Jennifer Coolidge To Headline Vivid Sydney 2023
Image: Jennifer Coolidge. Image: Supplied/ Amy Sussman via Getty Images
The White Lotus Star and certified gay icon Jennifer Coolidge is heading to Australia and is scheduled to headline Vivid Sydney 2023.
Coolidge will headline Vivid Sydney along with The White Lotus director Mike White. Coolidge took to Instagram and TikTok Tok to make the announcement on Friday morning.
“Hey Australia, it’s Jennifer Coolidge and I just got really exciting news. Mike White and I are coming to Sydney on June 10 – we’ll see you there!” the American actress said.
Vivid Sydney 2023
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According to Vivid Sydney, White and Coolidge will be in conversation with out gay author Benjamin Law at the Aware Super Theatre, ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour, on Saturday June 10, from 7.30 pm to 8.45 pm. They will “discuss their career peaks, valleys, and much more in a fascinating, funny, and unforgettable chat with hilarious anecdotes from their decades of experience in Hollywood.”
Coolidge won a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy awards for her role in The White Lotus directed by White.
Blockbuster Addition
“There is no doubt this Vivid Ideas event with the series’ leading talent Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge will be a huge drawcard for fans from near and far,” Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said in a statement.
“Sydney is a city where creative industries, ideas and conversations can thrive. I am pleased to see this event added to the program. I hope it will be an opportunity for Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge to fall in love with NSW when they visit,” the Minister said about the “blockbuster addition” to the Vivid Sydney program.
Vivid Sydney Festival Director, Gill Minervini said that securing the megastars for the Vivid Sydney line-up “cements Vivid Sydney 2023 as the biggest and most culturally relevant program yet.”
Gay Icon
It wouldn’t be an award show in 2023 without the incredibly iconic @JENCOOLIDGE. She just made a surprise appearance to help us kick off the #GLAADawards (and these gays were not trying to kill her)
And then an old friend of hers had their own surprise. pic.twitter.com/4tzU8GMP9C
— GLAAD (@glaad) March 31, 2023
A gay icon, Coolidge has over the years acknowledged her huge LGBTQI fan base and partnered with several community organisations, including Aid for AIDS. She was recently awarded the Social Impact trophy at the GLAAD Awards.
“Here I am again, surrounded by gays,” Coolidge said on the stage, referencing her iconic line “These gays, they’re trying to murder me” in The White Lotus Season Season 2.
“It’s the story of my life…You know, I have so much respect for the LGBTQ community, and I just want you all to know that I love you, and I thank you for always being there for me. That’s why I’m here because I wanna give back,” Coolidge said, adding “We all have a right to be who we are and to love the people that we love and tell our stories and celebrate that in every way that we can.”
In an interview with The Advocate magazine, Coolidge said that the love and admiration between her and the LGBTQI community were “mutual”.
“Since I was young, I have had many gay friends early in my life, so my love for the community started at a very young age. And I’ve been in Hollywood a long time, so I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many queer actors. They give me credit, but I give it right back to them for always being there for me.”
“I’m always happy to help. I was never conscious of being an LGBTQ icon. There’s nothing more flattering than having the respect of gay men and women, so it’s a joy”, Coolidge said in the interview.
To book tickets to ‘Mike White & Jennifer Coolidge In Conversation’, visit the Vivid Sydney website.
