Dewayne Perkins Is Back - and He's Just Getting Started

IndieWire Honors Spring 2026 on June 4 in Los Angeles will celebrate creators, artisans, and performers behind standout television series. Dewayne Perkins will host again, returning after hosting in 2023. His horror-comedy The Blackening became a box-office success and cultural touchstone. He also starred in The Studio, which made Emmy history as the first freshman comedy series to earn 13 wins. Perkins has been touring a one-man show titled How Being Black and Gay Made Me Better Than You, including a sold-out performance at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival. He aims to bring a concert-like live experience to a broader platform, describing it as his version of Coachella.

"Dewayne Perkins has been here before. In 2023, the comedian and writer hosted the grand return of IndieWire Honors, fresh off the release of his horror-comedy “The Blackening” after spending seven years willing it into existence from a sketch he dreamed up on a couch. Now, the Chicago native is back to host the ceremony again on June 4, timed to IndieWire’s 30th anniversary, and even more has changed for him."

"“The Blackening” went on to become a box-office success and genuine cultural touchstone. “ The Studio,” on which he plays publicity head Tyler, made Emmy history as the first freshman comedy series to earn 13 wins. And Perkins, who spent the better part of a decade building his own door into Hollywood, is enjoying the rewards of that work as the industry actively seeks him out."

"He’s currently touring a one-man show called “How Being Black and Gay Made Me Better Than You,” most recently to a sold-out performance at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival. The title alone tells you something about the register he’s operating in. Ask him where he wants to take the show, and he doesn’t reach for careful language."

"“I see myself like Beyoncé. A bunch of dancers, fog, smoke, confetti, truly just having the same feeling I feel when I go to a concert,” he told IndieWire, “I want that to be my Coachella.” The ideal future would be bringing that live experience to a platform,"

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