Another one bites the dust! Billy Porter & his husband call it quits

Billy Porter and his husband Adam Smith have gone their separate ways. The news was confirmed by Simon Halls, a spokesperson for Porter, to People.

“I can confirm that Billy Porter and his husband Adam Smith have made the sad decision to end their marriage after six years,” Halls said.

“The decision was an amicable and mutual one and was made after much consideration. They continue to love and support each other as they embark on this next chapter,” added Halls.

“There will be no further comment from either parties and it would be appreciated if their privacy be respected.”

Porter has not made any comment on his social media.

How they met

Porter and Smith met at a dinner party in 2009 after the latter moved from Los Angeles to New York City. They dated casually for about a year before deciding to split. However, in 2015, they were drawn back together and decided to give things another go.

“It had been marinating within me, my love for him and figuring it out and coming to terms with it, over the years,” Smith explained to People in 2017. “So I knew that it was on me if I wanted to ever change anything; I would have to be the first one to approach the subject.”

The pair decided to get back together on Porter’s 46th birthday, after dinner following one of his performances in Hamilton. They married on January 14, 2017. They were keen to do so before Donald Trump was sworn into office.

Smith studied at the theatre at the California Institute of the Arts. He graduated in 2003. However, rather than pursue a theatrical career, he almost immediately went into retail and found himself rising in the world of luxury eyewear. He launched his own swimwear brand, The Smith Society, in 2021.

In February of this year, Porter paid a sweet birthday tribute to Smith on Instagram. He said, “Happy Birthday to my beautiful husband. I am so grateful to have you by my side on our journey together. You are my rock and my light. I am so proud of you and love watching the way your mind works and your dedication to pursuing your dreams.”

Life imitating art

Porter has been a Broadway stalwart for many years. He found wider fame on the hit TV show Pose. His most recent role is in the indie drama, Our Son. In it, he and Luke Evans play a divorcing couple fighting over custody of their child. It was announced earlier this year that he is set to play the role of James Baldwin in a biopic of the famed, gay writer.