Billy Porter apologizes to Harry Styles after calling out his Vogue cover: 'It's not about you'

Pose Emmy winner Billy Porter came out on the Late Show stage Thursday night and apologized to Harry Styles after comments the actor made about Styles' Vogue cover got picked up by media and the musician's fans.

"Apparently, I'm famous now and it was a slow news day," Porter told host Stephen Colbert.

"The first thing I wanna say is, Harry Styles, I apologize to you for having your name in my mouth," he said. "It's not about you. The conversation is not about you."

Styles became the first man to appear on the cover of Vogue in a dress for the fashion magazine's December issue. In an interview with U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times, Porter had said, "I feel like the fashion industry has accepted me because they have to. I created the conversation [about nonbinary fashion] and yet Vogue still put Harry Styles, a straight white man, in a dress on their cover for the first time."

"I was the first one doing it and now everybody is doing it," Porter added. "I'm not dragging Harry Styles, but… He doesn't care, he's just doing it because it's the thing to do. This is politics for me. This is my life."

Porter now regularly graces red-carpet events in gender-fluid looks, often times wearing dresses. Two of his famous outfits are the black tuxedo gown he wore to the 2019 Oscars, and the blue, sparkling suit adorned with silver tassels he served at the 2020 Grammys — the latter complete with a robotic hat that has since become a meme.

The conversation Porter brought up to The Sunday Times regarding Styles' cover is "much deeper" than just Styles (who has avoided publicly stating his sexual orientation), he told Colbert.

"It is about the systems of oppression and erasure of people of color who contribute to the culture," Porter said. "Now, that's a lot to unpack. I'm willing to unpack it sans the dragging and cancel culture of the internet because I do not now nor will I ever adjudicate my life or humanity in sound bites on social media. So, when you're ready to have the real conversation, call a b----."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean no harm," he reiterated. "I'm a gay man. We like Harry. He's cute."

Watch Porter's full appearance on Colbert in the video above.

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