“Whose fault is it that you're gay?”
There comes a point in every episode of That's a Gay Ass Podcast when host Eric Williams throws out that question. He's being provocative, poking fun at the homophobia he and his listeners have faced. He's also genuinely curious, using it to pinpoint the moment or piece of pop culture that flipped a switch on his guest. The answer is always surprising — Williams “blames” it in the 1993 film “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit” — and also invites celebration of a formative experience.
“My mission in life now is to make people laugh and take away the shame we're told to have as young queer people,” Williams says, “and rebel against it by being as honest and authentic as possible. Possible.”
The actor and comedian launched the podcast in 2021 from his home studio in Silver Lake in LA, and his standalone show has received 250,000 downloads over the past year. Williams brings in guests known for their sharp insights and sharp tongues, including “Saturday Night Live” star Bowen Yang, author and attorney Dan Savage, “RuPaul's Drag Race” alum Peppermint and comedian Joel Kim Booster.
“I tend to only invite people who use their weirdness as a superpower, and that's a pretty big part of their job,” Williams says. His guests let the show's “wild, self-deprecating and honest” humor shine through. For example, Savage's “superpower” is championing queer and straight people of all sexual stripes in his work.
“Some of the horrible things that queer people have to go through growing up showed me that this podcast brings entertainment,” says Williams, “but also changes the minds of people who might not be aware of the queer experience.”
Now, Williams is taking the podcast out of the booth and directly to the people. He has hosted That's a Gay Ass Live Show in New York and LA for the past year and a half. And it's getting a signal boost as part of the upcoming Netflix Is a Joke festival. The May 9 event takes place at Hotel Cafe in LA.
Like many of his listeners, the St. Louis native
“I knew a gay person for the first 18 years of my life,” he says. “I grew up in a country that was very ignorant about the lives of queer people. So I never want to say, 'Oh, it's too bad you live there. I hope you can get out.' I want to say, 'Hey, there's a community and a podcast and people who understand and have been through what you've been through.'”
Williams hears from all kinds of people — from gay guys in WeHo to lesbians in Greenville, South Carolina — about their journey to discovering their true selves. But he's gotten a lot of backlash from one demographic: married gay listeners.
“The biggest thing I've heard is people who are like me, who are gay and married, and how they've struggled with the queer community's attitude toward non-monogamy or the straight world's judgment of non-monogamy,” he says. “The show gives them the strength to discuss it with their partner and removes any secrecy or shame. Queer people are making our own rules in the face of judgment from the straight world.”
And Williams himself is still learning how to answer this constant question he asks his guests — not by finding fault, but by embracing the joy.
“Being gay is incredible,” he says. “When people would ask, 'If you could choose to be gay again, would you?' it brought out my shame. I've never said this before, but as a 34-year-old gay man whose dreams are coming true and who has used his identity as a superpower, I can now say that I prefer being gay. My life is not bound by the rules of a world that told me I was wrong.”
