Bette Midler Owns Halloween with a Reboot of 'Hocus Pocus' (Video)

@ 2026 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All rights reserved

Bette Midler Owns Halloween with a Reboot of 'Hocus Pocus' 
The stars came out for a benefit for the New York Restoration Project, hosted by the singer and actress in full Winifred Sanderson regalia.
 Dawn Ennis
          
          Oct 31, 2016
          
        
Dawn Ennis
The Advocate's news editor Dawn Ennis successfully transitioned from broadcast journalism to online media following another transition that made headlines; in 2013, she became the first trans staffer in any major TV network newsroom. As the first out transgender editor at The Advocate, the native New Yorker continues her 30-year media career, in which she has earned more than a dozen awards, including two Emmys. With the blessing of her three children, Dawn retains the most important job title she's ever held: Dad.
 See Full Bio 
                  Follow:
                  

        
        FROM OUR SPONSORS
        
    

        
        The Latest
        
    
Opinion
        How a queer-led yoga community is helping refugees heal & rebuild
    A partnership between a Boston yoga studio and displaced refugees in Malawi shows how everyday citizens can quietly help communities shattered by war.
Advocate Contributors
States
        Signature dispute could derail Maine’s anti-trans ballot initiative
    Election officials are reconsidering whether supporters improperly gathered enough signatures to place the measure before voters this fall.
Christopher Wiggins
News
        GLAAD warns that the internet is becoming more dangerous for LGBTQ+ people
    The annual Social Media Safety Index report accuses Meta and YouTube of rolling back protections while online anti-LGBTQ+ hate and disinformation surge.
Christopher Wiggins
Elections
        This gay D.C. Council candidate wants Washington to live up to its progressive image
    Miguel Trindade Deramo is running on a message of institutional trust, community safety, and the belief that values mean little without implementation.
Christopher Wiggins

        
        More For You
        
        Broadway Bares goes undercover for its most seductive theme yet
    
Jade Delgado
Apr 22, 2026
Michal Kolaczkowski as Sherlock Holmes, Khasan Brailsford as Dick Tracy, and Alice Reys as Carmen Sandiego pose together in front of a red London phone booth on a moody nighttime street

        Andrew-Eccles
    
        Broadway Bares is going undercover this year — and, as always, it won’t stay that way for long. Keep Reading →

        Lisa Rinna & Harry Hamlin snag Pelosi LGBTQ+ Ally Award. They warn of ‘authoritarian takeover’
    
Christopher Wiggins
Apr 15, 2026
Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna attend Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 34th Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 15, 2026, in West Hollywood, California.

        Tommaso Boddi/WireImage via Getty Images
    
        Lisa Rinna has never been especially interested in softening her language. Two years ago, she warned that the United States was flirting with authoritarianism. Now, she says, it’s no longer flirting. Keep Reading →

        Journalist detained for booing Trump at Kennedy Center 'Chicago' performance
    
Christopher Wiggins
Apr 05, 2026
US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump attend the opening night of "Chicago" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on March 31, 2026. 

        Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images
    
        A gay journalist says he was briefly detained by security after he booed President Donald Trump during the opening night of the musical Chicago at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, according to the Washington Blade. Keep Reading →

        Chuck Norris, panned for past antigay remarks, dies at 86
    
Christopher Wiggins
Mar 20, 2026
Martial artist and actor Chuck Norris has died. He was 86 years old.

        Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images
    
        Chuck Norris, the martial artist turned action star whose outspoken opposition to LGBTQ+ equality drew years of criticism, has died at 86, his family announced Friday. Keep Reading →

        Could Heated Rivalry influence more ‘bi-curious’ folks to become ‘bi-definitely’?
    
Michael Dru Kelley
Mar 20, 2026
Heated Rivarly stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie

        HBO Max
    
        While President Trump and his party work hard to reduce the equal rights of LGBTQ+ people in this country, Gallup found a surprising societal trend never seen before in U.S. history: 1 in 10 Americans across all age groups identify as LGBTQ+, including more than 1 in 4 of those aged 18-27. And more than half of this younger demographic identify as bisexual, one of the most overlooked and least visible parts of the LGBTQ+ community. Keep Reading →

        Most Popular
        
News
        19-year-old transgender University of Washington student fatally stabbed
    The suspect remains at large.
Quispe López
Samantha Allen
National
        Kash Patel sued a reporter over drinking allegations. So she dropped another FBI alcohol bombshell
    The escalating controversy now includes allegations of heavy drinking, criminal leak investigations, personalized bourbon bottles, and fears of retaliation inside the FBI.
Christopher Wiggins
States
        Colorado quickly rewrites & passes new conversion therapy ban to get around Supreme Court ruling
    Colorado lawmakers are betting a rewritten, “viewpoint-neutral” approach can preserve protections the Supreme Court put at risk.
Christopher Wiggins
National
        Chasten Buttigieg slams Sean Duffy's family road trip and return to reality TV
    The questionable project drew uncritical coverage on Fox News, which previously slapped Pete Buttigieg for taking time off to spend with his ailing infant.
Jacob Ogles
Health
        Can a single infusion of immune cells suppress HIV for years?
    A new trial found a technique similar to blood cancer treatment that kept two patients at undetectable levels for extended periods.
Jacob Ogles
News
        Indya Moore says Okra Project’s former director’s illegal actions were “likely trauma-rooted”
    Upon Dominique Morgan’s conviction for embezzling funds, the nonprofit expresses sympathy and sadness for its former executive director.
Desiree Guerrero

Site Navigation

Bette Midler Owns Halloween with a Reboot of 'Hocus Pocus'

The stars came out for a benefit for the New York Restoration Project, hosted by the singer and actress in full Winifred Sanderson regalia.

The Latest

How a queer-led yoga community is helping refugees heal & rebuild

A partnership between a Boston yoga studio and displaced refugees in Malawi shows how everyday citizens can quietly help communities shattered by war.

Signature dispute could derail Maine’s anti-trans ballot initiative

Election officials are reconsidering whether supporters improperly gathered enough signatures to place the measure before voters this fall.

This gay D.C. Council candidate wants Washington to live up to its progressive image

Miguel Trindade Deramo is running on a message of institutional trust, community safety, and the belief that values mean little without implementation.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

Hollywood Hunks Laid Bare: 1960s-1970s

36 Fetishes Every Gay Man Should Know

The most searched gay adult entertainers of 2024 revealed

39 Role-Play Fantasies Every Gay Couple Should Try

15 Romantic Lesbian Films With Swoon-Worthy Happy Endings

More For You

Broadway Bares goes undercover for its most seductive theme yet

Lisa Rinna & Harry Hamlin snag Pelosi LGBTQ+ Ally Award. They warn of ‘authoritarian takeover’

Journalist detained for booing Trump at Kennedy Center 'Chicago' performance

Chuck Norris, panned for past antigay remarks, dies at 86

Could Heated Rivalry influence more ‘bi-curious’ folks to become ‘bi-definitely’?

Most Popular

19-year-old transgender University of Washington student fatally stabbed

The suspect remains at large.

Kash Patel sued a reporter over drinking allegations. So she dropped another FBI alcohol bombshell

The escalating controversy now includes allegations of heavy drinking, criminal leak investigations, personalized bourbon bottles, and fears of retaliation inside the FBI.

Colorado quickly rewrites & passes new conversion therapy ban to get around Supreme Court ruling

Colorado lawmakers are betting a rewritten, “viewpoint-neutral” approach can preserve protections the Supreme Court put at risk.

Chasten Buttigieg slams Sean Duffy's family road trip and return to reality TV

The questionable project drew uncritical coverage on Fox News, which previously slapped Pete Buttigieg for taking time off to spend with his ailing infant.

Can a single infusion of immune cells suppress HIV for years?

A new trial found a technique similar to blood cancer treatment that kept two patients at undetectable levels for extended periods.

Indya Moore says Okra Project’s former director’s illegal actions were “likely trauma-rooted”

Upon Dominique Morgan’s conviction for embezzling funds, the nonprofit expresses sympathy and sadness for its former executive director.

Latest Stories

Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week.

Bette Midler Owns Halloween with a Reboot of 'Hocus Pocus'

The stars came out for a benefit for the New York Restoration Project, hosted by the singer and actress in full Winifred Sanderson regalia.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

A partnership between a Boston yoga studio and displaced refugees in Malawi shows how everyday citizens can quietly help communities shattered by war.

Election officials are reconsidering whether supporters improperly gathered enough signatures to place the measure before voters this fall.

The annual Social Media Safety Index report accuses Meta and YouTube of rolling back protections while online anti-LGBTQ+ hate and disinformation surge.

Miguel Trindade Deramo is running on a message of institutional trust, community safety, and the belief that values mean little without implementation.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

More For You

Most Popular

The suspect remains at large.

The escalating controversy now includes allegations of heavy drinking, criminal leak investigations, personalized bourbon bottles, and fears of retaliation inside the FBI.

Colorado lawmakers are betting a rewritten, “viewpoint-neutral” approach can preserve protections the Supreme Court put at risk.

The questionable project drew uncritical coverage on Fox News, which previously slapped Pete Buttigieg for taking time off to spend with his ailing infant.

A new trial found a technique similar to blood cancer treatment that kept two patients at undetectable levels for extended periods.

Upon Dominique Morgan’s conviction for embezzling funds, the nonprofit expresses sympathy and sadness for its former executive director.