'A Million Little Things' Star Cameron Esposito Talks Supporting LGBTQ+ Artists (Exclusive)
Cameron Esposito is known for her work on the ABC series A Million Little Things. With it being Pride Month, the 41-year-old actress and comedian is showing support for the LGBTQ+ community with her partnership with Skittles. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Esposito who explained why she wanted to partner with Skittles for its Full Pride 2023 program.
"What I like about this particular program is that they hire LGBTQ+ artists to make their packaging for the month of June, so it's not the traditional red Skittles packaging that you and I know from the movie theater and et cetera, and from life, that omnipresent Skittles packaging and I really love that," Esposito exclusively told PopCulture.
"I really love in June, not just showcasing queer folks, but financially supporting them. I think that's really important and there are plenty of corporations that put a rainbow on Instagram and it's really different to me to invest in the community. So, that's something I really love and I will be interviewing the folks who made the packaging on my podcast Queery. So, that was the ask that really stood out to me as something I would be interested in."
Five talented artists created Skittles packs to celebrate Pride Month. And speaking of Pride, Esposito explained what celebrating it means to her in 2023. "I think there are a bunch of different events that people go to. There really are," she said. "In my city, I live in Los Angeles, a lot of choices, which is awesome. I know that in some smaller cities there aren't a lot of choices, so whatever events people might go to. But I think the biggest thing is really, honestly, it's just a larger focus on we have a history. We have a community. We're here. We've always been here. I feel like that, no matter what you do with your time, you don't have to be going to a parade and seeing floats covered with men clad and Speedos for you to feel connected to our history."
Esposito is making sure that the voices in the LGBTQ+ community are heard during a time when some say more empathy is needed. "I think we are in a wild moment right now. Well, I mean, I think social progress has a bit of a pendulum pattern and right now we seem to be in a moment where folks are using my community to, for instance, get elected to public office, by disparaging folks who are just trying to live their lives," Esposito said. "So for me, when I think about the work I've done, I've heard many, many times from queer people, that they're the first queer person they knew. But I also hear that all the time from straight folks. I mean, that's true for my parents, I was the first queer person they knew. So, I just know hearts and minds can be changed. I've had that experience a bunch of times, just by understanding in proximity. And in 2023, proximity can even be podcasting or social media."