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Pointer Sisters 2.0 to headline festival main stage on Sunday

Ruth Pointer says sisterly harmonics came naturally

Published

9 years ago

on

Pointer Sisters, gay news, Washington Blade

The Pointer Sisters today are Ruth Pointer, center, with daughter Issa, left, and granddaughter Sadako. (Photo courtesy Left of Center Productions)

There’s a lot more to the Pointer Sisters than their most well-known hits.

Originally, sisters June and Bonnie Pointer started singing as a duo in 1969. By 1972, they were a quartet with sisters Anita and Ruth having joined them. Their eponymous debut album came out the following year and they worked as a quartet until 1978 and were known for highly eclectic musical experimentation. They even won a 1975 Grammy in a country category for their song “Fairytale.”

Their biggest songs came in the ‘80s with June, Ruth and Anita releasing monster chart hits like “Slow Hand,” “Jump (for My Love)” and “I’m So Excited.”

For about the last eight years, the group has continued with Ruth singing with her daughter Issa Pointer and granddaughter Sadako Pointer. June died in 2006. Anita occasionally sang with them until the last few years.

The Pointer Sisters will headline at the Capital Pride concert on the Capitol Concert Stage at 3rd & Pennsylvania Ave. on Sunday, June 11 at 4 p.m. Ruth Pointer, 71, took a few minutes last week from her home in Massachusetts where she was helping her granddaughter move into a new apartment to talk with the Washington Blade.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Your memoir “Still So Excited!” last year was noted for being unusually candid. What kind of reception did you get to it overall?

RUTH POINTER: You know, it was very positive. I think that I’m just among a group of people that are writing these types of memoirs most recently just about a life of recovery and redemption and experience, especially in this business. I really, really appreciate the response I got. I’m sure there were some negative ones as well from what I’m told but I don’t read that stuff.

BLADE: You were up front with your drug and alcohol use in the ‘80s. Do you agree that male rock stars seem to get more of a free pass on this kind of thing than women? With somebody like, say, Keith Richards, it’s treated as just part of his renegade persona whereas with Stevie Nicks, everybody acts so forlorn like, “Oh, she had a serious problem,” and she’s asked about it ad nauseam. 

POINTER: In a way I think I do, but that’s sort of what I think is a gender bias in almost everything. You know, it’s just the way of the world.

BLADE: You’ve said how strict your parents were when you were growing up. Did they sort of gradually accept the kind of music the group was doing? Did it take them a long time to come around?

POINTER: Yes, they did loosen up. I think it comes from getting to a place where you’re just exhausted from fighting and disagreeing and being rigid and I know I find that in my own life with my own children. You know, after a while I just try to figure out how I can love them for who they are as opposed to how I want them to be and I think my parents came to that realization and just decided to just love us as opposed to trying to mold us and make us into these starch Christians that they were. It just wasn’t going to work (laughs). I mean you know, I consider myself a Christian today but I think a lot of religions and practices have changed over the years. You just want to kind of fit in a little bit with the world. So things are a little different now.

BLADE:  I imagine gay issues were thought of as the ultimate sin, right?

POINTER: I didn’t even know anything about that when I was a kid. I had no clue.

BLADE: Do you recall when you first realized that was a thing?

POINTER: You know, I really don’t know a specific time. I’ve always had, you know, friends that were a little different in different ways, but I never thought it was anything wrong with them. They were just different.

BLADE: I’m sure your views evolved on that over the years like most other folks, right?

POINTER: Yeah, oh absolutely.

BLADE: Have the Pointer Sisters played many Pride events? Do you remember the first?

POINTER: I don’t remember the first one but we’ve always had a huge, you know, audience, gay audience, being from the Bay Area, San Francisco, you know, Haight-Ashbury. Sylvester, the Cockettes, Pristine Condition, you know, it was always just a good time. Just fun, which is what we always set out to do, just have a good time.

BLADE: What do you have planned for your D.C. performance?

POINTER: Well, we just want to have a really good time at any event. Where we’re playing determines what we’re going to have, what we’re going to wear. It’s just things that we want to be appropriate for the engagement we’re doing. We’re just excited about it. It’s always an exciting time to play for a gay audience. It’s always just so much fun.

BLADE: Mary Wilson has had several exhibits of the Supremes’ gowns in recent years. I know the Pointer Sisters were a whole different kind of act but do you have all your stage clothes from over the years and would you ever exhibit any of that stuff anywhere? 

POINTER: No, we haven’t kept everything. I know my sister Anita keeps most everything. She has things that I don’t have. But we still have some things, we don’t have everything. I don’t know what she has because we were given a lot of things. Especially, like when we did “The Carol Burnett Show” and Bob Mackie was making all of our wardrobe for those shows. Carol was so gracious and just let us keep the costumes that were made for us.

BLADE: Wow.

POINTER: Yes, I know, I know!

BLADE: How is Anita. Do you see her often?

POINTER: I don’t see her that often because I’m on the East Coast and she’s on the West Coast. You know, when I’m in L.A. we try to get together and see each other so that’s when I can see her. We talk occasionally. My sister Bonnie and I text and talk on a regular basis and that’s just kind of the way we live our lives. I have two older brothers and we talk all the time. So we stay in touch pretty much like most families would. Nothing exceptional.

BLADE: Are you still friendly with (former Temptations lead singer) Dennis Edwards? (ex-husband and father of Pointer’s daughter, Issa.) Do you ever see him?

POINTER: I don’t see him. He’s in Saint Louis, I believe, and we have a daughter together who’s singing with me now and she’s in touch with him and his current wife, Brenda. But he’s in the hospital, you know, trying to recover from meningitis and now pneumonia. So we’re sort of praying every day that he makes a full recovery but we just don’t know. It’s really quite serious.

BLADE: What’s it like singing and traveling with your daughter and granddaughter? Did that just sort of come about organically?

POINTER: It was kind of a natural thing only because they were pretty much born into this business with me. I was pregnant with Issa on stage for eight months before she was born and my granddaughter has just always been around our music all her life. We had to make some adjustments in the music because unlike my sisters, they didn’t grow up singing together so that instinct that me and Anita and Bonnie and June had didn’t exist between Issa and Sadako. We had to teach them the notes and the moves whereas it was so easy for me and my sisters because we just kind of automatically moved together and automatically knew what we were going to do. It was a little bit of a challenge but they got it down.

BLADE: How long have they each been in the group?

POINTER: Issa has been with us since 2002. Sadako came in about eight years ago when Issa got pregnant with my first grandson. … They know what they’re doing by now.

BLADE: Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, if a group won a Grammy, did you each get one or was it just one trophy for the group?

POINTER: We each got one, yeah.

BLADE: What memory stands out most in your mind from “We Are the World”?

POINTER: The fact that I realized that there would never, ever be that group of people together in one room ever again. My God, when I look back and think of all the people that were in that room. People I admired before I even got in the business and people that I will forever admire — Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Janet, no wait, LaToya, Bette Midler, Tina Turner, Dionne (Warwick), oh, I could go on and on. It’s just like, wow. I was in awe of everybody.

BLADE: So even though you all were huge stars, you were still starstruck?

POINTER: Absolutely, oh yeah. I’m a fan of everybody’s.

BLADE: Were there a lot of egos on display?

POINTER: There was a banner placed across the top of the studio as we came in that said, “Leave your ego at the door.”

BLADE: Did it work?

POINTER: I think everybody did that except maybe Waylon Jennings (laughs).

BLADE: Of all people.

POINTER: It was like all of a sudden Stevie Wonder wanted to try to put in some kind of African lyric in the song and Waylon went off and he said, “I’m outta here.” Came down out of the bleachers where we were all standing and said, “I ain’t singing no Kumbaya bullshit, I’m outta here.” We all just laughed, you know?

BLADE: Do you think Bonnie felt left out when you all went through the roof after she left?

POINTER: We weren’t even in touch with her during those years. Bonnie was estranged and away from us for almost 30 years. We didn’t talk, we didn’t speak, there was nothing, no communication. And I really think that it had a lot to do with the man that she was with. So I don’t know what she was feeling but I’m sure she might have felt that way.

BLADE: How did it come about that “I’m So Excited” was remixed and became a much bigger hit than it had been before?

POINTER: We had an album called “I’m So Excited” and the song was kind of overlooked and we had put so much love and effort into writing that song, so when the album “Breakout” came up, we told Richard Perry, our producer, we said, “Look, we need to re-release this song.” We said, “It’s just a shame that it’s been so overlooked and we know it’s a hit.” And that’s kind of how it happened.

BLADE: Labels can be funny about stuff like that. Did it take any arm twisting?

POINTER: No, they really didn’t, you know, argue with us on that issue. They accepted it and were willing to put it on the next album. And the rest is history.

BLADE: How did you decide who would sing lead?

POINTER: We knew that Anita had a lot to do with initiating that song, the writing with Trevor Lawrence and we all felt equally agreeable that her voice was well suited for that song so it wasn’t really a big issue or argument.

BLADE: But in general how would you divvy up lead vocal duties?

POINTER: We would go through a series of trying out different voices. Richard would take each of us to sing a certain song and then we would all decide which one we liked the best. So that’s just how we did it.

BLADE: The Pointer Sisters are heavily known for dabbling in many genres. Did you ever get label pushback from that?

POINTER: We never really got much pushback. We always knew we didn’t want to be pigeonholed. We liked singing everything and I just think we just were lucky and blest enough that the producers we worked with liked that kind of variety. We were willing to try things and they were willing to try things with us.

BLADE: Do you think much about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? I know it’s not just based on fame or chart stats, but there are many acts inducted that had a lot fewer hits than you guys did. 

POINTER: Of course I think about that. Are you kidding me? Yes, yes indeed! But you know the other thing is that there are a lot of groups that I admire that aren’t in there either, you know? That when I hear the names come up on a yearly basis of the people going in, a lot of times I’m thinking, ‘God, I thought they were already in there.” So, you know, it is what it is.

BLADE: Is it political? Maybe because your biggest hits were ’80’s pop hits, that era isn’t taken as seriously perhaps? 

POINTER: I really don’t know.

BLADE: Do you miss recording?

POINTER: I do, I do.

BLADE: Do you think you would ever do any recording with your daughter and granddaughter?

POINTER: I hope we can but right now, you know, it’s interesting. I’ve heard people talk about wanting to try out new material but the audience really loves the old stuff. You know, I remember even years ago, we’d try out new material and they just sit there looking at you like a deer in headlights so then you pull out something old and they go crazy. So we just stick with what we love and what they love.

BLADE: About what percentage of the year do you spend traveling these days?

POINTER: Hmmmm, I don’t know. I never tried to figure that out but I know it’s a lot. More than I ever expected it to be at this age, at this time in my life. But it’s OK because I appreciate it so much and I enjoy it so much. I think I enjoy it now more than I did then.

BLADE: What would you say to someone struggling with addiction?

POINTER: First of all just admit that you have a problem. People just don’t want to admit there’s a problem or they think they can handle it on their own. I’m so saddened with the deaths of Prince, Michael Jackson and I was just noticing this thing even with Tiger Woods the other day and I was saying, “God, they just don’t get it.” These opioids are gonna kill them and they’ve got to get a handle on it and realize they can’t beat the drug, you know? You gotta get help and you gotta admit that it’s an issue that you can’t just play around with and think, “Oh well, this won’t hurt me.” You gotta get help.

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a&e features

Have yourself a merry John Waters Christmas

Annual holiday show returns to Alexandria and Baltimore

Published

1 day ago

on

December 11, 2025

By

John Waters performs his annual John Waters Christmas spoken word show on Dec. 20 in Alexandria at The Birchmere, and on Dec. 23 in Baltimore at SoundStage. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

When it comes to iconic Christmas scenes in movies, none can top the tree-toppling tantrum thrown by cha-cha heels-deprived Dawn Davenport in John Waters’s fifth full-length feature “Female Trouble” from 1974. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Waters continues to make art out of Christmas, performing his spoken word Christmas tour in cities across the country. Waters has even more reason to celebrate with the release of his new red vinyl 7” single, a cover of Little Cindy’s “Happy Birthday Jesus (A Child’s Prayer)” on the A-side, and “A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas” on the B-side. If you’re still looking for unique Christmas gifts, consider this record. As always, John was kind enough to make time for an interview in advance of his tour dates.

BLADE: John, in preparation for this interview with you, I went back and listened to Little Cindy’s original rendition of “Happy Birthday Jesus (A Child’s Prayer)” on your “A John Waters Christmas” CD.

JOHN WATERS: One thing I did, if you notice, I make the same stumble in my recording that she did in the original.

BLADE: It sounded to me like she got choked up.

WATERS: No, I think she just stumbles over a word, so I stumbled over the same word. It’s appropriation, insanely.

BLADE: Is this a song you first became aware of in your youth or when you were an adult?

WATERS: When I was doing the Christmas album, I had this friend named Larry Benicewicz. He was kind of my idea man with music. He knew every single old record. I would say to him, “Weird Christmas songs,” when we were doing a soundtrack, or a song about bears, or a song about this, and he would give me all these tapes. It was one of the ones he played for me. A lot of the songs I put in my movies and on my records, I did know as a kid. I did not know this one, but I immediately embraced it. I don’t think it’s campy. I think it really is spiritual in a weird way. My doing it makes it a novelty record. I am really for novelty records, and there aren’t any anymore. Why was there not a COVID novelty record? That’s insane. The dance “The Bug” that’s on the “Hairspray” soundtrack would be perfect for COVID. 

BLADE: The thing that struck me was that for a Christmas song in the voice of a child, a kind of death pall hangs over it, with lines like, “If I was good you’d let me live with you” and “they nailed you to the cross, they wanted you to die.”

WATERS: All of it! When I see children at midnight mass kneeling in front of a nude man nailed to a cross, I feel like I’m at The Eagle! It is S&M, it’s creepy. I took the same cover (photo) from her record to parody and put my face on it. The same thing I did with The Singing Dogs last year when I covered (their version of) “Jingle Bells.” I’m really into novelty records. I love them and I’m trying to bring them back. I don’t expect anybody to ever play these records. Even The Singing Dogs one said on it, “Please do not play this record” [laughs]. And the flipside, the Pig Latin version, is almost impossible to listen to.

BLADE: I’m so glad you mentioned that. “A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas” reminded me of the lost art of speaking in Pig Latin. I also recall watching the PBS series “Zoom” as an adolescent and learning to speak “ubbi dubbi,” a distant relative of Pig Latin. Do you think that the time is right for a Pig Latin or ubbi dubbi revival?

WATERS: Here’s the thing, I never could pick up any language, except Pig Latin. I’ve been in every foreign country. Foreign countries have given me money to learn to speak the language. I can never do it! But Pig Latin…my parents and other parents in the ‘50s spoke Pig Latin so kids couldn’t understand what they were saying. Then my mother taught it to me, and I used it. The hardest take to shoot in “Pink Flamingos” was not eating the dog shit. It was when the cast skipped, in one take, saying “E-way, are-yay e-they ilthiest-fay eople-pay in-hay e-they ole-hay ide-way orld-way.” We’re the filthiest people in the whole wide world in Pig Latin. We had to do so many takes so they could do it once without screwing it up. In “Polyester,” Edith (Massey) answers the phone, “ello-hay.” I did a photo piece where it was all subtitled in Pig Latin. Like “osebud-Ray” (from “Citizen Kane”) or in “Streetcar,” “ella-Stay!” [Laughs] All the iconic dialogue translated into Pig Latin. My assistant who helped me do it, had never heard of Pig Latin. She really got good at it because she lived in many foreign countries and can pick up languages. But it’s not that easy to do it correctly and read it. Your computer will translate into Pig Latin.

BLADE: AI understands Pig Latin?

 WATERS: I guess that’s AI. It wasn’t 100% right, but it was close. I can speak it if I look at it, but just do a bit at a time. It was a challenge that no one would possibly care about or want to do.

BLADE: I think you pulled it off very well.

WATERS: If you want people to leave on Christmas morning, you put it on. That’s how you get your guests to leave. It’s time to go.

BLADE: Ood-gay i-bay! How did your relationship with record label Sub Pop, which released 2021, 2022, 2024, and new 2025 holiday singles, come about?

WATERS: I believe the first thing I did for them was “Prayer to Pasolini.” They came to me through Ian Brennan. He’s won a couple Grammys for World Music, but he is also is one of my agents who does the Christmas tour and a lot of my shows, anything with music. He helped me arrange each one of the songs. He had a relationship with Sub Pop. It was perfect. My friends in Baltimore, (the band) Beach House, have had huge success.

BLADE: That’s right, they’re on Sub Pop!

WATERS: Yes! I’m happy to be on it. I’ve even been to the warehouse and posed for pictures like Jackie Suzanne used to do.

BLADE: Is there any chance that “A John Waters Christmas” might be reissued on vinyl by Sub Pop?

WATERS: No. It’s such a nightmare to get the rights and to renew them. You have to find the publisher and the writer, and they usually hate each other. It doesn’t matter if it’s obscure or famous, it’s hard to get. You have to make the deal. The singer doesn’t get anything unless they play it on the radio. It would be so complicated legally, and there would be such a [laughs] tiny audience for it. I hope it will come out again. The same thing with the one for Valentine’s Day. I had two of them that did quite well when they came out; “A Date With John Waters and “A John Waters Christmas.” The “John Waters Christmas” album is still the soundtrack that plays whenever I’m doing my spoken word Christmas show as people are entering the theater.

BLADE: Aside from your annual Christmas show tour, what else do you do for the holidays now, and are there any traditions that you’ve carried over from your family?

WATERS: Certainly! I have two sisters, my brother’s widow, and me, so there are four and we take turns each year to have the Christmas dinner. Mine was last year. An entire sit-down dinner. Mom’s China, the silverware, the entire full dinner. It’s pretty traditional. I don’t have a Christmas tree, but I do decorate the electric chair from “Female Trouble.” That is a tradition in my family. We do have Christmas decorations, but they’re usually weird ones that fans sent me. I have one with Divine knocking over the Christmas tree, and the Christmas tree lights up, all sorts of amazing things. There is definitely a tradition here that might be a little altered, but it is definitely a tradition. I used to have a giant party every year, but COVID ended that. I still wouldn’t want 200 people in my house breathing right now.

BLADE: I was looking at your tour schedule and wondered if there are any new cities in which you’ve never performed the John Waters Christmas show that have been added to this year’s schedule?

WATERS: I don’t think there’s a city in America in which I haven’t done one show! The only places I haven’t been to are Hawaii and Alaska. I could do it there, but it’s too long on a tour. I can’t think of a city I haven’t played in in America over the last 50 years. The Christmas show is completely different every year. It doesn’t matter if you saw it last year.

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Ultimate guide to queer gift giving

Champagne, candles, cologne, lawnmowers, and more

Published

6 days ago

on

December 6, 2025

By

Some gifts scream practical, others whisper luxury, and a few flat-out blur the lines. From cocoa that feels ceremonial to a cologne that linger like a suggestive smirk, this year’s ultimate gift picks prove that thoughtful (and occasionally naughty) presents don’t have to be prosaic. Welcome to your holiday cheat sheet for festive tangibles that get noticed, remembered, and maybe even result in a peck of gratitude planted under the mistletoe. Consensually, of course.

Amber Glass Champagne Flutes

Pop the champs – but make it vintage. These tulip-shaped stunners in amber-tinted glass bring all the Gatsby vibes without the Jazz-age drama. Whether you’re toasting a milestone or celebrating a Tuesday, their seven-ounce capacities and hand-wash-only care make ‘em as practical as they are pretty. Pair with a thoughtful bottle of bubs and gift with a glittering wink. $18, NantucketLooms.com

Disaster Playbook by Here Comes the Apocalypse

Because the end of the world shouldn’t be a solo act, this spiral-bound guide is your step-by-step roadmap to surviving and thriving when everything else goes sideways, which might be sooner than you think. Packed with checklists, drills, and a healthy dose of humor, it’s like a survival manual written by your most prepared (and slightly snarky) friend. Whether you’re prepping for a zombie apocalypse or, more realistically, REVOLUTION!, this playbook’s got your back. $40, HereComesTheApocalypse.com

Wickless Vulva Candles

Bold, luxurious, and completely flame-free, CTOAN’s wickless candles melt from beneath on a warmer, releasing subtle, sophisticated fragrances, like sandalwood or lavender. The vulva-shaped wax adds a playful, provocative element to any space –perfect for a bedroom, living room, or anywhere you want elegance with an edge. A gift that celebrates form, intimacy and self-expression, no fire required. $39, CTOANCO.com

Villeroy & Boch Royal Classic Christmas Collection

Every meal is a mini celebration – with whimsy at every place setting – in Villeroy & Boch’s Royal Classic festive dinnerware collection that hits all the right notes. Made from premium German porcelain, it features nostalgic little toys, nutcrackers, and rocking horses in delicate relief, giving your holiday spread a playful but refined twist. Dishwasher- and microwave-safe, it’s luxe without the fuss. Gift a piece to a special someone, or start a collection they’ll use (and show off) for years to come. $22-$363, Villeroy-Boch.com

Greenworks Electric Lawnmower

You a ’hood queen who considers lawn care performance art – or just wants to rule the cul-de-sac in quiet, emission-free glory? Greenworks’ zero-turn electric mower has the muscle of a 24-horsepower gas engine but none of the fumes, drama or maintenance. Six 60V batteries and a 42-inch deck mean you can mow up to two-and-a-half acres on a single charge – then plug in, recharge, and ride again. It’s whisper-quiet, slope-ready, and smooth enough to make you wonder why you ever pushed anything besides your queer agenda. The perfect gift for the homeowner who loves sustainability, symmetry, and showing off their freshly striped yard like that fresh fade you get on Fridays. $5,000, GreenworksTools.com

Molekule Air Purifier

For the friend who treats their space like a sanctuary (or just can’t stand sneezes), the Molekule Air Pro is magic in motion. Covering up to 1,000 square feet, it doesn’t just capture allergens, VOCs, and smoke – it destroys them, leaving your air feeling luxury-clean. FDA-cleared as a Class II medical device, it’s serious science disguised as modern design. Gift it to your city-dwelling, pet-loving, candle-burning friend who likes their living room as pristine as their Instagram feed. $1,015, Molekule.com

Cipriani Prosecco Gift Set

Effervescent with stone-fruit sweetness and a touch of Italian flair, the Cipriani Bellini & Prosecco gift set brings brunch-level glamour to any day of the week. The Bellini blends rich white-peach purée with sparkling wine, while the dry ’secco keeps things crisp and celebratory. Pop a bottle, pour a flute, and suddenly winter weeknights feel like a party – even with your pants off. $36, TotalWine.com

Woo(e)d Cologne

British GQ recently crowned Woo(e)d by ALTAIA the “Best Date Night Fragrance,” and honestly, they nailed it. Confident without being cocky – smoky gaïac and Atlas cedarwood grounds the room while supple leather and spicy cardamom do all the flirting – it’s a scent that lingers like good conversation and soft candlelight. Gift it to the one who always turns heads – or keep it for yourself and let them come to (and then on) you. $255, BeautyHabit.com

Lococo Cocoa Kit

Keep the run-of-the-mill mugs in the cabinet this Christmas and pull out Lococo’s handcrafted Oaxacan versions that demand you slow down and sip like it matters. Paired with a wooden scoop, rechargeable frother, and Lococo’s signature spice hot-chocolate blend (vegan, gluten-free, with adaptogenic mushrooms), this holiday kit turns Mexi-cocoa into a mini ritual you’ll look forward to. Perfect for anyone who loves a little indulgence with a side of ¡A huevo! energy.

Manta Sleep Mask

Total blackout, zero pressure on the eyes, and Bluetooth speakers built right into the straps, this ain’t your mama’s sleep mask — but it could be. The Manta SOUND sleep mask features C-shaped eye cups that block every hint of light while ultra-thin speakers deliver your favorite white noise, meditation, or late-night playlist straight to your ears. With 24-hour battery life, breathable fabric, and easy-to-adjust sound, it turns any bed (or airplane seat) into a five-star sleep suite. Perfect for anyone who treats shut-eye like an art form (or just wants to escape their roommate’s late-night bingin’ and/or bangin’). $159, MantaSleep.com

Shacklelock Necklace

Turn the industrial-chic vibe of a shackle into a sleek statement. Mi Tesoro’s platinum-plated stainless-steel necklace sits on an 18-inch wheat chain, featuring a shackle-style latch pendant that’s waterproof, tarnish-free, and totally fuss-les. Beyond style, it nods to a classic gesture in the queer leather community: replacing a traditional Master lock with something elegant to quietly signal belonging to someone special. Wear it solo for a minimalist edge or layer it like you mean it; either way this piece locks in both your look and your intentions. $90, MiTesoroJewelry.com

Parkside Flask Mojave Edition

Wine nights get a desert glow-up with Parkside’s limited-edition 750-milliliter all-in-one flask draped in sun-washed bronze and badland hues like sage, sand, and terracotta – with magnetic stemless tumblers that snap on for effortless shareability. It keeps your vino chilled for 24 hours, pours without drips (no tears for spilled rosé, please), and even lets you laser-engrave your own mantra or inside joke. Perfect for picnics, surprise rooftop clinks, or gifting to your favorite wine (or desert) rat. $149, HighCampFlasks.com

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has published in more than 100 outlets across the world. Connect with him on Instagram @mikeyroxtravels.

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Meet Mr. Christmas

Hallmark’s Jonathan Bennett on telling gay love stories for mainstream audiences

Published

1 week ago

on

December 4, 2025

By

Hallmark’s Jonathan Bennett

Jonathan Bennett believes there are two kinds of people in the world — those who love Hallmark movies and liars. And in Season 2 of Finding Mr. Christmas, which the Mean Girls star co-created with Ben Roy, Bennett is searching for Hallmark’s next leading man.

“It’s so fun for people because everyone in their life has someone they know that they think should be in Hallmark movies, right? The UPS driver, the barista at the coffee shop, the dentist,” Bennett says. “So we’re testing their acting abilities, we’re testing who they are, but we’re also looking for that star quality — the thing that makes them shine above everyone else. It’s almost something you can’t explain, but we know it when we see it.”

Season 2’s cast includes a former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers, a few actors, and a realtor. The 10 men compete in weekly festive-themed acting challenges, one of which included having to ride a horse and act out a scene with Alison Sweeney. The contestants were chosen from a crop of 360 potential men, and Bennett gives kudos to the show’s Emmy-nominated casting director, Lindsay Liles (The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise).

“She has a tough job because she has to find 10 guys that are going to be good reality television, but also have the talent to act, carry a scene, and lead a Hallmark movie eventually,” he says. To be the right fit for a Hallmark leading man, Bennett singles out five key characteristics: you have to be funny, charming, kind, have a sense of humor, and you have to do it all with a big heart.

Of course, Finding Mr. Christmas wouldn’t be Finding Mr. Christmas without its signature eye candy — something Bennett describes as “part of the job” for the contestants. “I can’t believe Hallmark let me get away with this. I dressed them as sexy reindeer and put them in harnesses attached to a cable 30 feet in the air, and they had to do a sexy reindeer photo shoot challenge,” he says with a laugh. “This season is just bigger and bolder than last. People are responding to not only all the craziness that we put them through, but also comparing and contrasting the guys in their acting scenes when we do them back-to-back.”

Season 1 winner Ezra Moreland’s career has been an early testament to the show’s success at finding rising talent. On seeing the show’s first winner flourish, Bennett says, “Now to watch him out in the world, just booking commercial after commercial and shining as an actor and a model, I think the show gave him the wings to do that. He learned so much about himself, and he took all that into his future auditions and casting. He just works nonstop. I’ve never seen an actor book more commercials and modeling gigs in my life.”

Bennett has been a star of plenty of Hallmark movies himself, including the GLAAD-award-winning The Groomsmen: Second Chances, which makes him a fitting host. Among those movies are 2020’s Christmas House, which featured the first same-sex kiss on the network and had a major impact on Bennett’s career as an openly gay man. “Hallmark’s been so great about supporting me in queer storytelling. But again, I don’t make gay movies for gay audiences. I make gay love stories for a broad audience, and that’s a huge difference, right? We’re not telling stories inside baseball that only the gay community will understand.”

He continues, “The backdrop of a Hallmark Christmas movie is very familiar to these people who watch. And so when you tell a gay love story, and you tell it no differently than a straight love story in that space, they’re able to understand. It’s able to change hearts and minds for people who might not have it in their lives.”

While Hallmark has become a major staple of Bennett’s career, he started off wanting to be a Broadway actor. And before the first season of Finding Mr. Christmas aired, Bennett took a break from TV to make his Broadway debut in Spamalot, replacing Michael Urie as Sir Robin and starring alongside Ethan Slater and Alex Brightman.

“That was my dream since I was five years old – then I booked a movie called Mean Girls, and everything kind of changes in your life. You no longer become a person pursuing Broadway, you become a part of pop culture,” Bennett recalls. “And to be honest, when I hit 40, I was like, ‘I’m probably never going to get to live that dream.’ And that’s okay, because I got to do other dreams and other things that were just as cool but different. So I honestly never thought it would happen.”

Bennett is still determined to make his way back on Broadway with the right role — he calls Spamalot the “best experience” of his life, after all — but he’s got another Hallmark show lined up with Murder Mystery House, which he co-created. The show was recently greenlit for development and intends to bring the Hallmark mystery movie to life. “It’s kind of like our version of The Traitors,” Bennett admits.

Looking back on both seasons, Bennett says that what makes Finding Mr. Christmas stand out in the overcrowded reality TV landscape is that everyone involved makes it with heart: “This isn’t a show where you’re going to watch people throw drinks in each other’s faces and get into big fights. The thing that has amazed me so much about this show, the more we’ve done it, is that every season, 10 guys come in as competitors, but they leave as a family and as brothers. That’s something you don’t get on any other network.”

Finding Mr. Christmas airs every Monday on Hallmark through December 20, with episodes available to stream on Hallmark+.

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