Billy Eichner is probably best known for creating and hosting the hilarious, random, and aggressively acerbic show, Billy on the Street — a cult hit from the 2010s where Billy quizzes unsuspecting strangers around New York City. The show featured a bevy of celebrity guests, too — including our own Katie Couric. If you need a good laugh, watch her and Eichner host a very bizarre version of the Thanksgiving Day Parade below.

Most recently, Eichner co-wrote the first gay rom-com from a major movie studio. Plus, Eichner stars in the film as the professionally driven but emotionally unavailable Bobby. This historic and hilarious boy-meets-boy romp is called Bros.

As we enter a new season of Katie’s podcast, Next Question, Eichner dives into what shaped his decision to create a gay rom-com: growing up in New York City, coming out in college, being inspired by the comedic work of Judd Apatow, and living in an era where studios focus on blockbuster action movies. He also tells behind-the-scenes stories about facing homophobia in the industry and eventually carving his own path to success.

Katie Couric: Why is this movie different?

Billy Eichner: There are classic television shows and decades of indie films that I grew up watching. Those were often the only places you would find gay love stories, and really the only places you would find gay love stories written and directed by other LGBTQ people. I went to see those movies in theaters. I was lucky — I grew up in New York, so I had access to them. That’s where the ground was laid to lead up to something like Bros where you have a major studio like Universal — the same studio that makes huge franchise films — behind an R-rated romantic comedy about a gay male couple.

Each person in the cast of the movie, save for a couple of quick celebrity cameos, is an openly LGBTQ actor or actress. Even in the straight roles, which you really never see. I also think that — although there are many, many wonderful LGBTQ-centric films and TV shows that we’ve been watching on streaming services for years — for me, there’s something about going to the movie theater. I think people have forgotten how much fun, how magical and uplifting it is to go watch a great romantic comedy in a movie theater.

We just don’t get many movies like that anymore. There’s a lot about it that I think is going to feel new to people while also giving them that classic rom-com experience that we all love.

Why aren’t there more rom-coms these days?

Judd Apatow put it best: Years ago you had romantic comedies that were big hits, including many of his movies. They would make a profit. However, somewhere along the way, studios realized that on a big franchise film, they wouldn’t just make a profit. They wouldn’t just make a hundred million dollars. They could make a billion dollars. Then, they could make another billion on the sequel. Including merchandise.

Those movies play well internationally. The material translates more easily, whereas a romantic comedy might be culturally specific. There’s nothing wrong with superhero movies. I love those, too. There’s nothing wrong with big franchise movies. They’re keeping the movie-going business alive. However, people have forgotten how much fun it is to go to a movie theater with your friends, on a date, or even by yourself, and laugh out loud for two hours. And we live in such a bleak world. We need movies that make us laugh and feel good.

It sounds as if you grew up in such a happy household. Was there a moment when you said, “Mom and Dad, I’m gay”?

I did have to come out to them, as everyone does. Even though I had a feeling they knew I was gay from a young age.

They were so supportive. I had a very happy childhood. Of course, they were human beings and they were flawed. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but they really loved me. This is back in the 80s when it wasn’t the norm for the parents of a child who seemed like he was most likely a gay kid to have that unconditional love without hesitation.

My mom died when I was 20, about six months after I came out to her. About six months before she died, my parents came to Northwestern, where I was a theater major. They came to see me in Little Shop of Horrors. We went to dinner the next night and out of nowhere, my mom said, “Are you dating anyone? Boy, girl, whatever.”

I said, “No, mom, I’m not dating anyone.” When we were going home and my dad was driving me back to my apartment, I said, “OK, pull over.”

He did. I said, “As it turns out, I’m gay.”

They said it was an emotional moment, there was such a weight being lifted off everyone’s shoulders that had been carried around for years. At one point I said to them, “Guys, you knew right? You took me to Barbara Streisand concerts, you took me to Bette Midler, and every Madonna concert.”

My father said, “We discussed the possibility.” But they were great.

I don’t think people remember how different it was back then. It was a very different culture.

I was a child in New York at the height of the AIDS epidemic. As a child, of course, I only could understand to a certain degree. This was long before I was saying I was gay, but my parents certainly understood it. I’m sure they had fears around that in terms of my gayness at that time.

But even so, they never put a stigma on it. They wanted me to be happy and they were worried for any number of reasons about my well-being, but they were so great. They’re the reason why a movie like Bros can happen for me personally. And why maybe not specifically this movie, but they’re why I was able to stick with it for so long.

Bros is a really honest portrayal of gay relationships, including gay sex.

Sex is part of it. It’s part of dating. I think straight people understand this, too. First and foremost, all the historic stuff aside, we wanted to make an exclusively funny movie, the way that Judd Apatow has always made movies. They have these big, explosive scenes of great physical comedy. I love those big, loud, funny scenes.

That’s all we wanted to do, and sex gives you so much potential. It’s awkward, it’s sweet. It’s funny. It’s romantic. And it can be a little shocking. This is an R-rated comedy. This is for adults. I think those scenes just felt funny to us.

Listen to Katie’s full interview with Billy Eichner below.

Bros is in theaters starting September 30.