Photography by Joseph Sinclair
Styling by Holly White
Hair & Make-up by Nadia Altinbas

While there have been queer-coded hints sprinkled here and there (that Grindr line, c’mon), Ted Lasso didn’t become a show for the gays until its third season. In episode three, the writers finally introduced queerness into the beloved Apple TV comedy when they confirmed the long-held theory that Billy Harris’ fan-favourite Richmond FC player Colin Hughes is gay; reflecting the harsh reality of homosexuality in professional football and its lack of openly out athletes in the process. 

“It would be ridiculous for us to not do this storyline,” says Harris. The actor is speaking with GAY TIMES ahead of Ted Lasso’s sixth episode, which continues to sensitively explore Colin’s sexuality as he confides in Trent Crimm (James Lance), The Independent’s ethically-dubious former reporter who is writing a book about the club. “I’ve known from the get-go that, being a fan of football and knowing where Ted Lasso was going in terms of their storylines, it was only right for them to tackle the issue of a closeted gay footballer.”

As we await to see how the trailblazing storyline progresses across the course of the season, we had a chat with Billy about how he prepared to embody a closeted footballer, whether he thinks the Premier League is ready for their own Colin and what he’d say to so-called ‘fans’ that are criticising Ted Lasso for being “too woke”. 

When were you told about Colin’s storyline and the trajectory he’s going on this season?

Being on Ted Lasso, you know that the storylines they pick are really meaningful and they want to touch as many people as possible. In terms of me knowing where they wanted to take Colin, it was season two. He references Grindr, knowing the app. That was where a lot of fans on Twitter were like, ‘Huh? Okay, interesting! Colin knows about Grindr.’ Of course, I saw that in the script and I had lots of questions to ask the writers. In season two, they brought in Dylan Marron and Chuck Hayward, who are brilliant writers, to oversee Colin’s storyline.

What did the writers say when you questioned that infamous line about Grindr?

I had some questions like, ‘Is Colin gay? Does he use Grindr? Is he interested in the app?’ and they said yes. I’ve known from the get-go that, being a fan of football and knowing where Ted Lasso was going in terms of their storylines, it was only right for them to tackle the issue of a closeted gay footballer.