Non Threatening Boys*: Zachariah Porter Is Through With Limitations
"My pastor told me when I was younger that I was 'anointed' and 'spirited,' which, to this day, is the nicest way anyone’s ever called me gay."
Writer: Gina Tonic
Photographer: Kristina Shakht
Grooming: Alex Byrne
Styling: Angel Emmanuel
Videographer: Marie Koury
Photog Assist: Kokie Childers
For a good chunk of time, a large portion of short form video content was dominated by men pretending to be women for laughs, wearing a cheap wig – or occasionally, a tea towel – and acting out skits to camera. These ranged from nagging wife, to nagging girlfriend, to nagging customer, to nagging coworker. In each, the woman depicted was the butt of the joke, the point being to laugh at the neuroses, whininess and irrationality of girls.
That’s why, around this time, Zachariah Porter – whose skits couldn’t come from a point of view more opposed to making fun of women – was such a breath of fresh air. His roster of characters have their own individual identities from the aunt who offloads on you to Mrs Claus, and from voice to backstory, Porter has thoroughly considered not only the comedic beats of his women, but what point they serve in the internet discourse machine.
In a time where those in marginalised bodies are being especially persecuted for how they present themselves, it would be ignorant not to. Speaking to Porter over video call, it is instantly obvious the level of care and compassion that goes into playing for laughs online. While he makes it look easy, the levels of consideration that are made to balance levity with respect are really obvious – and it’s through this deliberate caution around representing female characters that the real humour of the everyday gals we know and love, who Porter impersonates so well, shines through. Below, we talk through life between cities, his Strip Mall Tease tour, and shirking imposter syndrome.
Polyester: I’d love to start by getting to know you – tell me about growing up in Massachusetts and your life since in New York.
Zachariah Porter: I grew up in New Bedford, Massachusetts. I’m the youngest of four and I’ve always been very gay from a very early age. There was no hiding it with me – I was always very flamboyant from about four years old, and I remember having my first gay thoughts or connecting those dots when I was six.
I grew up in a pretty religious church setting, but it wasn’t damaging to me. I had a really positive experience. They knew I was gay. There’s a joke in my show where I talk about how my pastor told me when I was younger that I was “anointed” and “spirited,” which, to this day, is the nicest way anyone’s ever called me “gay.”
I grew up in a small, tight-knit community, and a lot of my characters are based on that. I think working in retail and restaurants for over a decade really shaped my personality and love for character work, because everything has some grounding in reality. I lived there until I was about 26, then I moved to New York City with my boyfriend, who’s from Philly. We met in the middle in New York, and we’ve been here for almost three years now.
It was a big shift – moving away at 26 or 27, I really put down roots there, and then had to uproot them, which was the first time I’d ever moved away. But I think it was so important for me to do that, especially for my career. Making that big jump in my life by moving away now allows me to make other leaps in different ways. Sitting in that uncomfortable feeling is totally normal for any personal growth.
Is it easier or harder to do 360 production of your content there than when you lived closer to home?
A lot of people don’t realise that when you’re creating content online, you’re at every level of production. Now I’m trying to write too. I’m actually writing stuff right now because I have these stories in my head that aren’t on TV or in films. I’d love to act in someone else’s project, and I’ve done a ton of auditions, like many people have, but now I’m at a point where I’m like, “Okay, if that doesn’t connect, then I’ll just create my own project. I’ll leverage everything I’ve built to promote it and move it along.”
So, I’m in the middle of writing for the first time in my life, which is daunting because I’m not a writer. But I also wasn’t a stand-up until last year, and now I’m doing that. It’s kind of like, you put limitations on yourself, but no one else is, so why should I?
Definitely, I can really picture that for you too – like a variety show or even a sketch show.
For sure! I grew up loving Summer Heights High. It’s such a classic! Also, Portlandia with Fred Armisen – seeing people do these variety shows with different characters. But for me, Chris Lilley was like a god in high school, watching Summer Heights High. Now, I see how he just switches up characters and does it all in a larger format.
You’re just coming off The Strip Mall Tease Tour – tell me what an audience member should expect from a Zachariah Porter live show?
So we started it last fall, and now we’re finishing it in June in New Jersey, which is great. I haven’t done the show there yet, and New Jersey is a huge part of my content.
It’s a mix of everything I do online, so it starts with stand-up, then I exit the stage, come back out as my first character, flow back into stand-up, then go into character work again. It’s fun because, in between costume changes, I play these videos that are more produced than a TikTok would be, so they feel a bit more cinematic, and they set up the next bit. It feels very fast-paced because the moment you think you’ve locked into what I’m doing, I’m already switching to the next thing. It’s a madhouse. My boyfriend, Jonathan, opens for me too. We also do a podcast together. So, he opens, and backstage we have tables and racks, and he’s back there ripping off wigs, bras, scuffing, tucking – then it’s like. By the time I finish my hour and 50, I get off stage and I’m like, “It’s done.” It’s like autopilot, just hitting it. But it’s so cool to do it in front of people and hear it out loud. I think a lot of people feel that way about the internet, but there’s just something about that transfer from an “LOL” to a real, “Oh my god, my girls!” It’s crazy.
I read a quote from you when I was doing the research for this interview, and you're like, “Yeah, you can get like 1000 comments lauding you but then you get 100 laughs in a room. There's nothing like it.”
Yeah, it definitely fuels the performance and makes it even better. When I first started doing this, it was honestly the most nerve-wracking thing ever. I didn’t come from theatre – I wasn’t a theatre kid, although I wanted to be. But I had to work through high school. I didn’t come from a financially supportive background – I was working two jobs throughout high school.
Then, I took an improv class in New York last year, which completely shifted everything. I learned what it felt like to bomb in front of a crowd and, while it’s awful, it also doesn’t kill you. That really launched my confidence to do the show. But lucky for me, I had already built an audience that wants to support me, and they’re just the most amazing people. They show up, wearing shirts they’ve made, going wild. I always tell people the day before I’m in their city, and they say: “Come drink, have a good time, this is not library hour – get the girls, take a shot, and let’s get wild.” And they do!
Non Threatening Boys* is Polyester’s platform for exploring all things masculine. To read more of our work, visit our Dollhouse platform, subscribe to get Non Threatening Boys* directly to your inbox every other week, and upgrade to paid for a new NTB* essay every Thursday.