Billy Porter says ‘performative wokeness’ wave ended, jobs drying up
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Actor Billy Porter warned on Saturday that the wave of “performative wokeness” may be over as many arts jobs have also dried up.
The Emmy-winning actor, known for her role as a gender-neutral Fairy Godmother in “Cinderella,” spoke with the Rev. Al Sharpton on MS NOW about the changing landscape of the entertainment industry.
“As a black, gay, out artist, I caught the wave of what we now know as the Performative Awakening,” Porter said. “PoliticsNation.” “I caught the wave of being at the center of that very progressive space. And I hit concrete glass ceilings.”
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Billy Porter spoke on stage at an event hosted by the First Amendment Committee in Washington, D.C., on March 27. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for the First Amendment Committee)
Porter also attended a rally outside the Trump-Kennedy Center over the weekend as part of the “No to Kings” demonstrations. The venue was recently renamed after the Kennedy Center board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the performing arts center, drawing criticism from some artists and cultural figures.
Protesters at the event claimed that the Trump administration’s policies pose a threat to artists’ First Amendment rights. Porter was joined by other famous activists such as Joan Baez and Jane Fonda.
Porter noted that he has seen a clear shift in culture and his own career prospects following the peak in progressive projects.
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Billy Porter attended the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards held at Royal Festival Hall on May 11, 2025 in London, England. (Jeff Spicer/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
“I noticed that the opportunities for the work I was doing were slowly drying up,” Porter said.
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“Midwest CBS is showing and police are showing that all of these things still exist, but when it comes time to talk about the heart, when it comes time to talk about connection, and when it comes time to talk about people who are not like everyone else, we’re the ones on the sidelines. There’s not a lot of that kind of stuff right now. There’s not a lot of that kind of work right now,” he said, urging activists to “stay vigilant.”
The actor and musician accused the Trump administration of attacking art and said, “authoritarian governments go after art first.”
Billy Porter introduces Elton John at Current’s 2024 “A Year in TIME” dinner at Chelsea Piers on December 11, 2024 in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Time)
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He said the arts can change people, adding, “That is dangerous for fascists, and they know it. And that’s why they attack us first.”
A veteran of stage and screen, Porter is known for starring in the FX series “Pose” and is expected to appear in the “Hunger Games” spinoff “Sunrise on the Reaping.” He also appeared on Broadway and won a Tony Award for “Kinky Boots” in 2013.
