Karina Longworth's Bisexuals: A Podcast That Turns Hollywood Backwards

Why Karina Longworth is Digging Into the Past

After 18 seasons of her beloved podcast You Must Remember This, Karina Longworth has made it clear that she's no longer interested in modern Hollywood. She's not even particularly fond of most contemporary movies, preferring to spend her time diving into the rich archives of classic film history.

"I just keep finding stories that I want to tell," she told Variety. "The older I get, the less I'm interested in contemporary Hollywood."

Longworth's new season, The Bisexuals, is a fascinating deep dive into the lives of bisexual figures from old Hollywood, including Broadway singer Libby Holman and movie star Montgomery Clift. But this isn't just about telling the stories of these iconic figures — it's also about redefining how we think about bisexuality in film history.

From Stage to Screen: The Life of Libby Holman

Libby Holman's story is a compelling narrative of gender and sexuality that predates the modern concept of bisexuality. Though not a Hollywood star, she was deeply embedded in the theatrical world of 1920s New York — a time when sexual fluidity and racial ambiguity were more accepted than they would be in later decades.

Longworth reveals how Holman's story was both celebrated and vilified in her time. She was a Jewish woman with an olive complexion who sang blues in the style of Black performers, causing whispers and speculation that she might be Black herself. But rather than feeling diminished by this misinterpretation, Holman embraced it.

"She thought it made her cooler," Longworth notes. "It did help her career at the time."

Her most iconic moment came in the musical The Little Show, where she performed the song 'Moanin' Low' alongside Clifton Webb, who played her pimp on stage. The theatrical choice was bold — not just for its racial ambiguity but also because of the overt sexual undertones. But at the time, audiences were more open to such performances.

The Bisexuals: A Double Biography

Longworth's approach to The Bisexuals is a dual biography, focusing on Holman and Clift's intersecting lives. While Clift was often seen as gay in the context of his later years, Longworth explores how his bisexuality was more complex than what we've come to understand. It wasn't just a matter of being attracted to both genders — it was a deeply personal and often hidden reality.

"Even progressive people say that bisexuality is a myth," Longworth points out, reflecting on how far we still have to go in understanding sexuality beyond the binary. She challenges these assumptions head-on, showing how bisexual identities have always been present — even if they were misunderstood or mislabeled.

Why This Matters Now

The podcast doesn't just look backward; it speaks directly to today's conversations around gender and identity. By examining how bisexuality was perceived in the past, Longworth provides a powerful counterpoint to the current narrative that often marginalizes or erases bisexual identities.

She also explores how the production code of the 1930s shaped not only film content but also the public's understanding of sexual identity. For Clift, being gay in Hollywood meant hiding his relationships — a luxury Holman never had. In the 1920s, she could express her queerness more openly in New York, but by the 1950s, that freedom was gone.

This tension between progress and regression is something Longworth tackles with sharp wit and deep empathy:

"I was interested in this idea that progress in terms of sexuality... is not linear. It's a pendulum that swings back and forth."

Modern Parallels and Cultural Reflections

Longworth doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable truths of history, but she also draws parallels to today's culture. The idea of cultural capital in racial ambiguity, for instance, is not so different from how modern Black artists navigate their identity — especially in the world of hip-hop or TikTok.

She sees these echoes as a way to understand how our present is shaped by the past:

"We sometimes have this sense of history as being a musty old painting on the wall. But there's always been young people... and a kind of counterculture."

This is where Longworth's brilliance shines — she doesn't just recount stories, but she contextualizes them in a way that makes them resonate with modern audiences. She's not just preserving history; she's reinterpreting it.

The Tour: Bringing the Past to Life

Longworth's upcoming tour promises to bring the stories of The Bisexuals to life on the big screen, with a focus on restoring and showcasing films that are rarely seen in today's cinema. She's been studying film preservation at the George Eastman Museum, and she's eager to share this knowledge with audiences.

"I don't think that for a movie released by a major studio in the 20th century, that we should have to be criminals to watch them," Longworth says. She's passionate about making these films accessible, not just as historical artifacts but as cultural treasures that deserve to be seen and appreciated.

Final Thoughts: The Power of Storytelling

With The Bisexuals, Karina Longworth continues to demonstrate why she's such a vital voice in entertainment journalism. She's not just telling stories — she's challenging narratives, asking hard questions, and creating space for identities that have long been marginalized.

Whether you're a longtime fan of You Must Remember This or someone new to Longworth's work, this season is a reminder that the past is not just history — it's a living, breathing part of our present. And sometimes, it's only by looking backward that we can truly move forward.

So, as she tours across cities from Houston to Boston, bringing her stories of bisexuality and Hollywood back to life, we're reminded: these stories matter now more than ever.