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GLOW

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GLOW Season 3 takes the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling to the seedy world of Las Vegas, where they meet all sorts of new characters. However, it’s Bobby Barnes (Kevin Cahoon), a female impersonator who rules over a cabaret show at the Fan-Tan Hotel & Casino who makes arguably the biggest impact on their lives. Bobby is a brilliant stage performer — capable of impersonating Barbra Streisand, Liza Minelli, and Carol Channing — and a keenly empathic soul. It is Bobby who finds a way to break through the wall Sheila (Gayle Rankin) has built and later it is Bobby who unnerves Bash (Chris Lowell) by intimating that he knows the truth about his sexual orientation.

Bobby Barnes basically steals the show in GLOW, but who is he, is he based on a real person, and who is Kevin Cahoon, the actor who plays him?

Who is Bobby Barnes on GLOW Season 3?

Bobby Barnes is a female impersonator who regularly sells out the bar space in the Fan-Tan Hotel and Casino with his uproarious show. He is quick-witted, talented, and a killer impressionist. He’s also sassy as hell and can quickly read a room — as well as a person. This gives him the talent to razz people when they deserve it and lift them up when they need it.

Later in GLOW Season 3, we learn that Bobby identifies as gay, but has had a son from a prior relationship with a woman. He wants Bash to invest in him so he can get a bigger show in a bigger room going, and finally make some money. However, given the nature of his act, it’s been a hard sell to conservative investors. He considers Sandy Devereaux St. Clair (Geena Davis) to be a long-time friend, as they have both come up in show business on the Vegas strip.

Is Bobby Barnes Based on a Real Person?

While Bobby Barnes is a purely fictional character created for GLOW, he is an homage to the female impersonators who were a huge deal in the Las Vegas cabaret scene of the 1980s. As Kevin Cahoon explained in an interview with BroadwayWorld.com, “female impersonation at that time in Las Vegas was a huge, huge thing. This is pre-Drag Race and it feels like a completely other art form than what Drag Race is. It really was female impersonation, which is a fascinating thing.”

Who is Kevin Cahoon, the Actor Who Plays Bobby Barnes?

Kevin Cahoon is an American actor who has appeared on stage and on screen, but he is perhaps best-known for his work on Broadway. He starred as Ed the Hyena in The Lion King and was John Cameron Mitchell’s back-up for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. You also may have seen him as Hugo in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Though he’s appeared in dozens of television shows over the years, GLOW might represent the biggest breakthrough part yet for Cahoon’s TV career. He practically steals the show with his work, which has to run the gamut from spot-on female impersonation to tender, dramatic moments.

You can follow Kevin Cahoon on Twitter.

GLOW Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.

Watch GLOW on Netflix