‘Cheer’ Star Jerry Harris Named ‘The Gay Black Icon We Need in 2020’

Last updated: June 6, 2020 9:35 AM

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Jerry Harris 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones - Arrivals

Jerry Harris, the breakout star of hit Netflix docuseries Cheer, is “so happy” after being named “the gay black icon we need in 2020” by BET.

The 20-year-old member of the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team rose to fame when the group became the subject of the popular show, and he quickly became a household name and key figurehead in LGBTQ+ culture.

Speaking on the latest installment of Variety and iHeartRadio’s The Big Ticket Podcast, released on Thursday, June 4, 2020, Jerry opened up about being a role model for young children and how he’s been coping with his newfound fame as a student in a small college town outside of Dallas.

“Just hearing that from them makes me so happy because I love BET,” he told host Marc Malkin about the reaction from the network. “I definitely feel like it is a lot of pressure to live up to, but I want to be that person that everyone knows that can handle it and doesn’t let it get the best of me or take me from who I am.”

Jerry also hopes that his higher profile might help inspire younger people still struggling with their sexuality.

Cheer Cast — Oprah Winfrey speaks with the stars of Netflix’s Cheers, (L-R) Monica Aldama, Jerry Harris, Gaby Butter, Lexi Brumback, TT Baker and Dillion Brandt during Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Tour presented by WW (Weight Watchers Reimagined) at American Airlines Center on February 15, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. ((Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

“I want to be someone that’s fearless, that’s confident to others, and that’s confident to themselves and believes in themselves, and just to tell them you can be who you want to be, and you can be who you are, because you are perfect and you are enough for anyone,” he added.