Duke's Download Hosted by James Duke Mason

Hello everybody. Well…you asked — I answered. In this Ask Duke Anything episode of Duke’s Download , I’m diving into your questions about everything from the U.S. presidents I’ve met (yes, really!) to my daily wellness routine, my political origin story, and my favorite LGBTQ+ films of all time. Over the years, I’ve either met or been in the room with Presidents Reagan, Carter, Clinton, George W....

This week, I sit down with actor and filmmaker Brian J. Smith ( Sense8 , Stargate Universe , Tony‑nominated for The Glass Menagerie ) — but this conversation is really about something deeply personal and culturally urgent: his Fire Island documentary, A House Is Not a Disco . And honestly? This film feels like a time capsule. Brian and I talk about why Fire Island — a place so central to queer his...

Hey everybody, this week on Dukes Downloaded , I’m sitting down with someone who has truly lived at the intersection of queer culture, politics, and comics — Eric Orner. You might know Eric as the creator of the iconic LGBTQ comic strip “The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green.” Or maybe you know him from his graphic biography “Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank.” Or maybe — plo...

Hey everybody.  This week on Duke’s Download, I sit down with Dr. Demetre Daskalakis — infectious disease physician, longtime HIV activist, former CDC leader, and one of the most influential voices in LGBTQ public health. We talk about his journey from early-1990s HIV activism at Columbia University to national leadership during the COVID-19 and mpox outbreaks — and what ultimately led him to leav...

Hey Everybody — this week on Duke’s Download, I’m doing something special for Pride Month. Instead of one guest, I’m revisiting three conversations that have stayed with me — and honestly, feel more relevant than ever: Greg Cope‑White, Ross Mathews, and Dustin Lance Black. Because Pride isn’t just parades and rainbow flags. It’s service. It’s visibility. It’s fighting back. First, I look back at m...

Primary night is behind us, and I’m sharing my honest reflections on the June 2 California primary elections — especially the race for California governor. For the past several months, I worked as an advisor and LGBTQ+ liaison for San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s gubernatorial campaign, traveling across the state and helping build support in Southern California. In this episode, I talk about what it wa...

Welcome to this week’s episode of Duke’s Download After two intense months on the campaign trail, I’m checking in — tired, energized, and fully immersed in the race for California governor ahead of the June 2 election. I’ve been working on San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s campaign, and in this episode, I share what that experience has been like, including bringing Mayor Mahan to West Hollywood on May 1...

On this episode of Duke’s Download , I sit down with the one and only Ross Mathews — and we cover 25 years of hustle, reinvention, visibility, and straight-up staying power in Hollywood. From being “Ross the Intern” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to Chelsea Lately , The Drew Barrymore Show , RuPaul’s Drag Race , and hosting the 90 Day Fiancé Tell Alls , Ross has built a career that most people...

This week on Duke’s Download , I sit down with the one and only Perez Hilton — and we go way deeper than celebrity gossip. Perez opens up about his recent life-threatening health crisis: three weeks hospitalized with severe sepsis after an ulcer and perforation caused by taking NSAIDs on an empty stomach — followed by a terrifying deep vein thrombosis scare. It was serious. It was humbling. And it...

I want to begin by saying that I am so fortunate to have the most amazing Mom a boy can ask for. So, for this special Mother’s Day episode of Duke’s Download , I wanted to sit down with my mom, Belinda Carlisle, to talk about motherhood, raising a gay son, and the moments that shaped our family. She shares what it was like finding out she was pregnant while promoting her album Live Your Life, Be F...

Can people actually change… or do we just tell ourselves they can? This week, I sit down with New York Times Magazine writer and Emerson professor Benoit Denizet-Lewis to talk about his new book You’ve Changed: The Promise and Price of Self-Transformation — and why we’re living in a culture obsessed with reinvention, identity, and becoming “better” versions of ourselves. We start with a story that...

On this episode of Duke’s Download, I’m celebrating some major milestones — one year with my boyfriend Armie, my parents’ 40th anniversary, and an early 34th birthday celebration — before diving into a big announcement: I’ve joined Matt Mahan’s California governor campaign as an LGBTQ+ advisor. Why? Because I’m less interested in performative politics and more interested in results. We talk about...

This week on Duke’s Download , I sit down with singer‑songwriter and multi‑instrumentalist ZEE Machine — and we talk about what it really takes to find your voice and go all in. Zee shares how music grabbed him early — from obsessive guitar days to digging through older albums before streaming ruled everything. We get into his Berklee story — auditioning as a guitarist, not getting in, pivoting, a...

This week, I’m joined by RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 queen Elliott with Two T’s — a classically trained dancer turned Las Vegas performer who grew up as a gay kid on a Texas farm. We talk about how dance became her safe place, and how her fiercely supportive mom helped her build confidence early on. Elliott shares what it was like performing in drag for the first time at 15 through a Dallas LGBTQ...

This week on Duke’s Download, I’m joined by writer and former TV producer Mary Ann Cherry, author of Morris Kight: Humanist, Liberationist, Fantabulous — a biography that took more than a decade to write and was created with Morris’s personal blessing. Mary Ann didn’t just research Morris Kight — she knew him. Their ten-year friendship shaped this book, and her reporting took her deep into the unt...

In this episode, I sit down with one of the most unexpected — and fearless — figures in modern LGBTQ political history: Fred Karger. Before he became a nationally recognized LGBTQ activist, Fred was a longtime Republican political consultant working inside the GOP at the highest levels. But in 2004, after retiring from political consulting and taking a life-changing trip to Peru, everything shifte...

Ok.. this one is really special and this week’s episode feels a bit different. For the first time ever, I sat down with my very private father, Morgan Mason — at home — and just… talked. About growing up in a version of Hollywood that doesn’t exist anymore. When movie stars were neighbors. When Marilyn Monroe just popped by. When meeting The Beatles wasn’t a headline — it was a story from down the...

I t’s time for an Ask Duke Anything episode of Duke’s Download — and yes, my boyfriend Armie is guest-hosting from his apartment, which means I’m answering everything. 😅 You sent in questions via social media and email, and nothing was off limits — from serving your country and running for office to vinyl collecting, growing up in France, and what it was really like having a famous mom. In this e...

This week on Duke’s Download I sat down with the one and only David Archuleta — and let me tell you, this conversation is everything. We talk about his New York Times bestselling memoir, Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself , and why he finally felt ready to tell the full story — growing up Mormon, coming out, and stepping into his power as an openly queer artist. And when I say full story? I me...

Hey Everyone, this week’s episode is a good one. I sit down with Zach Wahls — Iowa State Senator, LGBTQ+ advocate, author, and now Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. You might remember him from that mic-drop 2011 testimony in the Iowa legislature defending marriage equality and talking about growing up with two moms. Yeah… that one. The video that went wildly viral before “going viral” was even...

This week on Duke’s Download, I sit down with someone who didn’t just break the ice — he cracked it wide open. Zach Sullivan, defenseman for the Manchester Storm, came out as bisexual in January 2020 during the UK Elite Ice Hockey League’s first Pride weekend — while he was still actively playing. And let me tell you… that is not the easy route. I had so many questions for Zach… Why do it while st...

On this week’s episode, I sit down with my friend Marc Malkin—Variety’s senior culture and events editor and one of the most recognizable faces on the red carpet—to talk about life, legacy, and the moments that truly matter. We cover Marc’s incredible career in entertainment journalism, from unforgettable red‑carpet interviews to his years with E! News, but this conversation goes far beyond Hollyw...

On this episode of Duke’s Download , I sit down with Connor McDermott‑Mostowy — elite speed skater, Olympian, and proudly out athlete — for a conversation about what it really takes to compete at the highest level while showing up fully as yourself. Connor walks me through his journey to the Olympics, from the grind of training and career‑defining milestones to the very real challenges he faced al...

On this episode of Duke’s Download, I sit down with Malcolm Kenyatta — Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee and Pennsylvania State Representative — for a real, no‑nonsense conversation about where politics is headed and how we actually create change. Malcolm opens up about his journey into public service and why equity, economic opportunity, and justice aren’t just talking points — they...

In this episode of Duke’s Download , I sit down with my longtime friend and LGBTQ+ business leader, Tristan Schukraft, for a conversation that’s both inspiring and deeply personal. Tristan takes us through his journey—from his earliest entrepreneurial ventures to founding mistr, a telehealth platform focused on making HIV prevention more accessible and affordable. We talk about his passion for pre...