What Is Billy Porter’s Net Worth?
Billy Porter is a multi-talented American performer with a net worth of $5 million. He has enjoyed a long and illustrious career on Broadway, appearing in numerous productions including “Kinky Boots,” which earned him a Tony, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
Porter also starred as Pray Tell on the FX series “Pose,” for which he won a Primetime Emmy in 2019. In addition to his acting work, Porter has directed and produced several films and shows, including the 2022 Tony-winning musical “A Strange Loop.”
He has released several albums and published a memoir titled “Unprotected” in 2021. Porter is also known for his fashion sense and was named an Official Ambassador for New York Fashion Week: Mens in 2019.
In 2020, “Time” magazine included Billy on its list of the world’s 100 most influential people. With over 30 acting credits to his name, Porter is a true icon in the entertainment industry.
Early Life and Education
Billy Porter was born on September 21, 1969, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a very religious Pentecostal household and attended Reizenstein Middle School, Allderdice High School, and Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School. Billy earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University and later completed the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA. During his summers from 1985 to 1987, Billy performed with the entertainment groups Flash and Spirit at the Kennywood amusement park.
Trauma Therapy and Personal Life
In a 2021 interview with “The Hollywood Reporter,” Billy revealed that he was in trauma therapy and opened up about his experiences with sexual abuse and coming out during the AIDS crisis. He stated that he was sent to a psychologist at age 5 for being effeminate and was sexually abused by his stepfather from the time he was 7 to 12. Billy came out at age 16 and has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and awareness throughout his career.
Billy Porter’s Career Highlights
Billy Porter won $100,000 on “Star Search” in 1992 and played Teen Angel in “Grease” on Broadway in 1994. He made his film debut in 1996 and his song “Love Is on the Way” was featured in “The First Wives Club” the same year. Porter appeared in several films, TV shows, and theater productions, including “Kinky Boots” on Broadway, which earned him a Tony. He also starred in the FX series “Pose” and worked on “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.” Porter directed and produced “Anything’s Possible” and will appear in “80 for Brady” in 2023.
Billy Porter’s Personal Life and Activism
Billy Porter got engaged to Adam Smith in December 2016 and married on January 14, 2017, to wed “while Obama was still president.” In a 2020 interview with “Vanity Fair,” Porter spoke about race and white supremacy in the United States, blaming it for the country’s problems. Porter also revealed in a May 2021 interview with “The Hollywood Reporter” that he had been diagnosed with HIV in 2007, the same year he filed for bankruptcy and was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. In September 2021, Porter received the Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS award from the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
Billy Porter’s Awards and Nominations
Billy Porter has received numerous accolades for his work in the television industry. He earned three Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for “Pose,” winning in 2019. Additionally, he received three Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama and won various awards such as a Black Reel Award for Television (2019), a Gold Derby Award (2019), and a Hollywood Critics Association Television Award (2021).
Billy also received recognition from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, winning TV Performance of the Year – Actor for “Pose” in 2019 and 2020 and TV Musical Performance of the Year (shared with his “Pose” co-star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez for “Home”) in 2019. He was honored with the Vito Russo Award at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2017 and has earned five NAACP Image Award nominations among many others.
In 2020, he was named Badass of the Year at The Queerties, and he earned a Dorian TV Award nomination for Best TV Musical Performance (shared with Janelle Monáe) for the opening number of “The Oscars.” Additionally, Porter received a Saturn Award nomination (from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films) for Best Guest Performance in a Television Series for “The Twilight Zone,” and “Smoke, Lilies and Jade” (which he narrated) earned a Best Short Film nomination at the OUTshine Film Festival. Billy received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022.
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