#360 The Sphincter of America with John Cameron Mitchell

About this episode

John Cameron Mitchell discusses identity politics, his experiences in film and theater, and cultural commentary.

Actor and writer John Cameron Mitchell shares the downsides of identity politics in a capitalist society, doing cunnilingus for the first time on camera, why Hedwig and the Angry Inch couldn’t be made today, and why “set foot” has gotta stop. Follow John Cameron Mitchell on Instagram Check out the "Hedwig 25th Anniversary Film Tour w/ John Cameron Mitchell" starting this June! Tickets and info at https://www.hedwig25.com/ See John Cameron Mitchell as 'Mary Todd Lincoln' in Broadway's smash hit comedy Oh, Mary! now through April 26. Tickets are on-sale now through July 2026 at https://www.ohmaryplay.com/, and at the Lyceum Theatre box office. -- The Downside is going on tour! See us live in Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, & Dallas. Get tickets: https://gianmarcosoresi.com/ -- This is a Headgum podcast. Follow Headgum on Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok. The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi has a Patreon! Subscribe here for two bonus episodes every month and access to exclusive content! Follow Gianmarco Soresi on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter Follow Russell Daniels on Instagram Follow the show on Instagram, YouTube…

People in this episode

Host: Gianmarco Soresi

Guest: John Cameron Mitchell

Topics covered

• identity politics
• capitalism
• cunnilingus
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• theater
• comedy

Keywords

• identity politics
• cunnilingus
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• Oh, Mary!
• comedy
• theater
• John Cameron Mitchell

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vox Media Podcast Network, Headgum

Books & works: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Oh, Mary!

More episodes of The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi

• #378 Miss August Antisemite with Bassem Youssef · June 9, 2026 · 1h 55m
• #377 We Got a Letter From Erika Kirk (Patreon Excerpt) · June 6, 2026 · 12 min
• #376 What Rocky’s Hole Do with James Ortiz · June 2, 2026 · 1h 34m
• #375 Stephen Miller is Ugly (Patreon Excerpt) · May 30, 2026 · 12 min
• #374 Always Leave Them Wanting More with Jamie Wolf · May 26, 2026 · 2h 5m
• #373 The End of Stephen Colbert's Late Night Run (Patreon Excerpt) · May 23, 2026 · 23 min