Twenties' Black Queer Lead Hattie Navigates Hollywood in Exclusive Clip

BET

Watch an exclusive clip from the Lena Waithe comedy starring Jonica T. Gibbs.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

December 01 2021 1:55 PM EST

December 01 2021 5:08 PM EST

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In Lena Waithe's comedy Twenties, which premiered in 2020 and is now in its second season on BET, Jonica T. "Jojo" Gibbs plays Hattie, an aspiring TV writer who lands a plum job working for one of the most successful Black female showrunners in Hollywood. The breezy, uplifting series follows Hattie as she navigates work, love, how to be a good daughter while also striking out on her own, and hanging out with her best friends, Nia (Gabrielle Graham) and Marie (Christina Elmore). The first season was quietly boundary-pushing with a Black masculine-of-center queer woman at its core. This season continues to explore the ins and outs of Hollywood that crop up around identity.

In an exclusive clip from the latest episode airing Wednesday on BET, Hattie interviews a potential agent who appears to want to sign her because he needs Black writers on his roster. A discussion about how their partnership could be mutually beneficial ensues.

This year Twenties became BET's first series to be nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.

"Having Hattie on TV as a masculine-presenting queer person -- female -- I think it's revolutionary," Gibbs told The Advocate during the show's first season. "And it's necessary. People need to see people in their uniqueness and their comfortable space, and someone who's confident in being themselves."