Daniel Franzese

Daniel is best known for his role as Damian in Mean Girls, a role that today is still an active cultural reference and inspiration for the LGBTQ+ community today. Mean Girls established him as a gay icon during a time where mainstream media predominantly excluded the LGBTQ+ community. As a body positive advocate, he uses his social media accounts to promote confidence, ‘It took me a long time to be able to feel comfortable in my own skin, and I use social media as a platform to be able to make other people feel comfortable. Even if it’s just by them seeing me behaving confidently and cool in a lot of situations, in situations that perhaps a person who looks like me might not normally be in.’

Daniel uses his social platforms as an output for creativity alongside connecting to his followers. He plays a shining light to the Queer and Big & Tall community, a responsibility he takes very seriously: ‘I felt very horrible in my skin growing up and now that I’ve learned to love myself, I want to share the message of how to do this with other people.’ He has worked with brands like JCPenney, Esquire, Dockers, Good Counsel, Nick Hash and Sixty-Nine to name but a few!  

His stand-up comedy tour ‘Yass You’re Amazing’ is an opening a dialogue to help the Queer community feel represented and supported. He describes his greatest accomplishment in his career as the work he has done with the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation, which continues to use him as a vessel to promote sexual health and reduce stigma of various members of the LGBTQ community.

In 2022 he took part in RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race performing as Donna Bellissima, and previously in 2020 he had been a guest judge in Season 12 US.