Ryan O'Connell wants fans to 'get railed' after reading his intimate sex book

Ryan O'Connell is a man of the people.

The talented actor and writer has always kept it real as a gay man living with cerebral palsy and navigating the complexities of the entertainment industry. His 2015 memoir, I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, was adapted into a very successful television series for Netflix, but that was only the beginning.

Since then, O'Connell starred and served as co-executive producer in the Peacock series Queer as Folk and released his debut fiction novel in 2022. Now, O'Connell is using more of his real experiences in his new book Inspiration Porn that detail his very intimate hookups, challenges in Hollywood, and open relationship with his boyfriend, Jonathan Parks-Ramage.

"For 80 percent of the essays, I'm being railed by randoms, which is obviously what everyone wants. I'm just giving people what they want! I do genuinely hope that people walk away reading this book thinking, 'Maybe I can get railed too!' We're like gremlins, honey. It turns midnight and we turn into slut whore pigs from hell," O'Connell tells Out.

Inspiration Porn is unapologetic queer material that's rarely breaking into mainstream media under the current political administration. Although Heated Rivalry made a global impact, O'Connell still wants to serve the larger LGBTQ+ community in all of his projects.

"There's a lot of gay books that feel sanitized to me or they're made to appeal to women. I make gay things for gay people. I've always been that way. I think it's so important to not hold back."

Queer as Folk is perfect example of a show made by queer people for queer people, but it was sadly canceled just after one season. While the non-renewal stung in the moment, O'Connell is grateful the project even made it to a streamer.

"The hardest chapter for me to write was about working in Hollywood. It's so vulnerable to talk about moments where you feel like you failed. There was an earlier draft that was much more angry and bitter. When I reread it, I was guns blazing it. It was not chic. I'm proud of where it ended up."

The cover of Ryan O'Connell's new book 'Inspiration Porn'

As gay people struggle to book roles and reach mainstream success in such a competitive industry, O'Connell hopes to see Hollywood capture more stories that properly reflect modern society.

"That show came out only three or four years ago and Hollywood has changed so radically since then. It is a miracle that it ever got made, for real. It's Tim Allen's world again and we're just living in it. So much of what's getting made in Hollywood does not represent the world we're living in today at all. I think that's a real shame."

Inspiration Porn comes out Tuesday, May 26, 2026. To see the full interview with Ryan O'Connell, check out the video at the top of the page.