'Vanderpump Rules' Star Venus Binkley Proud to Be Show's First Out Gay Lead Cast Member

Venus Binkley, a server at Lisa Vanderpump's SUR restaurant in West Hollywood, has become a standout in the rebooted 12th season of Vanderpump Rules as the show's first openly gay male lead cast member.

Season 12 premiered on December 2, 2025, introducing an entirely new cast of SUR staffers, including Binkley alongside Jason Cohen, Shayne Davis, Chris Hahn, Angelica Jensen, Marcus Johnson, Audrey Lingle, Natalie Maguire, Demy Selem, and Kim Suarez.

The Texas-born cast member describes himself in his official bio as "the glue that holds the SUR staff together and the confidant everyone turns to for advice … and the latest gossip. "

Binkley has publicly addressed his unique position on the cast, stating he is "proud to be myself and I want people to see it. "

In interviews, he highlighted the responsibility of this role, calling it "an honour and a responsibility to humanity, "and noted that he deliberately brings up his sexuality on camera to normalize gay identities for younger queer viewers.

"You know, I’m not constantly talking about my sexuality in daily life. But I do make it a point to bring it up as much as I can because that is important to me. I think it’s important to the gay community, "Binkley said.

This milestone comes amid critiques of the show's 11 prior seasons, which were set in West Hollywood—a globally recognized LGBTQ+ hub—yet primarily featured straight, mostly white cast members.

A 2019 analysis pointed out the irony of Pride-themed episodes without regular queer cast, with transgender hostess Billie Lee as the only prior public LGBTQ+ regular.

Binkley acknowledged the irony of being the sole gay cast member in such a queer neighborhood, joking, "Everyone is gay besides the rest of my co-stars, "and feeling the responsibility "in bones. "

The reboot has introduced more diversity, with a younger Gen Z and millennial cast described by Binkley as "more open-minded, more laid back, "alongside updated HR policies to curb past excesses.

Bisexual cast member Audrey Lingle discusses dating men and women with Binkley, marking rare on-screen queer dynamics.

Viewers have praised Binkley as a "hit, "with social media comments like "Fav on the show, " "You are GREAT babe! Love seeing you on VPR! !! "and "You are carrying the new season of VPR on your back babe. "

Responding to accusations that the new cast are influencers rather than genuine SUR staff, Binkley countered: "Who’s an influencer? Because if we were influencers, we wouldn’t be broke. I wouldn’t be waiting tables at SUR every week if this was just a production. "

He noted that despite some hate, there has been "way more love, "and the season quickly became the most-watched on platforms like Hayu.

Binkley's flamboyant style, including crimped hair and angel-numbers necklace, has earned him descriptors like "pot-stirring gay best friend, "positioning him as confidant and agitator in cast dynamics.

For LGBTQ+ audiences, Binkley's presence signals progress in reality TV, fostering conversations on authentic queer representation in spaces like West Hollywood.

The season streams on Hayu in regions including the UK, Canada, and Ireland.