John Waters says Divine memorabilia being withheld from him

The working and personal relationship between director John Waters and drag queen Divine is one of the great ones in movie history (Akira and Toshiro who?), lasting from the 1960s until Divine’s (aka Harris Milstead’s) 1988 death. They were so close that Waters still remains a champion for Divine and all he represented. But there is still a gap of sorts, as Waters claims he was supposed to inherit some of Divine’s personal belongings, which are now being held “hostage” for financial gain.

John Waters recently stated how some of Divine’s personal belongings ended up in the hands of people that don’t care for the legacy of the performer. “He died and his family came in and took everything and sold it through an auction place…So somebody bought a box with a million things in it, including the cheater, and then called me and wanted a whole lot of money, like held it hostage, kind of. I mean, they literally didn’t do that, but they asked for a ludicrous amount of money.” A cheater, we have learned, is drag community lingo for something that covers, well, you know…

And while Divine’s special piece won’t be part of John Waters’ career-spanning exhibit at the Academy Museum – nor will a number of others being kept from Waters – that showcase is still definitely one to see if you are a fan of the director’s enduring legacy and expansive filmography, which will only get longer when he returns to directing with Liarmouth. Waters has been directing since 1964, with his first short being the 8mm Hag in a Black Leather Jacket. Waters met Divine earlier and would appear in the director’s 1966 short Roman Candles as a smoking nun. Their final work together, 1988’s Hairspray, was released just three weeks before Divine’s death. For it, he earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

We never expected 2023 to be The Year of John Waters, but with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the aforementioned exhibit at the Academy Museum (appropriately titled “John Waters: Pope of Trash”) there’s just no denying it — and we are here for it!

Will you be checking out John Waters’ exhibit at the Academy Museum? What is your favorite collaboration between John Waters and Divine? Let us know below!