Pod Save the Queen
Daniel Franzese Delivers Yass, Jesus! and Shows that We Don’t Have to Choose Between God and Gay
The relationship between organized religion and the LGBTQ+ community can sometimes be very fraught. Actor/activist Daniel Franzese and former Christian television host Azariah Southworth are delivering their own patented brand of faith and knowledge via the amazing podcast Yass, Jesus!, now on WOW Podcast Network.
With religious trauma being a frontpage story across the country, Daniel and I sat down for an extensive conversation. We discussed not just Yass Jesus! but dove deep into how the faith we all learned may just be very different factually, as well as how Franzese and Southworth are letting the entire LGBTQ+ community know that there still remains a place for them in Christianity.
Michael Cook: The podcast Yass, Jesus! is wonderfully unique and is such an addictive and ultimately necessary listen.
Daniel Franzese: I’m glad to hear that; I’m so glad you feel that way about it. I definitely think the same. Anything that feels like a sense of community to us is like a warm hug.
MC: What made you move over to the WOW Podcast Network?
DF: World of Wonder has always been what I call my “Hollywood Family” and I feel like they’ve been with me pretty much since the beginning of my career. They’ve been friendly and accepted me in all stages of who I felt that I was. I have seen amazing things happen with the growth of RuPaul’s Drag Race and how Drag Race to me is the number one queer stage in the world that you could probably be on.
MC: What makes Yass, Jesus! significant and the place to do that?
DF: We are non-slut shaming, we are sex positive, how we are from Monday through Saturday is how we are when we show up Sunday on the show. We curse, we’re comfortable, we smoke weed, we show up exactly how we are; we wonder and ask questions. I hate the term “Bible study” because what are you studying? I mean, you would wonder.
When we had the tragedy of the Pulse shooting, I couldn’t find one prayer for LGBTQ+ people online, so now we end every episode with a prayer. Some of our guests pray for us or with us.
MC: Many times, LGBTQ+ people turn away from faith and feel that they don’t have a place in a spiritual world, and Yass Jesus! literally gives them that very space.
DF: I’m really excited to see some of the queens on Drag Race Season 16, and to see if they have faith journey stories. I am really excited to continue that story immediately and get deeper into it. Ask questions and find out things about them.
In the past we really had a great episode with Ginger Minj and talking about her faith journey. Silky Nutmeg Ganaches’ faith journey was so inspiring also, talking about how she was a minister of music and they turned on her when they found out that she did drag. She pointed to the sign where they were raising money for the church; it said, “Under Construction.” She asked, “Aren’t we all under construction?” These are powerful tales that I think are really affirming.
MC: What is something that you have discovered about yourself that was truly core shaking during the podcast?
DF: Azariah and I have seen a lot of things come full circle from the show over and over again. He and I had a conversation about one of our guests saying, “Fix your crown,” and now we say that to each other all of the time. That is something that I carry with me all of the time. Whenever I feel like I’m less than or feeling a certain type of way I look in the mirror and say, “Fix your crown.” That came from our show.
MC: What are some specific Biblical stories that stand out to you?
DF: The story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel is a very gay love tale. If you read it—I don’t care who you are—it’s so beautiful. It’s always portrayed to us at heterosexual weddings and one of the trippiest things I learned is that the two covenants that are in the Bible and read at every heterosexual wedding are between two men or two women. They’re either between Ruth and Naomi or David and Jonathan. So anytime anyone is reading from a Bible at a wedding, they are reading a covenant of love between two men or two women—mind blowing!
They aren’t framed that way—Ruth and Naomi were daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. Maybe people can’t conceptualize that they might have fallen in love. Her husband was dead for many years, her children were dead for many years, they stayed together as family; they created a new family. I think that is a great affirming message for queer women.
MC: Younger people are slowly starting to realize that it’s up to both our generation and their own to continue telling their stories.
DF: My goal used to be to be famous. I couldn’t wait to be famous when I was around 12. I mean, Damian in Mean Girls, that’s pretty famous. When you say that, people know who I am.
So, what’s the goal now? What do I want to do with my life now? I think about legacy.… Each of these episodes of Yass Jesus! is a piece of media that will last forever, and people can go and listen to these queen’s stories, listen to their favorite pop star come and have these kinds of conversations, and listen to prayers read by queer ancestors.
MC: You mentioned Mean Girls and your legacy is cemented. Now, the musical is about to be released. Is looking back on your Mean Girls legacy like looking back on a different life all together?
DF: To me, the musical feels like its own thing, really; even the story is not entirely the same. I feel like they already made the musical of Mean Girls and now this is so everyone can see it. It still doesn’t satiate me for another movie; I want to make another movie one day.
MC: If you could capsulize it, what is one thing that you want people to get from Yass Jesus!?
DF: I want them to understand that God loves them, period. And I want them to understand that there are a bunch of gay people vibrating on God loving them. As we always say, we’re on our knees for being gay and the Lord! ▼
Follow Daniel Franzese on Instagram: instagram.com/whatsupdanny/?hl=en
Check out Yass Jesus! on WOW Podcast Network here: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yassjesus
Michael Cook has been a part-time resident of Rehoboth Beach for over a decade. He is currently a contributor to Instinct Magazine, World of Wonder’s WOW Report, and South Florida Gay News.
Photos courtesy Daniel Franzese (Instagram)