Fire Island Star Joel Kim Booster Responds To Leaked Nudes
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Fire Island star Joel Kim Booster has recently discovered some nude pics of himself had been leaked online, but the actor and writer behind the hit film isn’t bothered at all. In fact, he’s actually surprisingly happy because of where the pictures ultimately appeared.
In his new Netflix comedy special, Psychosexual, set to premiere on the streamer on June 21, Booster tells the audience, “I found out that all my nudes leaked online.”
‘On a Website For Male ‘celebrity’ Nudes’
“Yeah, I can see some of you reaching for your phone right now. Obviously, I was angry, I felt violated, um … but then I found out they were put on a website for male ‘celebrity’ nudes, and I was like, ‘They can stay….'”
In a 2018 tweet, Booster, 34, alluded to the presence of some nude pics of himself saying, “I mean I guess the worst thing that could happen if I got hacked is they could release the nudes I’ve already sent to approximately one thousand gay strangers across North America and abroad.”
I mean I guess the worst thing that could happen if I got hacked is they could release the nudes I've already sent to approximately one thousand gay strangers across North America and abroad.
— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) November 18, 2018
In 2019, he again mentioned the possibility of the existence of nude pics, tweeting, “I hope one of you leaks my fucking nudes. Would save me heaps of time.”
I hope one of you leaks my fucking nudes. Would save me heaps of time.
— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) July 26, 2019
All joking aside, Booster told the Hollywood Reporter, “I’ve gotten a lot of flack as a comedian for hyper-sexualizing myself and other people and talking about sex a lot. And what that means as a queer person and what that means as an Asian person.”
“As an Asian man, a lot of people see that as very empowering because Asian men are so desexualized in the media that me talking about sex and the amount of sex that I’m having suddenly becomes this very empowering act,” Booster said.
Booster also jokes in his special, which was filmed at Catch One in Los Angeles, “The first thing I want women to know about me is that I’m gay, because I know that for women right now in this country, your No. 1 cause of death is men. I want to put you at ease and let you know that the only thing that’s in danger with me is your self-esteem.”
Booster is enjoying a career-high, following the release of his critically acclaimed LGBTQ rom-com Fire Island, which the comedian not only stars in, but also wrote and executive produced.
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The multi-hyphenate talent is everywhere these days, leading the comedian to quip on Instagram, “I’m tired of me too.”
In fact, Booster is in such high demand that in Psychosexual, he jokes, “you guys are obsessed with me…what do you want, a medal?”
Booster recently celebrated all the Fire Island love tweeting “I am completely and utterly overwhelmed by the response to this movie. Thank you, truly all of you.”
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The film holds the distinction of being one of the first Queer-centric romantic comedies to come from a major studio (Walt Disney’s Searchlight Pictures) and it features an entirely LGBTQ cast, including SNL’s Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Conrad Ricamora, and Matt Rogers. The film was directed by Andrew Ahn who also directed the terrific gay-themed Spa Night.
‘Laughs, Tears and Plenty of Eye Candy’
Fire Island has been a crowd-pleaser and currently holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. IndieWire called the film “a whipsmart rom-com that delivers laughs, tears and plenty of eye candy,” while the San Francisco Chronicle calls it a “feel-good, enjoyable comedy and a celebration of queer, Asian American storytelling.”
Booster was particularly thrilled with one critic who compared Fire Island to Clueless.
“It’s one of those screaming, crying, throwing-up reactions,” Booster told EW in a recent interview. “I said from the start, if people bring this movie up in the same breath as Clueless — which I think is as close to a perfect movie as you can possibly get — I would be happy.”
However, Booster is also very aware of negative criticism and told EW, “There can be a hundred people in a room and just one of them could hate your movie, and that’s the one that I will focus on…That is something that I’m working on.”
Booster is also starring in the new Apple TV+ sitcom Loot, which also stars Maya Rudolph and MJ Rodriguez. Loot will make its streaming debut on June 24.
Booster is excited for the show to premiere, and in a recent Instagram post thanked producers Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard for “[Taking] a chance on an unknown prostitute like me.”
You can also catch Booster in Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration on Netflix is a Joke, while Fire Island is currently streaming on Disney+.
