What did Billy Porter say on his latest CBS interview? Emmy-winning actor’s viral remark while promoting ‘Cabaret’ cast raises eyebrows

Actor and singer Billy Porter has found himself in a pickle after clips from a recent interview went viral. During his appearance on CBS Mornings on Monday, July 21, 2025, the actor discussed his upcoming Broadway revival of Cabaret.

Cabaret is a 1966 musical centered around a nightclub in Berlin and its patrons during the rise of Nazism. In the upcoming adaptation, Porter explained he was playing an American man, Emcee, fleeing the Jim Crow era persecution to Europe, who ends up in a concentration camp. He continued to elaborate that it would feature three Black actors in the lead for the first time, adding:

"And with what’s going on in the world right now, Black people have replaced the Jews in this sort of configuration of what we’re going through."

.@billyporter_ is returning to Broadway as the emcee in @kitkatclubnyc, a musical that revolves around the patrons of a Berlin nightclub during the rise of Nazism.

“With art as my activism, as my resistance, I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” Porter tells CBS Mornings. pic.twitter.com/6PH1dQt5MF

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) July 21, 2025

As the videos of the interview went viral, internet users were quick to express their shock.

"I’m sorry- Black people have WHAT??" a user stated.

"if u ever think your having a bad day just know Billy Porter's publicist is having a far worse day than you," another quipped.

"The way I just went god damn it Billy! Watching this clip. Yes it’s a historical thing that all leads in cabaret are black but Saying Black People are Replacing Jewish People is insane! I hate that he said this," one commented.

In April 2025, Billy Porter participated in a photo project called Borrowed Spotlight, which highlighted the stories of Holocaust survivors

In his CBS Mornings interview, Billy Porter asserted that the production is meant to be "a call to action," adding:

"So that we can remind ourselves that love always wins, and all we have to do is get out in the streets and do our work."

TikTok influencer Ben Lebofsky criticized the Tony Award-winning actor's comments, stating they implied that "Jews no longer face discrimination." He elaborated that Porter's remarks were dismissive, especially for a musical about the "Jewish trauma."

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Lebofsky also acknowledged that Billy Porter's comparison that the two communities face similar discrimination. He explained:

"I think what he is trying to say is that, in today’s day and age, Black people face a lot of discrimination, and you can draw a lot of parallels to the discrimination that Black people face and the discrimination that Jewish people face, which I think is a true statement."

Elsewhere in the interview, co-host Gayle King explained that during a late 1990s production of the musical, Porter was turned down from auditioning for the role. At the time, they cited that it was "not the story (they were) telling" as a reason.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Billy Porter (@theebillyporter)

It prompted the actor to research the period and find an autobiography by Hans J. Massaquoi, Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany. Billy Porter continued:

"I sent it to the entire creative team. Signed, 'We were there. We're always there.'"

It is worth noting that in April 2025, Billy Porter was part of a photo project called Borrowed Spotlight. The initiative sought to shed light on the stories of Holocaust survivors by photographing them beside celebrities.

Porter shared the picture on his Instagram, appearing beside fellow New Yorker, Bella Rosenberg. In the post, the actor asserted that Rosenberg's story was a reminder of "what can happen" if hate goes "unchecked."

Porter has not publicly reacted to the backlash.