Arts & Entertainment
Being gay might just save Andy Cohen’s career
He could shoot a twink in the middle of Ninth Avenue and not get arrested
The only person getting sued more than Donald Trump these days is Andy Cohen. Yes, the gay executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise and host of Bravo’s late night talk show “Watch What Happens Live” is facing a litany of litigation that could make the orange one come somewhere close to a blush. And, just like with Trump, he might be the only person to face a handful of inappropriate workplace behavior allegations and still hold onto his job. What’s Andy’s secret? It might be that he’s gay.
First, former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Brandi Glanville accused him of sexual harassment, claiming that Cohen sent her a sexually explicit video in which he said he was about to have sex with another Bravolebrity and wanted Glanville to watch. (Andy said on the artist formerly known as Twitter that it was a joke and Brandi seemed to acknowledge that at the time.)
Next up is Leah McSweeney, a former “Real Housewives of New York” cast member, who accused Cohen of contributing to a “rotted workplace culture.” She also alleges that he routinely does cocaine with some of the Housewives and the ones who enjoy a bit of the booger sugar with him get preferential treatment, including kinder edits on the show. (Andy dismissed this lawsuit as a “shakedown.”)
The day after McSweeney’s suit, Rachel Leviss, the former “Vanderpump Rules” star who was a lynchpin of a huge scandal last winter, sued her former castmates for potentially distributing an adult video of her. Cohen was not named in that suit because he’s not an executive producer of that show — nor in one by former Real Housewife of New Jersey, Caroline Manzo, accusing the aforementioned Brandi of sexual harassment.
These bombshell revelations — especially the sexual harassment and the cocaine use — were met by fans with disinterested shrugs. “This Andy Cohen slander is ridiculous. Why are people up in arms that he allegedly did cocaine and gossiped with the Housewives? Like pretty sure that’s his job,” one Twitter user says.
There are plenty of those sentiments on Twitter and many statements of support from the Housewives who say he never offered them coke. (But since when are we believing anything the Housewives say?) So how is it that, like Trump, Andy Cohen could shoot a twink in the middle of Ninth Avenue and not get arrested?
It’s because he’s always been totally honest about who he is. Andy was an openly gay TV exec way back in the early aughts, when it wasn’t cool and he faced potential repercussions both personally and career-wise by being open. But it wasn’t that he was just telling the truth about being gay, he made it part of his brand that he likes a drink (or seven) and that he likes to unwind by smoking weed, which he was vocal about before it was legal in New York.
Andy made his millions not just getting rich women to yell at each other on television, but also by being America’s slightly naughty but mostly fun gay BFF. The gossip, the drugs, the sexy jokes, they were all a part of the mystique that everyone bought into and it has served as Andy’s impenetrable force field for his entire career. On New Year’s Eve 2022, he was hosting CNN’s broadcast with his gay bestie Anderson Cooper and “overserved” himself, which led him to go on what the press would call a drunken rant making fun of fellow host Ryan Seacrest and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Did CNN fire him or fans turn against him? No. CNN did ban alcohol from the next year’s broadcast, but after Andy pleaded with them for his tipples they allowed him and Anderson to do shots at midnight.
A similar thing happened this past June when a video taken secretly in a gay club showed Andy getting handsy with a game stripper and tweaking his nipples. Instead of demanding his resignation, fans demanded the social media account that posted it to give Andy a break. He is a single working father of two who has never been quiet about the fact that he enjoys sleeping around. He was just blowing off some steam at Pride; in the words of Bethenny Frankel, get off his jock.
Speaking of Bethenny, could she be the one behind all of this litigation? Several of the people suing Andy and Bravo are using the same lawyers that Bethenny used to kick off the “reality reckoning” in which she is trying to get better workplace conditions and fair treatment for reality stars. That is surely a noble aim, but the way to do it is not by launching weak-sauce attacks at Andy, especially since Andy seems to have a learned a lesson that most members of the LGBTQ community learn early on: If you’re truthful about who you are, no one can use it as a weapon against you.
No one ever thought less of Andy because he was gay because he was always up front about it — same about the booze, the drug use, and tweaking a stripper’s nipples during Pride. While a court of law will definitely rule on whether or not any of these cases has any weight, the court of public opinion doesn’t seem to care — well, at least about these specifics. Andy has hired a crisis PR team, but it doesn’t seem like he really needs it. Everything he needs to know he learned by being gay, that once you open that closet door and show the public what is really inside, no matter what it is, they can never use that against you.
Theater
‘Octet’ explores the depths of digital addiction
Habits not easily shaken in Studio Theatre chamber musical
‘Octet’
Through Feb. 26
Studio Theatre
1501 14th Street, N.W.
Tickets start at $55
Studiotheatre.org
David Malloy’s “Octet” delves deep into the depths of digital addiction.
Featuring a person ensemble, this extraordinary a capella chamber musical explores the lives of recovering internet addicts whose lives have been devastated by digital dependency; sharing what’s happened and how things have changed.
Dressed in casual street clothes, the “Friends of Saul” trickle into a church all-purpose room, check their cell phones in a basket, put away the bingo tables, and arrange folding chairs into a circle. Some may stop by a side table offering cookies, tea, and coffee before taking a seat.
The show opens with “The Forest,” a haunting hymn harking back to the good old days of an analog existence before glowing screens, incessant pings and texts.
“The forest was beautiful/ My head was clean and clear/Alone without fear/ The forest was safe/ I danced like a beautiful fool / One time some time.”
Mimicking an actual step meeting, there’s a preamble. And then the honest sharing begins, complete with accounts of sober time and slips.
Eager to share, Jessica (Chelsea Williams) painfully recalls being cancelled after the video of her public meltdown went viral. Henry (Angelo Harrington II) is a gay gamer with a Candy Crush problem. Toby (Adrian Joyce) a nihilist who needs to stay off the internet sings “So anyway/ I’m doing good/ Mostly/ Limiting my time/ Mostly.”
The group’s unseen founder Saul is absent, per usual.
In his stead Paula, a welcoming woman played with quiet compassion by Tracy Lynn Olivera, leads. She and her husband no longer connect. They bring screens to bed. In a love-lost ballad, she explains: “We don’t sleep well/ My husband I/ Our circadian rhythms corrupted/ By the sallow blue glow of a screen/ Sucking souls and melatonin/ All of my dreams have been stolen.”
After too much time spent arguing with strangers on the internet, Marvin, a brainy young father played by David Toshiro Crane, encounters the voice of a God.
Ed (Jimmy Kieffer) deals with a porn addiction. Karly (Ana Marcu) avoids dating apps, a compulsion compared to her mother’s addiction to slot machines.
Malloy, who not only wrote the music but also the smart lyrics, book, and inventive vocal arrangements, brilliantly joins isolation with live harmony. It’s really something.
And helmed by David Muse, “Octet” is a precisely, quietly, yet powerfully staged production, featuring a topnotch cast who (when not taking their moment in the spotlight) use their voices to make sounds and act as a sort of Greek chorus. Mostly on stage throughout all of the 100-minute one act, they demonstrate impressive stamina and concentration.
An immersive production, “Octet” invites audience members to feel a part of the meeting. Studio’s Shargai Theatre is configured, for the first, in the round. And like the characters, patrons must also unplug. Everyone is required to have their phones locked in a small pouch (that only ushers are able to open and close), so be prepared for a wee bit of separation anxiety.
At the end of the meeting, the group surrenders somnambulantly. They know they are powerless against internet addiction. But group newbie Velma (Amelia Aguilar) isn’t entirely convinced. She remembers the good tech times.
In a bittersweet moment, she shares of an online friendship with “a girl in Sainte Marie / Just like me.”
Habits aren’t easily shaken.
Sports
Blade, Pride House LA announce 2028 Olympics partnership
Media sponsorship to amplify stories of LGBTQ athletes
The Los Angeles Blade and Washington Blade on Friday announced a media partnership with the Out Athlete Fund, which will produce Pride House LA for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Pride House is the home for LGBTQ fans and athletes that will become a destination during the L.A. Summer Games in West Hollywood in partnership with the City of WeHo. This 17-day celebration for LGBTQ athletes and fans will include medal ceremonies for out athletes, interactive installations, speakers, concerts, and more.
The Los Angeles Blade will serve as the exclusive L.A.-area queer media sponsor for Pride House LA and the Washington Blade will support the efforts and amplify coverage of the 2028 Games.
The Blade will provide exclusive coverage of Pride House plans, including interviews with queer athletes and more. The parties will share content and social media posts raising awareness of the Blade and Out Athlete Fund. The Blade will have media credentials and VIP access for related events.
“We are excited to partner with the Washington Blade, the oldest LGBTQ newspaper in the United States and the Los Angeles Blade, already a strong supporter of Out Athlete Fund and Pride House LA/West Hollywood,” said Michael Ferrera, CEO of Pride House LA. “Our mission is about increasing the visibility of LGBTQ+ athletes and fans to challenge the historical hostility toward our community in the sports world. Visibility is what publications like the Washington and Los Angeles publications are all about. We know they will play a key part in our success.”
“LGBTQ visibility has never been more important and we are thrilled to work with Out Athlete Fund and Pride House LA to tell the stories of queer athletes and ensure the 2028 Summer Games are inclusive and affirming for everyone,” said Blade Editor Kevin Naff.
Out Athlete Fund is a 501(c)3 designed to raise money to offset the training cost of out LGBTQ athletes in need of funding for training. The Washington Blade is the nation’s oldest LGBTQ news outlet; the Los Angeles Blade is its sister publication founded nine years ago.
In honor of Black History Month, the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center will host a series of events uplifting the histories, artistry, and resilience of Black LGBTQ+ communities through dialogue, film, and intentional gathering.
The series begins with “Ballroom Culture: Rhythms of Resilience,” a panel discussion on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 at 7 p.m. Artists, activists, and leaders from the ballroom community will explore ballroom’s historical, cultural, and political significance as a site of resistance, kinship, creative expression, and social justice within Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities.
On Friday, Feb. 13 at 12:30 p.m., the Center will host a screening of the groundbreaking documentary “Paris is Burning,” which chronicles New York City’s ballroom scene and house culture while examining themes of race, class, identity, and survival through the voices of legendary performers including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, and Dorian Corey.
The month will conclude with “Soul Centered: A Black LGBTQ+ Gathering” on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. This free, RSVP-required event invites Black LGBTQ+ community members into a space of rest, connection, and reflection centered on love in all its forms. The gathering will feature a panel conversation with Black LGBTQ+ creatives, healers, and community members, followed by intentional speed connections and a closing social mixer.
For more details and to RSVP, visit the Center’s website.
‘Octet’ explores the depths of digital addiction
Why trans suffering is more palatable than trans ambition
Comings & Goings
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District of Columbia5 days ago
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District of Columbia4 days ago
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Maryland5 days ago
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