It’s a week of changing tides. Having Halloween on a Sunday and Nov. 1 on a Monday means a clean break and a fresh start as we move from spooky season to holiday cheer. Soon, the clocks will change, snow will fall (if it hasn’t already) and the days will grow painfully short.
LGBTQ2S+ pop culture reflected these changes this week, with a slew of celebrity Halloween costumes giving way to rumblings of holiday cheer—and one in particular embodying that transition perfectly.
This week in “The Buzz,” we’re sharing everything that happened in LGBTQ2S+ pop culture last week, from comedian Kal Penn’s coming out to Mariah’s reemergence from Christmas hibernation to the best and worst dressed queer celebs of Halloween 2021.
Here’s what you missed last week in queer pop culture.
→My pick for the best queer celebrity Halloween costume has to be the multi-hyphenate singer/actor/experience that is Janelle Monáe and her take on the Grinch. The Grinch is not a sexy creature (unless you’re really into those furry fingers), but Monáe’s Halloween spin on the character is sensual, sultry and so very fun.
Celebrities will often inject big money into their annual Halloween extravaganzas, but rarely do they delight in the way Monáe’s take on Jim Carey’s Grinch does.
And Monáe is no stranger to fun Halloween costumes: Remember that time back in 2019 when she held her own head?
Thank you to the Electric Lady for always keeping things fun.
→In other Halloween news, Cara Delevingne continued being Cara Delevingne.
→But don’t let Halloween linger too long: Mariah Carey’s already breaking into homes, smashing pumpkins and declaring the start of #MariahSZN
→Kristen Stewart is getting hitched. The Twilight star-turned-Princess Diana announced her engagement to girlfriend Dylan Meyer Tuesday.
→Kal Penn is queer! In a delightful surprise, the stoner-comedy icon came out in his new memoir, You Can’t Be Serious, that details his 11-year relationship with his now fiancé, Josh.
“I discovered my own sexuality relatively late in life compared to many other people. There’s no timeline on this stuff. People figure their [shit] out at different times in their lives, so I’m glad I did when I did,” Penn told People magazine.
→While Grey’s Anatomy star Sara Ramirez came out as non-binary a few years ago, the doctor drama is finally getting its first canonical non-binary character in Dr. Kai Bartley, played by Shrill’s E.R. Fightmaster.
“They are dedicated to their craft and extremely talented at what they do,” reads the character description from ABC about Kai. “Confident as hell and able to make even the most detailed and mundane science seem exciting and cool, Kai and Amelia bond over their shared love of medicine and the brain.”
→The Kidz Bop cover of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name” is here and it’s as sanitized as we feared.
→A new Elvira butch girlfriend pic dropped, along with a touching interview clip where Cassandra Peterson (a.k.a. Elvira) talks candidly about their love.
→Last week we highlighted some upcoming queer Christmas movies that will jingle your bells, but we missed on what may be the greatest of all: Christmas at the Ranch.
→There’s another new drag show coming to our screens, and the judging lineup is STACKED. Queen Of The Universe, which features queens from around the world competing in a singing competition, will include Leona Lewis, Vanessa Williams, RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Trixie Mattel and, of course, Michelle Visage on its judging panel.
→And in other reality TV news, notable dancing star JoJo Siwa is hosting a new dance competition with her mom called Siwas Dance Pop Revolution. (It’s a shame they didn’t take my suggestion of “JoJo You Think You Can Dance.”)
→Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and girlfriend Jodi Balfour just celebrated one year together!
→The full House of Gucci trailer is here and the camp level is high.
→Yum, David! Dan Levy is hosting a brunch-themed cooking show called The Big Brunch for HBO Max. Get your mimosas ready!
→This week, Lady Gaga reminded us that “Poker Face” is in fact a bisexual anthem.
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