Non Threatening Boys*: Matt Rogers *Is* Christmas
Words: Lauren O’Neill | Creative Direction and Photographer: Sarah Pardini | Stylist: Erik Ziemba with Agency Paradis | Grooming: Sonia Lee for Exclusive Artists using Kevin Murphy | Video: Anna Bezahler
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The figure most heavily associated with Christmas at large, of course, is Mariah Carey.
But for a certain type of pop culture consumer – that is, gay men and bisexual woman who you’re currently avoiding due to the strength of their opinions on Wicked – there’s someone who comes a close second. That is the comedian, actor, cultural savant and musician Matt Rogers (in at three: baby Jesus).
Over the past few years, Rogers – who is especially beloved for his work on the podcast Las Culturistas, hosted alongside SNL’s Bowen Yang – has become the self-proclaimed Prince of Christmas. This, he tells me when we chat via Zoom, the day after Thanksgiving, started as a joke, but grew legs as time went on. He wrote Christmas songs with his musical collaborators, inspired in equal parts by The Lonely Island and Carey; then he started performing Christmas-themed live shows. Eventually, the live shows turned into a full blown TV special called Have You Heard of Christmas?, which both celebrates the season and winks towards its craven capitalism. That was followed by an album of the same title the following year.
