Arts & Entertainment
Actor T.J. Miller reportedly sent transphobic email to trans movie critic
the actor’s rep says he was ‘admittedly going through some things’
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
“Silicon Valley” actor T.J. Miller has been accused of sending a transphobic email to film critic Danielle Solzman.
Solzman, who is transgender, told the Huffington Post that she became friends with Miller in 2010. They grew close and Solzman came out to him as transgender in November 2015. At the time, Solzman says Miller was supportive.
Solzman says she saw a transphobic joke on Miller’s personal website and emailed him to say, “It’s very offensive.”
Miller replied to the email addressing Solzman as “Daniel,” a “tranny,” a fu*king asshole” and a “weird strange terrible man.”
“You have merely confirmed what I always knew,” the email reads. “This pursuit of transgender identity is nothing more than an opportunity for you to distinguish yourself as someone who is special, but what is really special is how retarded it is that you would ever think to attack me or say that I’ve been offensive.”
“If you bothered to look into anything that I’ve ever done you would find in not only have I had sex with transgender people, but I have donated widely to organizations that support their freedom,” Miller continues.
“I honestly don’t know what changed,” Solzman told the Huffington Post. However, she credits Miller starring in “The Emoji Movie” as a possible factor for his change in behavior.
Miller is also facing sexual misconduct allegations from two women. One woman, a former college classmate from his alma mater George Washington University, accuses Miller of sexually assaulting and punching her when they were dating in 2001. Adult-film star Dana DeArmond also accused Miller of harassing her on the set of the Comedy Central series “Mash Up” in 2012.
Both he and his wife Kate Gorney have denied the accusations.
Solzman released the letter in September but fearing legal action did not disclose who sent it. In the wake of the allegations, Solzman came forward.
I got this email in early August. I stayed quiet and while it’s redacted, I’m too scared to name them for fear of legal threats against me. pic.twitter.com/J2kA5t1vW7
— Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM) September 27, 2017
yes
— Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM) December 19, 2017
Miller’s rep told the Huffington Post that Miller isn’t transphobic but was “admittedly going through some things.”
“This is not about him not liking transgender people,” the rep says. “It’s about a specific issue he has with this person. Earlier that day he mentioned how much he supports that person.”
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(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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