About this episodeJoel Kim Booster discusses his unexpected success in 'KPop Demon Hunters,' his journey from homeschooling to p…AI summary
Joel Kim Booster discusses his unexpected success in 'KPop Demon Hunters,' his journey from homeschooling to public school, and his experiences with car accidents and bar fights. He shares detailed anecdotes about working with Billy Eichner, his views on non-monogamy, and ranks comedians by attractiveness. The conversation highlights the pressures of being a gay comedian and the evolution of queer culture regarding fashion and sexuality.
Key takeaways 7
Kim Booster's role in 'KPop Demon Hunters' was small (three voices) but the film became a massive surprise hit, potentially the biggest movie of the year, surprising even the cast who didn't expect such success.
Kim Booster reveals he was homeschooled until junior year of high school because his conservative parents wanted to shield him from sex and evolution education; he came out, drank, and smoked weed within a month of entering public school.
He experienced two car accidents, both his fault: one involved a fight with his husband where he drove away angry and crashed; the other involved a Hyundai Ioniq that he totaled.
Kim Booster has been in non-monogamous relationships since the beginning of his current relationship, distinguishing between spiritual/romantic sex with his husband and 'nasty/gross' sex with others on the road.
He had a negative experience working with Billy Eichner on the Netflix show 'Stand Out,' feeling Eichner was stressed, underqualified for hosting, and rude ('Your dress is in my way'), though he attributes it to Eichner's introverted nature clashing with his public persona.
Kim Booster believes gay men have lost their stereotype as fashion-forward trendsetters, becoming more heteronormative and conservative in their style post-marriage equality.
He ranks Jay Jordan as the sexiest comedian (number 1) and Matt Rogers as the least sexy (number 8), based on a blind ranking game with the host.
Notable quotes 4AI-generated: wording and quote attribution may be wrong. Use the play link to verify.
“I think it has something to do with the fact that queerness uh there's been something going on where queer people don't really want to be weird anymore... once we started to be like you got to tone it down because otherwise they're going to be mad and take away all the rights again...”
▶ 59:38Kim Booster explains why he feels gay men have become less fashion-forward and more conservative, linking it to a desire for acceptance post-marriage equality.
“The sex that I have with my husband is very spiritual and connected and loving and romantic... the sex I have with some guy when I'm on the road is nasty and gross and it's it's it's different and it's a different kind of thing...”
▶ 32:27Kim Booster distinguishes between the emotional significance of sex with his partner versus the physical release of sex with others in non-monogamous relationships.
“I was in a fight with my husband and I was like, I need to go for a drive. And then um not even a block and a half away from my house, my husband called me and I looked down to pick up the phone... there's a car like coming straight at me.”
▶ 8:48Kim Booster recounts how an argument led to a car accident, noting that the crash effectively ended the fight because his husband had to come save him.
“I don't think that Billy always uh projects the energy that he means to... he's a kind of reserved like guy in general... people because it doesn't match the energy that they ect immediately jump to oh he's being rude...”
▶ 3:45Kim Booster offers a nuanced view of Billy Eichner's behavior on set, suggesting his rudeness was misinterpreted stress rather than malice.
Chapters & Sections (35)▼
0:02KPop Demon Hunters Success and Voice Actingchapter1
2:13KPop Demon Hunters Voice Acting Anecdotes
5:17Homeschooling, Coming Out, and Car Accidentschapter7
7:04Homeschooling Trauma and Car Totaling
8:23Car Accident Caused by Anger
9:36Bar Fights and Protecting Boyfriend
11:34Internet Preconceptions and Cruise Memories
12:48Cruise Excursion and Hot Tub Memory
14:43Gay Men's Stage Interaction and Sexualization
16:12Developing Confidence and Self-Image
19:22High School Drama and Childhood Financial Hardshipchapter1
21:16Childhood Financial Hardship and Early Jobs
23:42Quiznos vs Subway and Unproduced Little Shopchapter3
26:03Unproduced Little Shop Charity Reading
27:51High School and College Theater Experiences
29:15Comedian's Humble Cruise Ship Memories
30:38Open Relationships and Gay Romcomschapter1
33:05Gay Romcoms and Billy on the Street
35:22Stand Out Hosting Dispute and Billy Eichnerchapter
40:53Reality TV, Fire Island, and Comedian Rankingschapter3
42:39Joel Kim Booster's Role in Movie Success
44:29Blind Ranking Sexy Comedians
45:45Comedian Relationships and Community Bonds
48:39Ranking Comedians and Social Media Detoxchapter4
50:18Social Media Detox and Phone Wellness
51:56Ranking Jay Jordan and John Marco
53:13James Tom's Evolution and Appearance
54:46Comedian Comparisons and Friendships
56:08Gay Men's Fashion and Queer Normalizationchapter1
58:07Gay Men's Fashion and Queer Normalization
1:02:00Gen Z Sex Negativity and Beauty and the Beast Remakechapter4
1:03:46Gen Z Sex Negativity and Porn Influence
1:05:46Beauty and the Beast Remake Narrative Improvements
1:07:33Beauty and the Beast Oscar and Show Promotions
1:09:41Joel Kim Booster Show Promotions and Closing
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