BET will premiere Black & Iconic: Style Gods on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET. Billy Porter, an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy Award-winning actor/singer will host BET’s new groundbreaking documentary film series.
The series was directed by Lynne Robinson and produced by Stanley Nelson and Firelight Productions as part of the social impact campaign “Content For Change,” which was created to commemorate Black History Month. The documentary Black & Iconic: Style Gods will look at how racism and high fashion have influenced people of color on a systemic level, and how the consequences have endured over time.
According to the BET network, Black & Iconic: Style Gods will be a four-part, eight-hour documentary series honoring black culture pioneers, idols, and activists, as well as their contributions to fashion, music, film, and dance.
According to the official description of the docu-series on the BET network:
“Black + Iconic: Style Gods” weaves dazzling archival footage and exclusive interviews with legendary Black models, fashion designers, and style icons to explore the myriad ways Black people have overcome racism to eventually blaze an undeniable trail from the streets to the most exclusive runways of high fashion.”
Billy Porter is the host of the television show Black & Iconic: Style Gods
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Billy Porter, a Golden Globe-nominated and award-winning actor, director, producer, musician, and activist, will host and executive produce the new BET documentary series Black & Iconic: Style Gods. The series will examine the Black community’s past accomplishments in a variety of fields, as well as the impact of black cultural innovators.
Billy Porter, 53, was born on September 21, 1969, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Billy has appeared in American Horror Story and Law & Order, but he is best known for his Emmy-winning role as Pray Tell on FX’s Pose. Porter is also a well-known stage actor, having received a Tony Award nomination for his role in Kinky Boots.
Iconic and in black Fashion Gods
In 1991, the Black & Iconic: Style Gods host began his theatrical career in Miss Saigon. He played a Teen Angel in the 1994 revival of Grease. When he returned to New York City in 2010, he was cast as Belize in Tony Kushner’s two-part epic Angels of America, which was celebrating its 20th anniversary at the New York Signature Theatre Company. In 2016, he co-starred in the film Shuffle Along with Audra McDonald.
After a brief engagement, Porter married Native Ken co-owner Adam Smith on January 14, 2017. The couple married quickly in a friend’s Manhattan penthouse apartment. A mutual friend introduced them at a dinner party in 2009. They were together for a year before splitting up and reuniting in 2015.
In July 2022, the Black & Iconic: Style Gods host made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age drama Anything’s Possible, written by Ximena Garcia Lecuona. Porter also wrote Unprotected, which was published by Abrams Press in October 2021. Porter’s most recent song, Stranger Things, was made available through his record deal with Island Records (UK) and Republic Records (US). As a producer of A Strange Loop, the Black &Iconic: Style Gods presenter won his second Tony Award for “Best Musical” in 2022.
BET Network will air Black & Iconic: Style Gods on February 18, 2023
In honor of Black History Month, BET Network’s Black & Iconic: Style Gods will premiere on Saturday, February 18, 2023. The video highlights the accomplishments of people of color in a variety of fields, as well as the significance of black cultural contributions. Executive producers Connie Orlando and Jason Samuels, along with senior supervising producer Steven Ramey, created Black & Iconic: Style Gods for BET.
Stanley Nelson, the co-founder of Firelight Films and Executive Producer of the Black + Iconic series, spoke about the documentary series’ scope:
“We’re thrilled to be working with BET again after the success of our first film together, Through the Fire: Barack Obama’s Legacy. I couldn’t think of a better venue for this series honoring Black legends through the various genres in which Black creatives have left an indelible mark on society.”
Connie Orlando, VP, Specials, Music Programming, Music Strategy, and News at BET, also stated:
“With this comprehensive and unique documentary series, we look forward to giving some of the incredible Black luminaries who have created and continue to impact popular culture their well-deserved acclaim. We are honored to work with Firelight Films and Stanley Nelson, a pioneer in the creative and documentary industries, on this groundbreaking project once again.”
Orlando continued, saying:
“We had Billy Porter perform at last year’s BET Awards, and we are thrilled to have him narrate ‘Style Gods.'” He is a well-known artist, a trailblazer, and a fashion legend in his own right. ‘Black + Iconic,’ we believe, inspires our audience while also emphasizing how Black people are both the source and driving force of what is hip and next in culture.”
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