LZ Granderson
ABC News will kick off Pride Month next Tuesday, June 1, with the two-episode premiere of its first LGBTQ issue-focused podcast, Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson. Granderson, an ABC News contributor, draws from his own lived experience as a gay, Black father to host “inspiring, provocative and often hilarious conversations to help preserve the history of the LGBTQ community,” according to a press release from ABC.
“The podcast will delve into the policies, cultural touchstones and historical events that have shaped the collective experience of this often under-represented and misunderstood group,” the press release continued. “Guests will shed light on the past by sharing their own stories and look to the future by describing their vision for how living ‘life out loud’ should look.”
The first two episodes will focus on the impact of the groundbreaking FX series Pose as it wraps its third and final season. The show’s co-creator and co-executive producer, Steven Canals, joins Granderson in the first episode of Life Out Loud, and the second episode will feature a conversation with Pose star Mj Rodriguez, the first transgender actress to win Best Actress at the Imagen Awards.
“We lost so many stories to the AIDS epidemic, violence, harassment and silence due to fear,” Granderson said. “I’m passionate about creating a space to capture these underreported stories and untold oral histories, while also celebrating the joys of living ‘life out loud’ and where we’re going as a community.”
The third episode of Life Out Loud will post on Thursday, June 3, and will feature an interview with Grammy Award-nominated musician Rufus Wainwright ahead of his tribute to icon Judy Garland on what would have been her 99th birthday.
Additional episodes of the ten-episode season will post every Thursday. Guests will include Dr. Anthony Fauci on his response to the AIDS crisis; Sherry Cola, comedian and actress on Freeform’s Good Trouble; history-making politicians, including Sen. Tammy Baldwin; Super Bowl Winner Keyshawn Johnson, and Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black and his husband Olympic medal winner Tom Daley.
Granderson is an award-winning journalist, ESPN Radio host and op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He was selected as “Journalist of the Year” by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association in 2011, and his TED Talk, “Myth of the Gay Agenda,” has 1.7 million views.
Granderson has received recognition for his work from each major LGBTQ+ organization in the nation, including the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD. The Advocate, the nation’s most prominent and oldest LGBTQ+ magazine, frequently includes him as one of the 50 most influential LGBTQ voices in media.
Life Out Loud is available for free on major listening platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Audacy and the ABC News app.
This is the first podcast produced in conjunction with members of the ABC News and Owned Television Stations PRIDE Business Employee Resource Group, which is co-chaired by senior producers Anthony Morrison and Robert Zepeda. Members include LGBTQ+ employees and allies from across ABC News, ABC-Owned Television Stations, Disney General Entertainment Content, and other segments of The Walt Disney Company.
Life Out Loud is produced by ABC Audio. Eric Johnson and Liz Alesse are executive producers.
— Tammye Nash
