Billy Porter whines about selling his house & blames the strike (despite $5 million net worth): A commentary

In an interview with the Evening Standard, Billy Porter - the actor, writer, director, and fashionista, said that he has to sell his house due to the SAG-WGA strike.  Billy said, "I have to sell my house. Yeah, because we're on strike. The life of an artist, until you make F-you money - which I haven't made yet - is still check to check."

Billy has a reported net worth of $5 million. According to various sources, he was making $300,000 for the TV show Pose and has a monthly net income of $25k from various ventures. Let's not get into what he's comped from designers and companies for his wardrobe, swag, and other niceties.

Billy is likeable enough. I appreciate his advocacy work for the LGBT community. I know he's had it rough. Billy and his husband, Adam Smith, filed for divorce earlier this summer after 6 years of marriage. In 2007, Billy filed for bankruptcy, and disclosed he had been living with HIV and diabetes for years. While the strike is affecting a lot of people, I'm no understanding how someone with his level of success thinks they can place sole blame on a strike for their current financial woes.

When Covid hit, Billy still managed to make a decent living despite the entire world being on shut down. The strike has been going on for 100 days - and he's blaming it on his inability to afford his house. A person should strive to have a financial safety net in case of a emergency or job loss which happens all to frequently in the world we live in. IMO, his money issues must have been brewing prior to the strike.  

I guess the lesson that Billy (and other celeb multi-millionaires) who are either publicly or privately whining about having a tough time making ends meet because of the strike need to learn is basic budgeting and live within your means. There are workers in the entertainment industry who quietly toil behind the scenes who have it much, much worse due to the strike. While we're at it, there are millions of workers and families in the USA who manage to survive on a fraction of what he makes. Billy needs to keep his financial pity party to himself.

Source: Evening Standard  Photo: NPR