Arts & Entertainment
‘Fuller House’ star Juan Pablo Di Pace comes out as gay
The actor recounts struggling with his sexuality growing up
“Fuller House” star Juan Pablo Di Pace has come out as gay.
Di Pace, who hails from Argentina and was raised Catholic, opened up about his sexuality during a Ted Talk at a TedX event. The talk, titled “The Story of Your Life,” was recorded in March and recently uploaded to YouTube.
The 39-year-old actor, who competed on season 27 of “Dancing with the Stars,” explained his struggles with his sexuality growing up. He says other kids would bully him so he tried his best to fit in with them. Di Pace describes one time as an early teenager when he attempted to draw and sell flip books with heterosexual porn in order to be accepted.
“Acceptance was my fuel, and when that is the case, like an addict, you do whatever it takes to get a fix,” Di Pace says. “I figured, if I changed my faggot self, I could be in.”
Later on in life, he got into acting and was cast as Jesus Christ in the miniseries “A.D. The Bible Continues.” The casting sent him further into crisis about his sexuality.
“So there I am, hanging on the cross in Morocco, and I look up at the sky, and I think, ‘You could still strike me down with lightning. Are you sure you want me to play your son? Me?’,” Di Pace recounts. “I waited. Nothing happened. I was not struck by lightning. Instead, what I felt was an overwhelming feeling of love and acceptance and freedom that I could never even put into words. A message from God? Maybe. Words are like universes and we are musicians who can create universes with them.”
Di Pace portrays Fernando, the ex-husband and love interest of Kimmy Gibbler, on Netflix’s “Fuller House.” He will also play Carlos Gardel in the biopic “Gardel,” a film about the Argentine tango singer.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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