Billy Eichner worked withRyan Murphy on two series of "American Horror Story ."- Eichner will write and star in the first-ever studio rom-com about gay men: "BROS."
- Eichner told Insider that Murphy's impact "paved the way" for mainstream LGBTQ content like "BROS."
Ryan Murphy is one of the most famous creators currently working in television. The powerhouse producer is behind some of the most popular and iconic TV shows of the 21st century, including "Glee," "American Horror Story," "Pose," and, most recently "Halston."
One of Murphy's collaborators, comedian, actor, producer, and writer Billy Eichner, told Insider that Murphy's impact on LGBTQ culture and content within the film and TV industry could not be understated.
In an interview with Insider to promote his new partnership with Neon Zebra - PepsiCo's new non-alcoholic cocktail mixers - Eichner said that he wished he had a TV show or movie to watch growing up as a gay kid in the 1980s that reflected his personal experience.
"Anything would have been great. You occasionally saw a gay man pop up briefly here or there, but it was very rare," Eichner said. "But now you look at this wave of LGBTQ content that we have, especially on streaming platforms, and it's just revolutionary."
"What I would have loved as a kid and what floored me as an adult when it came out was 'Glee.' I was just shocked. I thought, 'how amazing that this is happening.' That really felt revolutionary," Eichner said. "Ryan Murphy is an icon for that reason. I don't think enough can be said about how he has changed the landscape for LGBTQ people and
Eichner worked with Murphy on two seasons of "American Horror Story." In 2017, Murphy played Harrison Wilton and Tex Watson in "Cult," while a year later in 2018 he played Brock and Mutt Nutter in "Apocalypse."
Eichner reunites with Murphy this year for the third season of "American Crime Story." "Impeachment" will follow the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal that took place in 1998, with Clive Owen as Clinton and Beanie Feldstein as Lewinsky.
Eichner will play journalist Matt Drudge, who created the Drudge Report - a news aggregation site that became the first media outlet to publish the news that eventually became the Lewinsky scandal.
While Eichner is proud of his collaboration with Murphy, he notes that he had been "pounding the pavement" for a long time before he worked with Murphy. His years of work, which includes his web series "Billy on the Street," has eventually led him to "BROS" - the first-ever studio rom-com about gay men.
With this groundbreaking movie, Eichner will be the first-ever openly gay man to write and star in a studio movie. But none of this may have been possible without Murphy's impact and influence.
-billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 5, 2021
"His massive success and his ability to break through into the mainstream with very specific LGBTQ characters and storylines and shows... that's changed the game for all of us," Eichner said of Murphy.
"There are other people who helped do that, like Greg Berlanti, Lee Daniels, and Harvey Fierstein but Ryan's success is completely life-changing and groundbreaking. He paved the way."
Eichner added: "You can divide the world in terms of LGBTQ content into pre-Ryan Murphy and post-Ryan Murphy."
Eichner's "BROS" will release in 2022 as possibly the most mainstream movie for the LGBTQ community.