Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson

For our last episode of season 3 of Life Out Loud, we chat with legendary sports broadcaster and acclaimed documentarian Hannah Storm and her daughter, Hannah Hicks. The younger Hannah represents the fourth generation to carry the name in her family. She is also the first one to come out as queer, introducing nuanced conversation into the extended family. We talk about what Hannah IV has learned from watching her mom break glass ce...

Raising a child and parenting aren’t necessarily one and the same. The expectations we might have going into the process of parenting aren’t always what the actual experience bears out. Former tennis pro, Brian Vahaly has a long list of the things he wished LZ - his chosen older brother - had coached him on before he and his husband became fathers to twin boys. Brian shares the big lessons he is learning through fatherhood and just...

The media that surrounds us is a reflection of who we are. When those reflections look like fun-house mirrors, it can impact the way we interact with society. As the SVP of Brand Strategy & Marketing for BET, Tiyale Hayes is working to help the Black network meet its business objectives while staying true to itself. For him, that means pushing for representation beyond stock characters and using storytelling to advance important cu...

Bravery comes in many forms. It can mean carving your career in spaces where you are the "only one." It can mean maintaining your faith as you struggle to survive. It can also be raising your voice, and facing the consequences for it. Like LZ, Jemele Hill is from Detroit, Detroit. That means she sees the world a little differently than most, and she's not afraid to share that perspective. She's a writer, broadcaster and podcaster w...

This week on Life Out Loud, we talk to famed interior designer and Trading Spaces star Vern Yip about this journey as the son of Chinese immigrants with very high expectations. Growing up, his parents gave him two choices: you can be a doctor, or you can be a doctor. He tried that path, but his passion kept getting in the way. Vern reveals how he had to come out to his family twice, once to tell them he was going to pursue design, ...

We’re back! This season of Life Out Loud is all about family and LZ begins by talking about his own—messy parts and all—with his son, LZed. They get real about painful moments in their relationship and how they have healed from them. LZ talks about the sacrifices he made to be a provider after his divorce, and LZed shares how some of those choices led him to feel abandoned. LZed also shares what it was like growing up with a queer ...

It’s the resilience and love that keeps this community marching to the beat of its own drum; each generation redefining what it means to be queer and to be seen. That’s why we’re closing out Pride Month with some moving and inspiring stories featured in the ABC special, PRIDE: To Be Seen.

Soul of a Nation presents PRIDE: To Be Seen is available now on Hulu and Disney+

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Pride Month is a great time to recharge our batteries and lift one another up. Despite the recent tragedies and legislative challenges, our community is stronger and bolder than ever. As we celebrate the first anniversary of Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson, we want to highlight some queer content the LGBTQ+ community can look forward to together. Summer is the season for long nights out with friends, live music and summer blockbus...

It's a bittersweet ending to Season 2 of Life Out Loud. As we publish this episode, we are saddened by legislation around the country that tries to erase the LGBTQ+ community and the historic gains we've made in our fight to equality. But our community is more than our trauma. We are more than the attacks on our very existence. We are love! We are beauty! We are joy! We end Season 2 acknowledging the work ahead while also celebrati...

Who are you really? One of the toughest parts about growing up with other people's shame is that it makes the path to self-discovery extra rocky. When you come out of the closet, you're trying to tell the world who you are while also trying to figure that out for yourself. This week, LZ talks to two change-makers about what it means to put your whole self (body, spirit and mind) on the line and on display in the fight to equality. ...

To celebrate LZ's 50th birthday, we're exploring why it's a privilege to get to be an "Old Gay". Really! Our community is still mourning a generation of elders lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and in an era of homophobic and transphobic legislature, many of our young people still struggle to envision the fabulous futures they deserve. In this birthday episode of Life Out Loud, LZ talks to iconic TikTok foursome, the Old Gays. With mor...

Who is your chosen family? In this week's episode of Life Out Loud, Margaret Cho confirms all comedians really do know each other. Cho pays homage to the peers and mentors who have gotten her through and talks about how a queer hookup can lead to a lasting friendship. She also explains why being a good friend is a solid career move. That's also a theme in LZ's kiki with two of his own dear friends, CNN's Don Lemon and the Washingto...

“Do you want a relationship or a situation-ship?” On this week’s episode of Life Out Loud, we unpack some big words: heteronormativity and non-monogamy. In other words, learning to do what works for you either with or without a partner. First, LZ talks to New York Times bestselling author and legendary podcaster Dan Savage about what it’s like to evolve your thinking while in the public eye — Savage shares what he’s gotten wrong ov...

There aren't many ready-made answers when it comes to faith and sexual orientation. It takes a lot of humility to carve out a space where people can ask the big questions. This week, LZ talks to two people who have done just that: Pastor Rob Bell and Daniel Franzese. Pastor Bell is a New York Times bestselling author, friend of Oprah and LZ's former spiritual leader. Daniel Franzese is a successful actor whose podcast, Yass, Jesus!...

“Authenticity,” “Realness,” “Respectability.” What do these terms actually mean for trans women of color who are re-defining their identities in the public eye? In this illuminating episode of Life Out Loud, LZ Granderson goes deep with actress and entertainer Ts Madison, the first trans woman to star in and direct her own reality tv show. Plus, a conversation with scholar Dr. Julian Kevon Glover about the double-edged sword of “pa...

If you're not already following the Winter Olympics, get ready to fall in love with two-time U.S. national champion, figure skater Timothy LeDuc. They’re the first Olympian to qualify as a non-binary person, and they're competing in one of the most gendered sports ever—pairs figure skating. Their story is truly inspiring. Plus, a conversation with Cyd Zeigler and Jim Buzinski from OutSports about The Raiders’ Carl Nassib, transgend...

What is it about our favorite divas that makes our souls sing? This music-packed episode of Life out Loud explores the special connection between the LGBTQ+ community and the divas who love us back. LZ interviews GRAMMY® and TONY® winner Stephanie Mills and GRAMMY® winner Jody Watley, Mother of the Imperial House of Waacking. They share why they championed the LGBTQ+ community during a time when labels pushed back. Plus, an intervi...

It’s estimated that as many as 3.8 million LGBTQ+ people not only live in rural America, but for the most part, they actually prefer to live there, according the Movement Advancement Project. We’re not always trying to escape. For the first episode of season 2 of Life out Loud, LZ Granderson talks to NY Times best-selling author Chasten Buttigieg and West Side Story star Ariana DeBose about the joys and struggles of building a supp...

Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson has received Special Recognitions honors from GLAAD and was named one of Spotify’s “Best New Podcasts of 2021.” In season two, ABC News contributor and Emmy® Award-winning journalist LZ Granderson explores timely topics that impact the LGBTQ+ community, ranging from queer friendships, body positivity, non-monogamy, religion, parenting and on-screen representation. Granderson speaks with celebrity gu...