Arts & Entertainment
Wendy Williams apologizes for telling gays to ‘stop wearing our skirts and heels’
Talk show host Wendy Williams has apologized after snarky comments she made on her program about gay men drew heavy backlash this week.
On Thursday’s episode of her popular talk show, the 55-year-old Williams was using her popular “Hot Topics” segment to discuss “Galentine’s Day,” an unofficial holiday made popular by the long-running sitcom “Parks & Recreation” which is centered around women celebrating the other women in their lives.
Noting applause from a few men in her audience, the host said, “If you’re a man and you’re clapping, you’re not even a part of this. You don’t understand the rules of the day. It’s women going out and getting saucy and then going home. You’re not a part.”
She then added, “I don’t care if you’re gay. You don’t get a [menstruation] every 28 days,” Williams added. “You can do a lot that we do, but I get offended by the idea that we go through something you will never go through.”
Her final remarks on the subject were the ones that sparked the most controversy however. Williams finished by saying, “And stop wearing our skirts and our heels. Just saying, girls, what do we have for ourselves?”
“Looky here now, gay men, you’ll never be the women that we are,” she concluded, “no matter how gay.”
Though her comments garnered some applause from the audience, home viewers were quick to chide the talk show host.
“Really?” one commenter wrote. “What sort of ignorance is coming out of your mouth regarding gay men wanting to be women!! Really Wendy?”
“That was really uncalled for,” said another. “Gay men do not want to be women.”
Another wrote, “You’re not the decider of who can be a woman. Every person gets to decide who they are.”
There were also a few positive comments, such as one from a woman who wrote, “Thank you for saying what we as women want to scream everyday. Let us have something.”
On Friday, the beleaguered Williams issued a videotaped apology.
“I’ll start by saying I apologize. I did not mean to offend my LGBTQ+ community on yesterday’s show,” the talk show host began. “I did not realize until I got home and I watched the second running of our show here in New York, and I always watch when I can to critique my delivery or the cameras, the lights, the audience, the camera.”
Saying her comments did not come from “a place of malice,” Williams continued, “I’m very persnickety about how I do my show and one thing that I can tell you right now is that I never do this show in a place of malice. I understand my platform with the community from first grade to intermediate school to high school to college to radio and now to TV. And I didn’t mean to hurt anybody’s feelings. I’m just having a conversation.”
The popular host was visibly upset, holding back tears during the video. She went on to say she tries to “live and let live every day,” because “life is too short,” and admitted that her comments were “out of touch” before promising to “do better” in the future.
She concluded by saying, “I’m 55 years old, and maybe I sounded like your auntie, your mother, your big sister or somebody out of touch. I’m not out of touch, except for perhaps yesterday by saying what I said. So I deeply apologize and I deeply appreciate the support that I get from the community. I will do better. I appreciate you supporting me. Thank you.”
Williams’ video apology is below.
A message from Wendy. pic.twitter.com/aEpMvubJVJ
— Wendy Williams (@WendyWilliams) February 14, 2020
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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