Billy Eichner Finds Mainstream Success

Billy Eichner recently sat down for an interview with the New York Times. Here are some highlights from that interview:

You star in ‘‘Difficult People’’ and ‘‘American Horror Story’’ this season, but I know you from ‘‘Billy on the Street,’’ your interview game show. I’m always nervous interviewing people who are interviewers. How has it changed you? 
"It has made me much more sympathetic to all those Greenpeace people. I will always take your flier, because I know what it’s like."

The ‘‘on the street’’ character comes from your real passion for pop culture and celebrity culture — but the show mocks your character for having that passion. You’re the butt of the joke. 
"For the most part, the comedy of ‘‘Billy on the Street’’ comes from the fact that he never evolves. He’s funny because he sticks to his guns about what’s important, and what’s important is whether Cate Blanchett was snubbed this year. It’s me satirizing my disproportionate passion for the entertainment industry. I’ve had a subscription to Entertainment Weekly since I was 7 years old, and I would read it cover to cover. My parents would take me to Broadway shows and indie movies and foreign films and big studio movies, and I absorbed everything. But as I got older, I realized: This is ridiculous. I still love it all, but I use up a lot of space in my brain to think about these things."


Now that you’ve seen the business up close, are you still as obsessed? 
"I really still am a fan. I stayed up an hour too late last night because I got sucked down a Wikipedia hole because I couldn’t remember how many V.M.A.s Madonna has and what she won for. And I started to think: Wait a second, how many Grammys does she have? Was she even nominated for a Grammy before she won for ‘‘Ray of Light’’? And this has nothing to do with my job. I’m not doing anything with Madonna. This is just me, this is how I spend my time and these are the things I’m interested in. I really am ride or die for Madonna."

Amy Poehler has said that she thinks that your being an outsider is really important to your comedy. How do you maintain that as you get more successful? 
"I am not an outsider. The persona of ‘‘Billy on the Street’’ may feel like an outsider, but Billy Eichner is not. I never let people tell me that I should be grateful for a crumb of success. There aren’t many openly gay guys in America who have had the success that I’ve had in comedy. I take ownership over the fact that ‘‘Billy on the Street’’ and ‘‘American Horror Story’’ are mainstream successes, and they should be seen as such, because there is power in the mainstream. What changes things is to be in the mainstream, to be Ellen DeGeneres, to be Will and Grace. Just because you don’t get me doesn’t make me an outsider. I feel like I’m at the heart of it all. Whether you come to the party or not is up to you."

Read the full interview at the New York Times.