Yeah, so . .. “Celebrity Apprentice” alum Omarosa is this year’s headliner for Philly Pride. Given the eclectic headliner choices in previous years, like Jennifer Coolidge and Wendy Williams, this year’s choice shouldn’t have surprised us. But it did … a lot.
We put on our best game face, though, when speaking to Omarosa and she was pleasant to hold a conversation with. Hopefully that will translate into something entertaining when she takes the stage.
We asked the high-profile businesswoman and reality-TV star what’s going to happen come show time.
“I’m looking forward to talking with the folks about the issues that I’ve been working on with the LGBT community, particularly the homeless, runaway and bullied teens as it relates to the LGBT community,” she said. “I live in Los Angeles and I work on Skid Row, which has the largest population of homeless folks in the United States. But the people who are particularly victimized are the teens that end up in the community of Skid Row and don’t have someone to direct them and to guide them. And most of them are LGBT. They don’t have anyone to give them the resources or make them aware of what’s available to them or have a support system. I just want them to be aware. I’m not sure that people realize that there is such a large population of LGBT teens in Los Angeles. So what we’re doing in Los Angeles, and I’m hoping it is emulated across the country, is starting a network for teens to have those resources.”
OK, we weren’t expecting that deep of an answer, but kudos to her for charitable works for the LGBT community. But we’re still kind of concerned that there won’t be some kind of performance element to the appearance. (Sing us a song. Do a skit. Something!)
Then we then wondered out loud how she came to be interested in the issues affecting LGBT youth.
“I kept meeting these amazing teenagers who had been turned away from their homes because they came out to their family members,” she said. “When I heard their stories, I was so profoundly touched and I knew there was something that needed to be done and resources needed to be allocated. And those resources were not reaching the teens. LGBT teens have different concerns and issues that go beyond what teens in general deal with. Directing those very-unique needs pushed me into finding the resources and connect them to the teens I was encountering day to day in Los Angeles.”
Since we kind of never, ever watch “The Apprentice” (with “The Good Wife,” “The Walking Dead,” “Mad Men” and whatever happens to be on the Food Network or the Discovery Channel in that time slot, the show never stood a chance with us), we just kind of expected Omarosa to be in full Cruella Deville mode 24/7.
But, she said that person she’s been pegged as is mostly a product of the show.
“The villain characterization is exactly that: a caricature of who I am,” she said. “I’m a businesswoman and I went on a business-reality show and I’m tough. But I also use that same tough approach to advocate in a strong way for what I believe in. I’m a very passionate woman. I brought that into the board with me on ‘The Apprentice,’ and I bring that to the table when I’m fighting for a cause that is near and dear to my heart.”
Catch Omarosa on stage at the Philly Pride Festival, noon-6 p.m. June 9 at Penn’s Landing.
For more information, visit www.phillypride.org.