Actor Billy Porter Reveals He is HIV-Positive

Broadway legend and current tv actor phenomenon Billy Porter reveal some personal details in a recent sit-down interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Porter stated; “I have lived with that shame in silence for 14 years. HIV-positive, where I come from, growing up in the Pentecostal church with a very religious family, is God’s punishment.” He also revealed that he did not reveal his status to anyone in his current show, the Pose cast, and very few people in the entertainment industry.

Billy Porter plays Pray Tell in the third and final season of Pose. This FX series focuses on the Black, LGBTQ ballroom scene in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This had inspired Porter to come forward with his story. He continued his statement by saying “I’m getting ready to play the fairy godmother in Cinderella. I have new music coming out. I have a memoir coming out. Pose is out. I’m directing my first film. And I’m trying to be present. I’m trying to be joyful, and one of the effects of trauma is not being able to feel joy. This is what HIV-positive looks like now.”

Source: BET