A New ‘The Q Agenda’ Episode is Out Now!

On today’s episode of The Q Agenda, our hosts sit down with red carpet correspondent Denny Directo and drag queen Honey Davenport. Both found entertainment careers that support their personalities, and they talk about how their queerness has been part of those journeys.

From the moment Denny Directo was given a microphone as a teenager, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Born in a small Californian equestrian town, however, expressing his queerness wasn’t really an option (even having two gay uncles).

His family was supportive and accepting, but the conservative small-town culture was not.

“I was still nice and outgoing, I was extraverted…and I had a lot of friends,” he said on the set of The Q Agenda, “but I wasn’t fully formed. I wasn’t confident or brave enough to be myself yet.”

But, in time, he came out of his shell. He went to college. He came out, as did his sister.

“My family has a pride flow,” Directo jokes. “My dad has two gay brothers, there’s me, and my baby sister. We’re all gay. There was one Thanksgiving, there were so many people at dinner that we had two separate tables and we didn’t realize that all the gays flocked together, and we’re like, hold up!”

As he’s grown in his career, Directo feels lucky to have a support system built into his family like this.

Thirteen years ago, he started at Entertainment Tonight as a production assistant. As of last year, he is now the news brand’s only Brown, queer TV correspondent.

Directo has interviewed stars like Rosie O’Donnell, Bad Bunny, and Tom Hanks. Whatever story or event he’s covering, he shows up as all of himself and breathes new life into today’s media landscape.

The fabulous Honey Davenport sits down with us next. She grew up in West Philadelphia and, when she turned seventeen, moved to New York City for musical theatre.

After a few years working in this shade of showbiz (which included the Hairspray national tour), she found herself at a crossroads. She didn’t want to continue doing musical theatre, but she wanted to keep performing.

One night, dancing at club called Therapy (“while I needed therapy,” she says), a drag queen named Peppermint approached her about performing at Lincoln Center. Not only was this Davenport’s introduction to drag, it was the beginning of a new career.

She went on to dance back-up for Peppermint all around the world. From Dublin to London to Sydney, Davenport watched and learned from one of the most famous drag queens at the time.

“That led to me doing my own drag,” she says. “There’s about so many times you can watch Mama put on all that make-up before you start dipping and dabbling.”

Since, she’s had a sixteen-year career in drag, including a season of Ru-Paul’s Drag Race. She hustles out creative projects and says yes to opportunities that inspire her creativity.

“I really took those five seconds [on TV] and I used them to accomplish all the things I dreamed of accomplishing,” she says.

Davenport remembers how it felt to be ‘othered’ growing up as a queer kid in West Philadelphia. Now, with drag bans and trans rights under attack, she encourages her audience to show up. What some politicians are calling ‘dangerous’ is the thing that saved her life.

Watch the episode on the LATV+ app for the full exclusive interview with Denny Directo and Honey Davenport. The hosts also lean into a poignant conversation about what counts as gender-affirming care.