Dewayne perkins gay
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“I came out to my family that based on my upbringing and where I grew up, I thought, ‘They’re going to abandon me,’ ” he says, remembering the courage he gathered to tell his mother and four sisters.
Dewayne Perkins Interview w/ Effective Immediately [Video]
Join DJ Hed & Gina Views as they sit down with writer, actor, producer and comedianDewayne Perkins as he talks working on the hit movie “One Of Them Days”, the origin of how ‘The Blackening’ came about, advantages that comics have in acting, navigating the industry as an openly gay man and more.
Dewayne Perkins: Since starting stand up comedy in 2017, Dewayne has been named one of New York Times Young Queers Redefining Comedy in 2022, Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch in 2020, a 2019 Just for Laughs New Face in Montreal, one of Vulture’s “Comedians you Should and Will Know in 2019,” Comedy Central’s UP NEXT, and a Breakout LGBQT Comedian to Watch by TimeOut New York.
There’s just a lack of it.
WCT: On a very different note, I know you’re involved with Sausage Party: Foodtopia. Along with his incredible professionalism, Tyson Paul is recognized among his comedic peers as one of the most talented comedians to watch and perform with.
‘The Blackening’ Star Dewayne Perkins on His Gay Horror Spoof Character and Mining His Coming-Out Story for Comedy
Perkins recounts introducing his boyfriend to his father, who asked “ ‘Who’s that guy?’ I was like, ‘That’s my boyfriend.’ He said, ‘You’re gay?' And I said, ‘Oh my God, I forgot to tell you.’ ”
Perkins’ origin story began in Chicago, where he played high school football — as a way, he has said, to be with the cool kids — before becoming a part of the school’s improv team.
It’s about money and access.
WCT: So, as you know, Amber Ruffin recently came out.
DP: Yeah—that’s my girl.
WCT: How did you react?
DP: I commented and said, “We love that gay shit.” [Laughs] I thought it was cool. The movie is entertainment, and there are certain jokes I’m going to write because I find them entertaining—and if you know, you know.
Why is that?
DP: I would say that came from a point of view when I was younger when I felt like I could not be Black and gay at the same time.
But then there’s that part of constantly fighting people who don’t want you to have that freedom.
I do think the queer community is changing the landscape of society, although it’s not changing quickly enough. So that has positioned me to be the best version of myself. I met some of my favorite people there—and they’re still in my life.
And my father asked, ‘Who’s that guy?’ And I was like, ‘That’s my boyfriend.’ He said, ‘You’re gay?’ And I said, ‘Oh my God, I forgot to tell you.’ “
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. How correct is that view?
DP: It’s a very large industry, but I don’t think liberal or conservative is the priority—I think money is.
SF Skechefest, NBC’s Breakout Comedy Fest, the Comedy Cellar, Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, Zanies, and more. Either they were going to get on board or be left behind. I just exist as both at all times—but noticing which environments gravitated toward which sides is always interesting. I think the freedom of being able to choose [or be] who you are is something that a lot of non-queer people don’t understand because heterosexuality is so commonplace in society.
So I always felt a deep connection to Blackness, culturally.
Then, when I went to college [DePaul University], I recognized that people were more comfortable with my queerness than my Blackness. There is a goodness that came from my time there although there’s a section of my Wikipedia page literally dedicated to “the controversy.” [Laughs] Ultimately, it’s … whatever.
WCT: One of the things I found really interesting about you is that your family has been supportive of you since you came out—and there’s that stereotype that Black families are not so supportive.
DP: Yeah.
So if you don’t know something, look it up.