HBO's Industry: Kit Harington and Max Minghella's gay scenes, explained

Editor's note: This article contains spoilers for episode 6 ("Dear Henry") of Industry season 4, now streaming on HBO Max.

Industry season 4 episode reached the climax of a gay sexual tension that had been building up all season long between Kit Harington (as Sir Henry Muck) and Max Minghella (as Whitney Halberstram) — a relationship dynamic that not only had the gays feeling horny, but also pushed the story further, with life-altering consequences to fan-favorites such as Marisa Abela (as Yasmin Kara-Hanani), Myha'la (as Harper Stern), and Ken Leung (as Eric Tao), among others.

Titled "Dear Henry," season 4's sixth episode turned out to be one of the best episodes of the season, one of the best episodes of the entire HBO show (literally the top-rated episode of Industry on IMDb as of this writing), and, frankly, one of the greatest TV episodes of all time.

This episode also highlighted what my colleague had already warned readers about in an op-ed published from November 2025, in the leading-up to season 4, on Out: "Now is the time to watch Industry on HBO, it's about to get gayer."

If you're a beginner to Industry and are feeling very "you know nothing, Jon Snow" about the discourse surrounding this steamy gay moment, we're here to help you catch up. If you're a fan of the show looking for (even more) references, foreshadowing of story arcs, and interesting observations, feel free to scroll past the basics and explore a more detailed breakdown later in the piece.

Either way, let's get to it.

On Industry, all identities, ideals, and integrity are T.B.D.

As suggested in the X post above, Industry is very much a show about pivoting, recalculating, and seizing opportunities as they present themselves to characters doing whatever it takes to survive in the world of finance. The concept of having ever-shifting identities is also applied to their sexual preferences.

A recurring joke for Industry fans is that any set of characters, at any point, for whatever reason, could be presumed to have sex with one another. Sometimes, that involves two men having sex, two women having an affair, couples having threesomes, or even the forming of closeted relationships. Many sexually explicit scenes come up as somewhat surprising, while also not really being a huge surprise given that this has always been the tone of the show.

This piece of context is helpful to understand and keep in mind while watching the show and reading a guide like this. The set of morals, and ambitions, and preferences, and humanity of these characters have for business is also applied to their sex lives. This is an individual game of battle royale. Make sure to outlast your opponents by doing whatever''s possible to advance your game and stunt theirs.

Is Kit Harington gay on Industry?

Kit Harington's character on Industry, Henry, wasn't necessarily perceived as queer prior to season 4. While his pursuit of Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and subsequent marriage to her were all considered power-plays, that didn't necessarily mean that Henry is a gay man. Henry comes from a very wealthy and influential family, so his deep pursuit of validation and power can easily translate into sexual urges for validation.

The fourth season of Industry established Henry as having lost libido during his marriage to Yasmin. They're also a clearly dysfunctional couple. This disinterest in Yasmin while getting overly infatuated with Whitney (Max Minghella) did prompt viewers to start questioning Henry's sexuality during this season. And, well, following the events of episode 6, it's become clearer that Henry might actually be at least more fluid than fans initially assumed.

Harington first appeared as Henry on Industry season 3. He was immediately established as an important character. In the beginning, Henry was introduced as a visionary tech bro running a green-tech company — the CEO of an in-universe tech brand named Lumi.

By the end of season 3, and throughout season 4, Henry came off more like one of the Succession heirs. A very significant part, if not all, of his fortune and influence comes from being born in the Muck family… and Henry is just a spoiled brat. At the start of season 4, viewers are shown that Henry and Yasmin are connected to Whitney through a company called Tender, which Whitney is the CFO of, besides being a cofounder.

Season 4 has heavily centered Henry, too, though it is currently unclear whether the character will survive (literally and/or figuratively) these new events. The actor's most well-known character — Jon Snow on HBO's Game of Thrones — was a "bastard son" who actually didn't carry any sense of power or entitlement. Henry is the complete opposite.

Is Max Minghella gay on Industry?

Most Industry viewers do believe that Max Minghella's character, Whitney Halberstram, is actually fluid and queer, even if nothing else about this man can be trusted. Either way, Minghella joined the show during this fourth season, so there just hasn't been enough time, really, for one to properly assess Whitney's sexuality.

One could argue that Whitney didn't have to be personally involved in Henry's takedown… which, he isn't, when it comes to carrying out his other mischievous plans. While Henry was an easier target to take down than Yasmin, Industry establishes how resourceful Whitney can be — hiring assistants and outsiders to help him executive his plans — which makes this very hands-on, one-on-one, and intimate approach to incriminating Henry feel different.

Episode 6 reveals that Whitney is a much more sinister as a character than fans initially assumed, but the episode also showcases an earnest gaze from Whitney while looking at Henry.

As mentioned in the first part of this article, however, this is a show about ever-shifting individuals who don't subscribe to any labels (of any kind) to maintain their ability to pivot and do whatever it takes to succeed.

What happens between Kit Harington and Max Minghella on Industry season 4 episode 6?

Appropriately titled "Dear Henry," episode 6 uses letter-writing as a device to move through the story. The episode has Whitney narrating — through voiceovers — the events unfolding that night. Every time a new one begins, Whitney started out with "Dear Henry…" Those bits and pieces of narration are eventually included in an actual letter from Whitney to Henry.

This episode is all about Whitney's deliberate dismantling of Henry's defenses. Through his power and influence as CFO of Tender, Whitney preys on Henry's vulnerabilities — pushing Henry to break sobriety, telling him what he wants to hear, making him feel very important, and meaninglessly complimenting his business acumen.

The queer climax of Henry and Whitney's sexually charged dynamic finally comes in episode 6. It starts with Whitney just walking into Henry and Yasmin's place (without announcing that he's arrived) and making himself comfortable there (without informing one of them that he's literally inside their home).

Making his way through their home, Whitney finds Henry in the bathroom. Henry is taking a shower and fully naked, which prompts Whitney to walk in that direction. Henry takes a while to turn around (in order to realize that Whitney is literally just a few feet away). In many ways, this is the scene that suggests how Whitney's lustful gaze on Henry is probably a little bit real. Whitney didn't have to look at Henry that way if it's all a performance. Henry didn't see Whitney for most of the scene, after all.

After several glorious back shots of Harington's behind, Henry eventually turns around, sees Whitney, and isn't thrown off at all that he's being watched. Yasmin then walks into the scene and is very upset about this man just showing up whenever and standing there clearly gazing at her naked husband taking a shower.

A naked Kit Harington takes a shower, and Max Minghella's character enjoys the view.

The scene of Yasmin walking in on Whitney looking at Henry, seen in the Instagram video above, was posted by the official Instagram account for HBO Max with the caption: "The guy he tells you not to worry about."

Overall, Yasmin is disturbed by the scene because she had already started questioning Henry's sexuality, and already felt like Whitney was likely preying on that. Yasmin goes as far as confronting Henry about the topic, recalling that she knew about Henry doing gay things in his all-boys school. In response, Henry basically equates going to a private and expensive all-boys school to being in prison, adding: "You can be a homo at school," and notes how it's basically a rite of passage.

It is truly hilarious to hear Harington delivering that line for Henry, who thinks he is absolutely right about everything he just said.

The wedge drawn between Henry and Yasmin widens, which makes this an even more perfect scenario for Whitney to exploit a vulnerable/lonely Henry. The two men go to a business dinner and Whitney makes Henry feel extremely confident at all times. Whitney also remarks over dinner that, at his company (Tender), there is no curfew — which is an interestingly corporate way of saying that the night is young, baby!

Henry drinks wine at dinner, breaking his sobriety, so Whitney takes him to a gay sex club right later that night. They dance together, and it's very clear how faded Henry is. To be honest, this also feels like the closest to loose we've ever seen from Whitney, though he is still very much sober and in control of the situation. The dancing and teasing each other on the dance floor lead Henry to the back of the club… a dark room, which includes a gloryhole.

Kit Harington's gloryhole scene on Industry.

Technically, nothing actually happens between Henry and Whitney. They don't kiss or have sex between them, but Henry uses this gloryhole while being entirely guided by Whitney — which, I mean, could qualify as a queer sexual scene between two men who aren't doing their deeds between just the two of them, but a moment of intimacy between the two characters.

As Henry gets more and more excited by the oral sex he receives from a stranger on the other side of that wall, Whitney holds Henry's hair, caresses it, and says everything that Henry really, actually wants to hear at all times: "Everybody wants you. You are worth everything."

The night ends at dawn, with a very odd conversation between Henry and Whitney. Meanwhile, Harper (played by Myha'la) actually figures out who Whitney really is.

This isn't exactly a sexy and fun storyline.

Are the gays losing their minds over seeing the actor they've known as Jon Snow using a gloryhole? Yes. But it should be noted, as clearly as possible, that the way this plays out on Industry isn't exactly like a fun, sexy adventure.

Henry, Harington's character, is being literally used by a dangerous man who's making him feel comfortable while maintaining records of everything that's happening to use it as blackmail. Whether or not Whitney is sincerely attracted to Henry, and no matter where Henry lands on the queer scale, this is still a person who was being groomed, recorded for blackmail purposes, and deliberately lied to.

When Henry receives oral sex and climaxes with Whitney telling him what he wants to hear, it's actually quite tragic and disturbing. Audiences who haven't seen the show might see the clip and think that this is just a fun night out. But the reality is that a dangerous person who is preying on Henry's insecurities for monetary purposes, deliberately got him to drink alcohol to drop his defenses, and is saying all the right things for grifting purposes.

Whether or not Whitney also feels a sincere physical attraction to Henry, nothing about this storyline is romantic or sexy if the actual plot is considered. As noted, that looks like a fun scene if it is watched without any context. On the show, this is a deeply insecure man, who's completely lost and depressed, and is being taken advantage of by a bad guy.

What is Whitney's real identity?

Harper discover Whitney's real identity. He's not named Whitney, or Halberstram, for instance. He is an agent on a mission to collect things from wealthy/influential individuals and have those things to blackmail them with.

Instead of being scared that he was found out, this very evil and (now even more clearly) very queer man replies to Harper's discovery by singing a little bit of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston. So, yeah, his name isn't Whitney. He just likes Whitney Houston and adopted it as a fake name.

Frankly, Whitney's choice — and nerve! — to respond to Harper's solid evidence against him with singing to a song by Whitney Houston feels crazier than the fake identity itself. Oh, and by the way, the actor himself teased the Whitney plot twist in an Instagram post from early January.

Whitney's last name is also a reference.

It didn't immediately click for Industry fans that singing Whitney Houston was his way of telling Harper that she was correct, but that he wasn't phased by it at all. Beyond that, not enough discourse has been had about Whitney's last name.

The most noteworthy Halberstram in all of pop culture is Marcus, a character from American Psycho that exists and plays similar roles in both Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 novel and in Mary Harron's 2000 film adaptation starring Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman.

It's been long theorized that Halberstram never existed, and was perhaps an illusion living in Patrick Baseman's head. The opposite has also been speculated: That Halberstram could've been imagining Patrick Bateman — a truly insane man we meet as the titular American Psycho — as an alter ego to his calmer demeanor.

Given the descriptions of Whitney on Industry coming off as a Great Gatsby-like character, plus the fact that Whitney's infatuation with Henry came from being attracted to him in a similar way as The Talented Mr. Ripley — or the more recent Saltburn — it feels like that American Psycho reference fits in perfectly. It's deliberate, and even poetic.

How many episodes are left on Industry season 4?

Set to premiere on Sunday, February 22, Industry season 4 episode 7 is the penultimate episode of the season. It is titled "Points of Emphasis."

The actual season finale, episode 8, is set to air on Sunday, March 1. That final chapter is titled "Both, And."

Is Industry season 4 the end of the show?

Even though Industry season 5 has yet to be announced, there aren't any official reports or suggestions that the show will actually end on this fourth season.

(For context, Industry is coproduced as a partnership between U.S.-based network HBO and U.K.-based network BBC. With the rising popularity of streaming services among viewers, the show is often promoted with HBO Max branding rather than simply HBO.)

For anyone watching the show, it's easy to think that the storylines set up throughout Industry season 4 feel very final and more like a series finale than a season finale. Then again, this fourth season has given us the top-rated episode of the entire series, and calls for these actors to win awards are louder than ever. It wouldn't make sense for Industry to end here, unless that is the vision of its creative team.

Industry season 4 drops new episodes every Sunday on HBO Max.