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Billy Porter joined The Late Show With Stephen Colbert this week and issued an apology to Harry Styles for his earlier comments about the singer's Vogue cover shoot. Porter started controversy when he commented during an interview with The Sunday Times that "I feel like the fashion industry has accepted me because they have to. I'm not necessarily convinced and here is why... I created the conversation and yet Vogue still put Harry Styles, a straight white man, in a dress on their cover for the first time."
Porter faced backlash after making the comments and has now apologized to the former One Direction member. The photoshoot saw Styles become the first man to grace the cover of Vogue, and the musician, who has regularly experimented, was photographed wearing a dress.
"Apparently I'm famous now, and it was a slow news day, so the first thing I want to say is: Harry Styles, I apologize to you for having your name in my mouth. It's not about you. The conversation is not about you... the conversation is actually deeper than that. It is about the oppression and the erasure of people of color who contribute to the culture. That's a lot to unpack. I'm willing to unpack it sans the dragging and 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****," Porter said. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean no harm. I'm a gay man. We like Harry. He's cute!"
Styles never publically spoke on Porter's initial remarks, as the musician typically shies away from social media. The artist has also been busy on his Love On Tour, where he has frequently made headlines from conducting gender reveals to helping fans come out to their parents.