LGBTQ pop culture in 2022 was a lot like a Negroni. Sbagliato… with Prosecco in it — in a word it was “stunning!”
We said hello to Charlie and Nick in Netflix’s hit series “Heartstopper,” we said goodbye to Victor and his friends in Hulu’s “Love, Simon” spinoff “Love, Victor” and we said welcome to the family as comedian Jerrod Carmichael and actress Rebel Wilson publicly came out as members of the LGBTQ community.
We also watched as Amy Schneider dominated on “Jeopardy!,” Kate McKinnon filmed her final episode of “Saturday Night Live” and who can forget about the slap heard around the world at this year’s Oscars?
There was a lot happening in 2022, so as we do every year, we breakdown some of the biggest moments in LGBTQ pop culture for you with our ABCs.
Amy Schneider
Amy Schneider dominates on “Jeopardy!,” winning 40 consecutive games from Nov. 2021-Jan. 2022. Schneider returns to the “Jeopardy!” stage in Nov. 2022 winning the Tournament of Champions.
“Bros”
Billy Eichner’s “Bros” opens in theaters and is one of the first gay-themed rom-coms released by a major Hollywood studio with an all-LGBTQ cast. While a critical hit, “Bros” flops when it opens in theaters Sept. 30.
Carmichael, Jerrod
Comedian Jerrod Carmichael comes out as gay in his latest special, “Rothaniel,” which premieres on HBO April 1. He goes on to win an Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series Primetime Emmy Award for the special.
D’Arcy, Emma
Emma D’Arcy becomes a household name playing Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon,” which earns them a Golden Globe nomination. They also go viral on TikTok after seductively saying “Negroni Sbagliato with Prosecco in it” during a “House of the Dragon” promo video.
Ezra Miller
Ezra Miller has a chaotic year filled with a string of arrests and reports of erratic behavior by the “Flash” actor that stretch from Hawaii to Vermont. In August, they state that they have begun treatment for “complex mental health issues.”
“Fire Island”
Joel Kim Booster writes and Andrew Ahn directs “Fire Island,” a modern day LGBTQ rom-com inspired by Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice” set on Fire Island. The film, which stars Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully and Margaret Cho, premieres on Hulu at the start of LGBTQ Pride Month.
“Glass Onion”
Rian Johnson, director of the “Knives Out” sequel “Glass Onion,” confirms at the London Film Festival Oct. 16 that star Daniel Craig’s character, Detective Benoit Blanc, is queer. It is confirmed in a film’s scene that shows Blanc living with another man.
“Heartstopper”
“Heartstopper,” a Netflix series about first love and coming out, becomes both a critical and commercial hit when it is released on the streaming service in April. The show’s success leads to Netflix renewing the show for a second and third season.
In memoriam
Emmy-winning actor and social media star Leslie Jordan dies in a single car crash in Hollywood Oct. 24. He was 67. Two weeks later, actor Kevin Conroy, known for voicing Batman for more than three decades, dies of cancer Nov. 10. He was 66.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
“Modern Family” star Jesse Tyler Ferguson wins his first-ever Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his work in the revival of the gay baseball play “Take Me Out.”
Kate McKinnon
Kate McKinnon said her final goodbye after 10 seasons of “Saturday Night Live” May 14 during the show’s season finale. During her time, McKinnon received eight consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series from 2014-2021, winning back-to-back in 2016 and 2017.
“Lightyear”
Disney-Pixar releases “Lightyear,” a film based on the film that the “Toy Story” action figure Buzz Lightyear is based on, and makes headlines for featuring a same-sex kiss between two lesbian characters.
Michaela Jae Rodriguez
Michaela Jae Rodriguez wins the Golden Globe for Best Leading Actress in a Television Series – Drama for her work in the final season of “Pose,” making her the first transgender performer to win a Golden Globe.
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Nathan Lane
After six Primetime Emmy nominations for best comedy guest actor, Nathan Lane finally wins for his work on Hulu’s series “Only Murders in the Building.”
Oscars
While everyone’s going on about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards, we couldn’t stop talking about Ariana DeBose winning Best Supporting Actress for “West Side Story” and becoming the first Afro-Latina person and first openly queer woman of color to win an acting Oscar.
Pride Comics
The two biggest names in comics — DC and Marvel — celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month by highlighting their queer heroes in a pair of new books, “DC Pride” and “Marvel’s Voices: Pride,” released in June.
“Queer as Folk”
Peacock reboots Russell T. Davies’ iconic series “Queer as Folk,” setting it in present day New Orleans with a cast that represents more of the LGBTQ spectrum than previous iterations. The series was canceled after one season.
Rebel Wilson
“Pitch Perfect” actress Rebel Wilson announces her new relationship with Ramona Agruma in a Pride Month post on Instagram. Wilson calls Agruma her “Disney Princess.”
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“Strange Loop, A”
“A Strange Loop,” Michael R. Jackson’s musical about a Black, queer man and his relationship between himself and his art, is nominated for 11 Tony Awards and wins two of them — Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical.
Thomas, Lia
University of Pennsylvania student Lia Thomas becomes the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport, after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle event.
“Umbrella Academy, The”
“The Umbrella Academy’s” third season premieres on Netflix with Elliot Page’s character Viktor coming out as transgender. The story corresponds with Page’s own transition in real life.
Victor
After three seasons, Hulu’s LGBTQ rom-com series “Love, Victor” comes to an end with Victor getting a happy ending similar to that of the film “Love, Simon,” which “Love, Victor” is based off.
“Whale, The”
Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” about a 600-pound gay man dealing with grief and regret, puts star Brendan Fraser at the top of everyone’s Best Actor list and ushers in a golden age for Fraser known as the Brenaissance.
X, Lil Nas
After the massive success of his first album “Montero,” Lil Nas X hits the road with his first concert tour in the fall of 2022. He also takes home several MTV Video Music Awards after receiving seven nominations.
Yeoh, Michelle
Michelle Yeoh stars in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a film that seems like it is about the multiverse but is really about queer acceptance and identity. Yeoh particularly shines in her scenes opposite Jamie Lee Curtis as a same-sex couple in the hot dog fingers universe.
Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter
Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter, both out and proud gay men, voice gay dads Barry and Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins in the Disney+ series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.”
