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18 June 2026

Will Ferrell says ‘be gay’ this Pride Month in heartfelt Culture Awards speech

"Have gay Pride! Starting this month, I hereby declare June... Pride Month," Ferrell quipped

By Aaron Sugg

Will Ferrell at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie Will & Harper
Will Ferrell (Image: Adam Chitayat/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

Will Ferrell left viewers gagged with a stellar speech he gave to mark Pride Month at the fifth Las Culturistas Culture Awards ceremony yesterday (17 June).

The ceremony was hosted by comedy duo Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, who put queer joy at the forefront of the evening, backed by a list of celebrity award winners.

Ferrell won the Titan of Culture award, where he re-established himself as an LGBTQ+ ally during his acceptance speech.

“Be happy, be joyful, be gay” – Will Ferrell celebrating Pride Month

“I guess what I’m saying is I’m proud to be straight. God, it feels good to finally say that,” Ferrell quipped, as reported by HuffPost.

He added, half-joking: “The second, more important thing after Pride is to be happy, be joyful, be gay. Have gay Pride! Starting this month, I hereby declare June… Pride Month!”

This is not the first time Ferrell has spoken out as a proud ally to the LGBTQ+ community. In 2024, he notably starred in a travel documentary with his best friend of 30 years, former SNL head writer Harper Steele, who is trans.

Titled Will & Harper, the documentary follows Ferrell as he learns how to best support his friend, serving as a broader message against anti-trans legislation in the US.

Ferrell understands the “pain and suffering” Harper Steele had to endure coming out as trans

Speaking to Attitude at the time, the actor spoke about Steele’s coming out journey, “how much pain and suffering there is along the way,” he stressed.

Other highlights of the night included RuPaul’s Drag Race legend RuPaul Charles receiving an Artist of the Millennium award, and Hannah Einbinder of Hacks taking home The All Good Either Way Award for Bisexuality In Media.

2026 marked Yang and Rogers’ fifth year presenting the Culture Awards. The event, which spun off from their Las Culturistas podcast, was broadcast on Bravo and Peacock for a second year in a row.

Heated Rivalry at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards 2026

The comedy duo also paid homage to Heated Rivalry at the 2026 Culture Awards, performing a hockey number to t.A.T.u.’s “All the Things She Said”.

Joined on stage by The Hunting Wives stars Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman, the comedy foursome brought queer joy to the stage, fully embracing the Heated Rivalry bit.

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