Arts & Entertainment
Gay son from ‘RHONJ’ says dad won’t pay tuition because of his sexuality
Jim Marchese has a history of homophobia
Former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Amber Marchese’s stepson, James Michael Marchese, is claiming that his father Jim Marchese refuses to pay for his college tuition because he is gay.
The 18-year-old, who goes by the name Michael, has started a GoFundMe to raise money for his college tuition. On the GoFundMe page, Michael says his issues with his father began when his father discovered he was gay in 2018 and kicked him out of the house. Michael and his brother Sebastian, 17, moved in with their mother, Rebecca Grande.
“Since this time, my father has been slowly cutting ties with me until I ‘live according to his standards.’ Essentially, this meant – and still means – that I have to be ‘straight’ and date women while ‘admitting’ that I chose to be gay,” Michael writes. “With this, my father has refused to help in paying for any schooling because he believes I have to live in his home and follow his preferred life-style to be good enough to receive any financial assistance with school.”
Jim told People that Michael’s “entire story is a fraud.” He says the reason he refuses to pay for Michael’s college tuition is because he doesn’t agree with his decision to attend Fairfield University instead of a state school.
“I paid over $40,000 in 2018 for private school and purchased him a Range Rover. I gave his mother over $10,000 to support him and his brother so they had a good home,” Jim told People “Our divorce settlement states we are to match the other parents contribution. I already paid my portion. His mother is refusing to pay anything. Michael wants me pay an additional $275,000 for Fairfield, a s— school for rich kids with average grades. I offered to help if he attended state school. He has not presented me with one financial form on any school.”
Although Jim says Michael’s sexual orientation isn’t the reason he won’t financially support him he still does not agree with his son’s sexuality.
“My son is mentally ill and refuses therapy. [People] should experience life and make a responsible decision about lifestyle in their twenties or thirties after having some perspective on life,” Jim told People.“I compare it to buying a car. Imagine being forced to keep the type of car you wanted at 16 years old for the rest of your life. My guess it would be a very different car at 35 years old. Michael, by labeling himself at 18 years old and making it public, has closed so many doors without the benefit of experience.”
Jim has come under fire in the past for posting homophobic tweets regarding Kevin Hart’s anti-gay jokes which cost him the title of Oscars host.
“So true NO STRAIGHT MALE wants his son to be gay. A gay son is a curse that takes away your #family traditions #heritage #lgtbiq is a parents nightmare that destroys families. Ruins holidays like #Christmas #KevinHart we support you! #LiberalismIsAMentalDisorder,‘” Marchese tweeted in December.
So far, Michael has raised more than $12,000 of his $35,000 goal for tuition money.
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The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
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