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Fresh Air Weekend: Billy Porter; Cynthia Erivo

Fresh Air
Published October 23, 2021 at 9:00 AM EDT
Billy Porter attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. "Fabulous and serious can go hand in hand. I am proof positive of that," he says.
Frazer Harrison
/
Getty Images
Billy Porter attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. "Fabulous and serious can go hand in hand. I am proof positive of that," he says.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Billy Porter makes peace with himself: 'I set myself free, honey. No more secrets': Fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, the Pose actor revealed publicly that he is HIV-positive. Porter says being open about his health status felt like a rebirth. His new memoir is Unprotected.

'Genius' actor Cynthia Erivo opens up her voice on 'Ch. 1 Vs. 1': The British actor and singer played abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet, and Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. Now Erivo has a debut album. "I sing often with a bit of a smile," she says.

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

Billy Porter makes peace with himself: 'I set myself free, honey. No more secrets'

'Genius' actor Cynthia Erivo opens up her voice on 'Ch. 1 Vs. 1'

Copyright 2021 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Donate