Culture

No, Billy Porter wasn’t giving RuPaul ‘side-eye’ at the Emmys

Billy Porter (L) and RuPaul attend the 68th Annual Tony Awards Gala in 2014. (Jemal Countess/Getty)

Billy Porter has dispelled rumours of a rift with RuPaul after cameras appeared to capture him giving “side-eye” during the Drag Race host’s acceptance speech at the Emmys.

RuPaul’s Drag Race beat American Ninja Warrior, Nailed It!, The Amazing Race, Top Chef and The Voice to win the Emmy for Best Reality Competition Program.

But as RuPaul took to the stage to accept the award, Porter’s blank expression left some viewers wondering if there might be something going on.

A reporter confronted Porter on the exchange in an Emmys backstage press conference. The Pose actor initially said he hadn’t seen the shot, before saying: “There’s never a side-eye coming from me.”

“There’s never anything negative coming from me, you’re never going to get it from me,” he said.

“It’s all love, it’s all light, it’s all positivity, don’t come to me with that mess. Don’t. It’s never that. Never, ever, ever, ever.”

He pointedly reminded reporters how easy it is for moments to be misinterpreted in the media.

“You know they [the press] can catch you in some sort of way, you know what I mean, and it can look like a side-eye,” he said.

“RuPaul is a friend of mine. I am so proud of him. I stand on his shoulders. He is doing it. He paved the way for me. There’s never a side eye about that,” he continued.

Earlier that evening Porter made LGBT+ history by becoming the first openly gay black man to win an Emmy in his category – so it’s safe to say he had more on his mind than throwing shade at RuPaul.

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