and history, alongside glamour and playfulness.

Premiere details

Series eight is due to begin on BBC iPlayer at 7 p.m. on 3 September 2026, followed by a BBC Three broadcast at 9 p.m.

The BBC released a “Meet the Queens” preview featuring the new cast on 11 August.

The programme will place Singh’s work and public profile before a broad television audience at a time when representation of South Asian LGBTQ+ people remains a central part of the performer’s activism.

Singh told Attitude that receiving the distinction of being the first Sikh South Asian queen on the programme was “insanely honourable.”

An established activist and community organiser

The television casting builds on Singh’s existing career as a performer, organiser and LGBTQ+ rights campaigner.

Singh is the mother of the House of Spice, a community and artist hub for South Asian and Middle Eastern performers and activists.

The performer has also worked with the UK Government on forced-marriage protection orders, according to an interview published by *Attitude*.

In 2023, Singh hosted and curated Manchester Pride’s first Queer Asian Takeover.

The Manchester event was designed to give LGBTQ+ people of Asian heritage an opportunity to present their artistry and culture within the festival.

The programme included more than 22 performers and collectives, including the House of Spice, Val The Brown Queen, Club Zindagi and Gracie T, with DJ Gok Wan as headliner.

Singh told ITV News that personal experiences of racism had helped motivate the project.

“It’s really important to see people like myself on stage,” Singh said, adding that visible representation could help younger people understand that it is acceptable to be queer and to identify as themselves.

Representation and expectations

Singh has linked the Drag Race UK opportunity to the British South Asian community.

Gaydio reported that Singh said winning the competition would mean a great deal to British South Asian people.

The casting is significant because it places Sikh South Asian drag at the centre of one of the UK’s most visible LGBTQ+ television franchises, while also connecting Singh’s performance career with community-focused advocacy.

Singh has previously spoken publicly about the importance of LGBTQ+ history and representation in education.

In that 2025 interview, ITV News identified Singh as a non-binary LGBTQ+ campaigner from Manchester and reported the performer’s call for more LGBTQ+ stories to be taught in schools.

For the competition itself, Singh told Attitude that viewers could expect “chaos,” culture, feistiness, twists and turns.

Singh also hinted at interpersonal conflict among the contestants, saying that some people “like to throw a stone and hide their hand.”

The remarks offer a preview of the reality-competition format but do not establish the outcome of Singh’s run, which will unfold after the series begins.

As of 28 August 2026, Singh’s confirmed place in the series is the major development: the Manchester performer is set to bring Punjabi, Sikh and broader South Asian cultural references to the Drag Race UK stage while competing alongside 11 other queens.

The museum described the project as a two-part exhibition presented by American Express. Its initial presentation will focus on the handmade production elements used in the music video, including sets, props and artwork associated with the song.

The announcement places the exhibition within a period of activity surrounding Rodrigo’s recently released album, 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love'. The museum’s announcement described Rodrigo as a three-time Grammy Award-winning artist and said the program would address the album, her creative process, her career and her upcoming tour.

What Visitors Will See

According to the museum’s announcement as reported by MyNewsLA, the exhibition will include Rodrigo’s nurse costume from the video, a miniature operating room and a beating felt heart. The presentation will also feature original storyboards, behind-the-scenes photographs and interactive photo opportunities.

Handwritten and hand-stitched artwork used for the album’s art and packaging will also be displayed. The museum has said the exhibition will later expand with previously unseen artifacts from other parts of Rodrigo’s career, although details of that expansion have not yet been announced.

Variety characterized the exhibition as a presentation of props, artwork and sets created for “the cure,” describing the music video as a major visual component of Rodrigo’s current album era. The museum’s materials emphasize the physical, handmade construction of the video’s visual environment rather than presenting only finished screen footage.

Rodrigo’s Museum Appearance

On September 1, the day before the exhibition’s public opening, Rodrigo is scheduled to participate in “An Evening With Olivia Rodrigo” at the museum’s Ray Charles Rooftop Terrace. The program is set to include a conversation with filmmaker Cameron Crowe and a special live performance.

The GRAMMY Museum lists the program for 7 p.m. Pacific time, with member check-in beginning at 5:30 p.m. and general doors opening at 6 p.m. The museum says attendees will be able to view the exhibition after the program.

The event is scheduled as an all-ages program. The Scene Star reported that the conversation will be followed by a short acoustic set and that proceeds will benefit the GRAMMY Museum’s music education programs.

Ticket Information

The museum’s event listing says American Express card members can access a presale beginning August 29 at 10:30 a.m. Variety reported that tickets for the September 1 conversation and performance would go on sale through the museum’s stated ticketing process, with the American Express presale taking place first.

The Scene Star reported that general ticket sales were scheduled to begin August 29 at noon Pacific time through Universe. Ticket availability and event details may change, and prospective attendees should rely on the GRAMMY Museum’s official listing for the latest information.

A Broader Look at Rodrigo’s Visual Work

The exhibition gives the GRAMMY Museum a way to document the physical design and construction behind one of Rodrigo’s music videos while the associated album remains part of her active performance cycle. The inclusion of costumes, miniature sets, storyboards, photographs and textile-based artwork is intended to show how the video’s visual identity was developed across multiple forms of production.

The museum has not yet provided details about which additional career artifacts will appear in the planned expansion. For now, the confirmed first phase will center on “the cure” and on the handmade materials used to create its accompanying video.

The September 1 appearance and September 2 opening connect a public conversation and performance with a longer-running museum presentation. Together, the events are scheduled to begin a nearly six-month exhibition examining the material work behind Rodrigo’s current visual project.

The film is set in the high-pressure world of professional cycling, where athletic ambition, competition and personal secrecy drive the story. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in fall 2026, and the specific roles for Gage and Akpobome have not yet been publicly disclosed.

The announcement is Gage’s latest confirmed film and television casting news following a highly active period in which he has appeared in or lined up prominent projects including The White Lotus, Companion, Smile 2, Road House, The People We Meet on Vacation, Rosebush Pruning, and Voicemails for Isabelle. His next major television project is the Prison Break revival series, which has progressed from a pilot to a full series order. Gage is set to star as a main character named Jackson, a politician from a wealthy background executing his first congressional campaign, alongside Emily Browning and Drake Rodger.

A Thriller About Professional Cycling

Pumping Black follows Taylor Mace, a 35-year-old professional cyclist who is beginning to age out of the sport. The character is taken under the guidance of Andrea Lathe, a doctor whose own pursuit of victory and power shapes the film’s conflict.

As Taylor’s campaign toward the Tour de France advances, he takes increasingly dark measures to protect a secret. Portman is attached to play Andrea Lathe, while Bailey is attached to play Taylor Mace.

The project has been described as being in the vein of Whiplash and Black Swan, two films associated with psychologically intense stories about performance, discipline and extreme ambition. The comparison describes the film’s tone and subject matter; it does not indicate that Pumping Black is connected to either earlier production.

The film’s cycling setting places its main conflict within an international sport whose most prominent race, the Tour de France, is central to the plot. The available descriptions do not identify whether the production will use real professional cycling teams, athletes or race locations.

Creative Team and Production

Mimi Cave is directing Pumping Black from a screenplay by Haley Hope Bartels. The producers are Stacey Sher for Shiny Penny, Cave, Sébastien Raybaud for Anton, alongside Portman and Sophie Mas for MountainA. Production is being lined up for fall 2026.

The project’s principal cast currently consists of Portman, Bailey, Gage and Akpobome. Neither Gage’s character nor Akpobome’s character has been publicly identified in the available coverage.

No release date has been announced for Pumping Black. The text also does not specify whether the film will receive a theatrical release, a streaming premiere or a combination of release formats.

Gage’s Expanding Screen Career

Gage became widely recognized for playing Dillon in the first season of The White Lotus. He has subsequently worked across film and television, including appearances in You, Euphoria, Fargo, The Last of Us, Road House, Smile 2 and Companion.

His recent projects have included Rosebush Pruning, directed by Karim Aïnouz and co-starring Elle Fanning, Callum Turner and Riley Keough, as well as the romantic comedy Voicemails for Isabelle. His attachment to the locked-in Prison Break series expands his upcoming slate alongside a recurring cast that recently added veterans like Sam Trammell and Sean Bridgers.

The new film adds another high-profile production to Gage’s announced slate while leaving the precise nature of his role undisclosed. Further information about his character, the remainder of the cast, filming locations and distribution plans will depend on later announcements from the filmmakers or production companies.

Crave announced that the series will premiere Friday, September 25, with its first two episodes, followed by a weekly release schedule of two episodes each Friday.

The announcement was accompanied by the series’ first trailer and key art, giving viewers an initial look at the show’s ensemble cast and mockumentary-style approach.

*Slo Pitch* is a half-hour comedy centered on the Brovaries, described by Crave as a lovable queer beer-league softball team attempting to overcome the odds and pursue a championship season.

The Brovaries’ Championship Bid

The story follows Coach Joanne Pico, played by Jess Salgueiro, after her long-term girlfriend ends their relationship and joins a rival softball team.

The breakup becomes a central motivation for Joanne, who decides to push the disorganized team toward a championship run despite its history of poor performance.

The series’ premise places romantic conflict, team rivalry and queer community life within the familiar setting of recreational sport.

The available descriptions identify the production as a fictional mockumentary rather than a documentary about a real softball league.

Cast and Creative Team

The announced cast includes Karen Knox, Gwenlyn Cumyn, Chelsea Muirhead, Emma Hunter, Lane Webber, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah and Amanda Cordner.

Emily Hampshire, known for Schitt’s Creek, is also part of the cast and serves as an executive producer.

The series was created by J Stevens, Karen Knox and Gwenlyn Cumyn.

*Slo Pitch* is produced by Shaftesbury in association with Crave, Boss & Co and PageBoy Productions.

Page and Matt Jordan Smith are executive producers for PageBoy Productions, while Tuck Dowrey is credited as the company’s associate producer.

The production is the first project resulting from a development partnership between Bell Media and PageBoy Productions.

From Web Series to Television

The television project is based on a short-form Slo Pitch web series that began in 2020.

The original project was created by Stevens, Knox and Cumyn before being developed into a 10-episode series for Crave.

The adaptation’s mockumentary format follows the team as it pursues success while navigating the interpersonal tensions that come with belonging to a close-knit recreational league.

The project received participation from the Bell Media Fund, the Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates.

International Distribution

Crave also announced international distribution agreements for Slo Pitch.

Sky acquired the series for the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as for New Zealand, while HBO Max acquired it for Australia.

The agreements were secured through Sphere Abacus, a Bell Media company responsible for the distribution arrangements.

The currently announced rollout therefore covers Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.

In Canada, the series will be available through Crave beginning September 25.

Why the Announcement Matters

The release-date announcement moves Slo Pitch from development and production into a defined broadcast and streaming schedule.

For PageBoy Productions, the series represents an early television project under its collaboration with Bell Media and a production credit focused on an LGBTQ+ ensemble and story world.

For viewers, the trailer provides the first public preview of a scripted comedy built around queer characters whose relationships, friendships and ambitions are connected to a community sports setting.

The first two episodes of Slo Pitch are scheduled for Crave on September 25, with subsequent episodes planned for Fridays.

In an interview with sports columnist Charles Hallman, Bowens said he does not have a medial collateral ligament, commonly known as the MCL, in one knee and that the right side of his meniscus is torn.

He also said that surgeons had previously cleaned up his other meniscus and that he has experienced multiple diagnosed concussions, bruised nerves in his lower back and chronic neck pain.

“The physicality is very real,” Bowens said in the interview.

“I don’t have an MCL,” he continued, before listing the meniscus injury, previous surgery, diagnosed concussions, lower-back nerve damage and chronic neck pain.

Bowens said that after a match he can feel like “an older gentleman who’s been through it all” and can struggle to get out of bed.

The interview and its wider significance

The comments were reported in August after Bowens spoke with Hallman while AEW was promoting and staging wrestling events in Minneapolis.

Coverage of the interview focused partly on Bowens’s response to the idea that professional wrestling is “mostly fake.”

Professional wrestling generally involves predetermined storylines and match outcomes, but performers execute physically demanding maneuvers in front of live audiences.

Bowens’s account addressed that distinction from the perspective of a performer who remains active despite describing substantial orthopedic, neurological and pain-related problems.

The reports did not state that Bowens had been medically cleared by a physician to compete, nor did they provide independent medical records confirming each injury.

Accordingly, the reported medical details should be understood as Bowens’s own account of his health rather than as a new independent diagnosis.

Bowens’s AEW role

Bowens has been a regular AEW performer since signing with the company in November 2020, according to WrestleTalk’s report.

He became widely known as one half of The Acclaimed alongside Max Caster, with the team winning AEW’s World Tag Team Championship.

Recent coverage identified Bowens as a member of The Opps, a group associated with Samoa Joe, HOOK and Katsuyori Shibata.

His most recently reported match before the August coverage was a July 21 victory for The Opps on the “Beantown Beatdown” special of Ring of Honor, where Bowens teamed with HOOK and Shibata.

The available reports did not announce that Bowens was withdrawing from AEW competition or taking a medical leave.

They also did not specify when the MCL injury occurred, whether it was associated with a particular match, or whether the meniscus tear would require another procedure.

A separate conversation about LGBTQ+ visibility in sport

Bowens’s injury disclosures came during the same month that he spoke publicly about Heated Rivalry, a television hockey drama centered on closeted professional athletes.

In an interview with PinkNews, Bowens said the program showed “a very authentic side of what it’s like being a closeted athlete.”

He said the series captured the experience of having to hide one’s identity and the fear associated with that concealment, while adding that the amount of sexual content was different from his own expectations.

PinkNews reported that Bowens came out as gay in 2019.

That discussion places Bowens’s public career in two connected contexts: the physical demands of his work and his visibility as an openly gay professional wrestler.

His comments about Heated Rivalry were presented as his personal assessment of the show’s depiction of closeted athletes, rather than as a claim that the program documented his own life.

What remains unconfirmed

The August reporting established that Bowens described significant injuries and ongoing pain, but it did not establish the precise clinical status of his knees, neck, back or brain health.

No report reviewed for this article cited a statement from an AEW physician, an outside medical specialist or Bowens’s treatment team.

The coverage likewise did not provide a formal timeline for recovery, details of any planned surgery or an announcement about whether Bowens would change his wrestling schedule.

The central confirmed development is therefore Bowens’s own account that he is performing while managing multiple injuries, including the absence of an MCL and a torn meniscus.

Ruffin captioned the post, “JUST EN-GAY-GED!!” The wording referenced Ruffin’s public LGBTQ identity, which she shared in a Pride-related Instagram post in 2025.

According to Ruffin’s account, the couple was in Omaha listening to musician Chad Stoner, whom she identified in her post. Friends arrived one by one with roses while Stoner played one of the couple’s songs.

Ruffin wrote that Cleary-Hammarstedt got down on one knee and proposed first. Ruffin said she had anticipated that a proposal might happen and had brought a ring of her own, allowing her to propose in return. The Sun also reported that video from the evening showed Cleary-Hammarstedt proposing and Ruffin responding with her own proposal.

“Everyone screamed and gave the roses back to @kelsich!” Ruffin wrote, describing the reaction after the second proposal. She added that the couple then sang and danced through the night, rating the celebration “1000000/10.”

The couple’s public relationship

Ruffin and Cleary-Hammarstedt have been linked publicly since 2024, although Ruffin has generally shared limited details about the relationship. The Sun reported that Cleary-Hammarstedt uses they/them pronouns.

The engagement follows Ruffin’s previous marriage to Dutch artist Jan Schiltmeijer. People reported that the former couple had been married for 13 years and divorced in December 2023.

Ruffin publicly identified herself as queer in June 2024. In that post, NBC News reported, Ruffin used humor while expressing pride in her identity.

Ruffin’s entertainment career

Ruffin is a comedian, writer and television performer. She has worked as a writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2014, according to People.

She later hosted The Amber Ruffin Show, a late-night variety program that premiered on Peacock. NBC News described her as a former late-night television host in its report on her 2024 coming-out announcement.

Ruffin is also a team captain on the U.S. version of Have I Got News for You, according to People. The program is a news-comedy format in which performers discuss current events.

Her work has also included theater. NPR reported in February 2026 that Ruffin co-created Bigfoot! The Musical, an off-Broadway production developed with Kevin Sciretta. NPR described the musical as a story about belonging and people who have been treated as outsiders.

A celebration shared on Ruffin’s terms

The engagement announcement was presented through Ruffin’s own social-media account, with the comedian choosing to share both the proposal and the immediate celebration. The account characterized the event as mutual: Cleary-Hammarstedt proposed first, and Ruffin responded with a proposal of her own.

Neither the reports reviewed for this article specified a wedding date or location. The reports also did not state whether the couple has made additional wedding plans public.

For now, the confirmed news is the engagement itself and the unusual sequence that led to it: a proposal from Cleary-Hammarstedt, a counter-proposal from Ruffin, and a celebration with friends, roses, music, singing and dancing in Omaha.

The comments appear in a forthcoming episode of Tea with Judi Dench, a Sky Arts programme in which McKellen talks with fellow actor Dame Judi Dench about his life and career.

According to a preview reported by PinkNews, McKellen said he had reread letters from his father, Denis Murray McKellen, the night before recording the programme.

The letter McKellen discussed was written for his 21st birthday and conveyed affection, pride and reassurance, according to the actor’s account in the programme.

McKellen said he already understood his sexuality at 21 and described the discovery of accepting himself as one of the most important experiences of his life.

He also said that his father was one of the first people with whom he should have discussed it, but that he did not do so.

Reflecting on the years he spent hiding his sexuality from his family, McKellen characterized that silence as a waste of time and identified it as a lasting regret.

The Television Special

The episode is scheduled to air on Monday, August 31, on Sky Arts, Freeview and the streaming service NOW.

Sky’s official announcement says the programme will cover McKellen’s coming out, his role in opposition to Section 28 and his regret about never telling his parents the truth about himself.

The broadcaster described McKellen and Dench’s conversation as a discussion of their lives on stage and away from it.

A trailer released by Sky also presents the interview as a conversation about personal history, public advocacy and the choices that shaped McKellen’s life.

The programme’s focus on McKellen’s family experience places his comments within a broader account of coming out as a gay man while many LGBTQ+ people in Britain faced significant legal and social pressure.

Coming Out in the Context of Section 28

McKellen came out publicly as gay in 1988, the same year that Section 28 was introduced through the Local Government Act 1988.

Section 28 restricted local authorities from intentionally promoting homosexuality and prevented schools maintained by those authorities from presenting homosexuality as an acceptable family relationship.

The legislation was widely associated with the suppression of LGBTQ+ visibility and discussion in schools and public institutions.

McKellen has discussed his decision to come out as a public act during that period, when opposition to Section 28 became an important part of his activism.

The forthcoming programme will return to that activism alongside the more intimate subject of his relationship with his parents.

Public Advocacy and Private Regret

McKellen’s comments distinguish between public visibility and private disclosure: he became an outspoken gay public figure, but did not tell his parents about his sexuality before their deaths.

Sky’s announcement refers to both of McKellen’s parents when describing the regret explored in the episode.

PinkNews’ account focuses specifically on McKellen’s father and the birthday letter that prompted his reflection.

The episode therefore presents coming out not as a single public event, but as an experience involving self-acceptance, family relationships and the timing of personal disclosure.

McKellen’s account does not suggest that every LGBTQ+ person should come out to family members, and the reported comments are framed as his own reflection on a decision he wishes he had made.

That distinction is significant because coming out remains a personal decision shaped by safety, family circumstances and individual readiness.

Why the Interview Matters Now

The preview has drawn attention because it combines a well-known public story about LGBTQ+ activism with a previously private family regret.

McKellen’s appearance also places his personal history in a programme built around a conversation with Dench, a longtime colleague and fellow British theatre and screen performer.

The reported exchange offers a record of how McKellen now interprets his early understanding of his sexuality and the silence that surrounded it.

It also connects his personal story with the political conditions that helped make his public coming out consequential, including the campaign against Section 28.

The full conversation will be available when Tea with Judi Dench airs on August 31.