Sometimes people leave you halfway through the woods. And this weekend, musical theatre titan Stephen Sondheim left us at the age of 91.
His death leaves a hole that cannot easily be filled. Over a decades-long career, the gay icon revolutionized not only musical theatre but culture as a whole, and he will be dearly missed.
This week in “The Buzz,” we’re catching you up on tributes to Sondheim, queer Christmas music season, JoJo Siwa’s next steps, Nicole Byer’s new comedy special and more.
Here’s what you missed this week in queer culture.
→It’s a bit of an understatement to say that the world lost a legend this weekend. Stephen Sondheim, the mastermind behind musicals like Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods and countless others. Sondheim came out as gay at the age of 40, and had been married to digital technologist Jeffrey Scott Romley since 2017. He was 91.
The composer, lyricist, writer and musician revolutionized modern musical theatre, winning a slew of awards from Tonys to Oscars along the way. He’s also widely regarded as one of the kindest and most encouraging figures in popular culture, mentoring young creators and earning a broad range of fans across industries.
Tributes to the icon poured in over the weekend from across the theatre and broader cultural community. But none may be more touching than on Sunday, when hundreds of members of New York’s theatre community came together in Times Square to sing one of Sondheim’s greatest songs, “Sunday.”
Expect many more tributes in the coming days, weeks and months; it will take a long time to fully grasp Sondheim’s impact.
→After Mariah fully ushered us into her season, the onslaught of holiday music has picked up speed—and of course, Billy Porter had to get in on the holiday season.
→In a battle of controversial LGBTQ2S+ celebs, Caitlyn Jenner says she almost barred the Kardashians from going on The Ellen Show after the fallout from her “disastrous” 2015 interview with Degeneres about marriage equality. She also accused Degeneres of “alienating” her from the queer community. Girl, you’ve been doing a good enough job of that yourself.
→The trailer for Coming Out Colton, the new Netflix documentary series that follows former Bachelor Colton Underwood’s journey with his sexuality, is here.
→And coming to Netflix Dec. 7 is Nicole Byer’s hour-long stand-up special. If this short teaser is any indication, we’re in for a treat.
→For those of you tuning into “The Buzz” for your weekly update on JoJo Siwa’s performance on Dancing With the Stars, I regret to inform you she did not win. However, she did dance alongside partner Jenna to “Born This Way” in the show’s finale, which is the culture.
→Speaking of Siwa, she’s incredibly aware of the spotlight on her newly-out teenage self and where she’ll go from here.
“I never expected my journey to take this path, I really didn’t. I didn’t expect to feel the way that I feel right now this quick. I knew that I always wanted to feel like this, but I remember thinking I was never gonna get here,” she told Teen Vogue last week. “I want to move forward, and I want to age as I age. I think I’m in a great spot right now. I love what I look like, I love what I feel like, and I just want to keep that momentum.”
→Trans Jeopardy current champion Amy Schneider’s hot streak has continued into this week.
→House of Gucci is here. Is it good? That’s debatable. But if you can’t get enough of Gaga’s accent, there are podcasts breaking down the highly camp film here, here and here.
→Jillian Michaels is engayged!
→Elliot Page has fully committed to the thirst trap life, and the world is better for it.
→A new teaser trailer for Euphoria’s second season is here and we truly cannot wait.
→The U.K.’s biggest music awards are eliminating gendered categories.
→American Thanksgiving was this past weekend, and if you didn’t come out to your family you personally disappointed The View co-host Joy Behar.
On one hand, coming out is something personal you do in your own time and should not be pressured to do. On the other hand, “see what happens” is such a delightful threat.
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