Michael Patrick King to Be Honored by the Human Rights Campaign

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) will honor LGBTQ+ writer, director and producer Michael Patrick King at this year’s Los Angeles Dinner, which will be held at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 28, 2026.

King has gained worldwide recognition as the writer, producer and director of the television series “Sex and the City” and its follow-up “And Just Like That,” as well as the co-creator, director, and producer of “The Comeback,” which is returning to HBO this March. King will be receiving HRC’s Visibility Award for his work uplifting LGBTQ+ stories on screen and bringing visibility for the LGBTQ+ community in the entertainment world.

“Michael Patrick King is an undeniable talent whose work has brought so much joy, laughter and heart to our community. Throughout his career, King has helped to expand our visibility, advance our representation and amplify our voices — exemplifying the power of LGBTQ+ storytelling and the depth of our contributions to the entertainment world,” said Kelley Robinson, Human Rights Campaign President. “It’s an honor to recognize his accomplishments and to celebrate our community alongside Los Angeles’ advocates who are committed to fighting for the equality we all deserve.”

“The inclusion of LGBTQ+ narratives is integral for meaningful storytelling. Our stories are an undeniable part of the human experience and they deserve to be told in every medium,” said LGBTQ+ Writer, Director and Producer Michael Patrick King. “As our community faces attempts to exclude us on and off screen, it is important that we continue to unapologetically make our voices heard. I’m thrilled to have my accomplishments recognized and to be joined in this work by advocates from Los Angeles and beyond.” 

HRC is the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization. This year’s HRC Los Angeles Dinner will bring together HRC’s most active advocates, members and supporters across the state to raise funds in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality.

Tickets and further information are available here. Additional honorees and guests will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Due to limited space, only members of the media who have been credentialed in advance will be allowed entrance.

About Michael Patrick King

Emmy and Golden Globe winner Michael Patrick King was born into a working-class Irish catholic family in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He moved to New York City at the age of 20 and spent many years waiting on tables and developing his voice as a playwright and stand-up comic.

He began his television writing career when Diane English hired him to join the CBS sitcom MURPHY BROWN during its infamous Dan Quale year. He followed MURPHY BROWN with a brief stint as a writer/executive producer on the sit-com Cybil and then went on to create a few original TV pilots which starred the likes of Don Johnson, Ellen Barkin, Debi Mazar, Joanna Gleason, Seth Green, Bridget Everett and Loni Anderson.

The Don Johnson pilot A Mann’s Word, a satiric look at aging in the beauty industry, filmed in 2011, had five out loud and proud LGBTQ+ series regular characters. In between television projects, Mr. King opened Arcade, a not-for-profit performance space in Los Angeles and encouraged all kinds of artists to come and explore their art – uncensored.

He then moved back to NYC to write and executive-produce, with Darren Starr, the 1st season of HBO’s culture-defining comedy Sex And The City. While waiting for the 2nd season to begin, King was asked by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan to join the first season of their comedy Will & Grace. He then returned to NYC to executive produce, write and direct SATC for the next five seasons and then went on to executive produce, write and direct both movies.

He followed the run of SATC with another HBO show, The Comeback, which he created with Lisa Kudrow. Cancelled after its 1st season, it grew to become a cult classic, and he and Ms. Kudrow were asked to return to HBO to do a 2nd season, 10 years later. Missing the energy of doing comedy in front of a live audience, he created the multi-camera comedy 2 Broke Girls with Whitney Cummings, a breakout hit that ran for six seasons on CBS and became syndicated worldwide.