"Absolute queer legend"- Fans go gaga over Sir Ian McKellen's surprise Scissor Sisters performance at Glastonbury

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Ian McKellen recently created headlines after making a cameo appearance at the Glastonbury Festival alongside the Scissor Sisters on June 28, 2025. According to The Independent, the actor delivered his monologue from Invisible Light, a single by Scissor Sisters.

Ian’s appearance was also captured on a video that has gone viral on different platforms. Notably, Scissor Sisters and BBC Radio 2 shared a joint Instagram post on Sunday, June 29, where the X-Men star was spotted backstage.

The clip started with the Asylum star standing with a smile on his face. A few seconds later, he realized that the audience was chanting his name, following which he became emotional as he put his hands on top of his face. The caption of the post also reads:

“Sir Ian McKellen getting some well deserved Glasto love!”

According to NME, Jessie Ware joined Scissor Sisters on stage before Ian’s monologue. While his reaction video is trending everywhere right now, netizens took to the comments section of a Reddit thread by r/Fauxmoi to share their responses to Ian’s appearance at the event.

A user was spotted praising McKellen by writing:

“Absolute queer legend!!”
A user reacts (Image via Reddit/r/Fauxmoi)A user reacts (Image via Reddit/r/Fauxmoi)

The responses continued, with a user writing that although Invisible Light was released in 2010, he did not expect Ian McKellen to perform the monologue in a live performance.

Another person also praised Ian’s appearance at a live show with Scissor Sisters last month.

Online responses (Images via Reddit/r/Fauxmoi)Online responses (Images via Reddit/r/Fauxmoi)

Among other replies, a user claimed that he was present during the performance and Ian’s appearance felt like an invitation to the “biggest party in the world.” A few others continued describing McKellen as a legend in their reactions.

Online responses (Images via Reddit/r/Fauxmoi)Online responses (Images via Reddit/r/Fauxmoi)

Ian McKellen has previously joined Scissor Sisters in another live performance

The Beauty and the Beast star was trending last month when he appeared alongside Scissor Sisters on another occasion. The band was performing at the London-based O2 Arena on May 23, 2025, when Ian McKellen joined the group on stage.

Just like the Glastonbury Festival, Ian delivered his monologue when the band performed on Invisible Night, as per NME. Apart from McKellen, musician and actress Self Esteem, also known as Rebecca Lucy Taylor, also appeared at the event, joining the group during the performance of another single, Music Is The Victim.

Scissor Sisters also performed on other hit songs like She’s My Man, Running Out, Let’s Have A Kiki, Return To Oz, and more. The band later expressed gratitude to Ian McKellen and Self Esteem through a post on X, which featured some glimpses from the event.

“It was a dream come true to have @IanMcKellen reprise his legendary Invisible Light monologue & for @SELFESTEEM___ to come bounce around for Take Your Mama. Magic, thank you”, the group wrote.

The performance in the O2 Arena was included among the shows for the band’s reunion tour, announced in October last year, and aimed to celebrate the anniversary of their self-titled debut album.


The band’s official website says that they have a long lineup of shows scheduled until August 15, 2025, starting with Kesha & Scissor Sisters: The T*ts Out North America Tour next month. The first show will be held at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre.

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About the author

Anupal Sraban Neog

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande

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