The 5 Most Shocking And Satirical Sex Scenes In The Righteous Gemstones (Updated December 2025)

The Righteous Gemstones, as of December 2025, continues its reign as one of HBO's most audacious and hilariously filthy satires. For a show centered on a family of mega-church televangelists, the series is surprisingly—and intentionally—liberal with its depiction of sex, nudity, and all things raunchy. The show’s creator, Danny McBride, uses these moments not for cheap shock, but as a razor-sharp tool to expose the hypocrisy, toxic masculinity, and bizarre private lives of the ultra-wealthy and ultra-religious. If you’re searching for the most talked-about, shocking, and satirically brilliant intimate scenes, you've come to the right place.

The series consistently pushes boundaries, particularly with its use of full-frontal male nudity, a rarity on television, which it often employs for pure comedic effect or to underline a character's pathetic nature. These scenes are essential to the show's DNA, elevating its raunchy humor to an art form and ensuring the Gemstone family's moral rot is always on full display. The show’s fourth and final season has been described as going out in "filthy, raunchy glory," promising even more unforgettable moments.

The Righteous Gemstones' Unforgettable Intimate Moments: A Contextual Analysis

The show's approach to sexuality and nudity is unique in the television landscape. Rather than focusing on gratuitous female nudity, a common trope in cable dramas, The Righteous Gemstones normalizes and weaponizes male full-frontal nudity, often referred to by critics as "hanging dong," to satirize toxic masculinity and the absurdity of its characters. This deliberate choice is central to the show's dark comedy and its critique of the evangelical elite.

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1. Baby Billy Freeman’s Prolific Nude Scenes (Seasons 1–4)

No character embodies the show's commitment to absurd male nudity more than Baby Billy Freeman, played brilliantly by Walton Goggins. Baby Billy, the eccentric brother-in-law of Eli Gemstone, has become the unexpected face of the show's "nude scene" reputation. Across multiple seasons, Goggins has committed fully to the role, with his character's nakedness often being a punchline or a sign of his desperate, aging state. In the latest season, Season 4, creator Danny McBride confirmed that Baby Billy continues his streak of nude scenes, which are a source of great comedic discussion among the cast and crew. The sheer volume and unashamed nature of his scenes serve to make the character simultaneously repulsive and hilarious, highlighting his lifelong quest for fame and relevance, even in his most vulnerable moments.

2. The Shocking Eli and Lori Oral Sex Scene (Season 2, Episode 6)

While the show is known for comedy, it can also deliver genuinely surprising and explicit moments. One scene that pushed the envelope further than any other was the intimate encounter between Eli Gemstone (John Goodman) and his wife, Lori (Jennifer Nettles), in Season 2. The scene depicts the couple engaging in oral sex on Eli's boat in the Florida Keys. This moment was particularly shocking because it involved the patriarch of the Gemstone family, a character often portrayed as a stoic, morally compromised figure, and it was the furthest the series had ever gone in terms of explicit content. The scene’s inclusion was a masterful stroke of character development, showing a hidden, intensely private, and somewhat raunchy side to the couple's relationship, contrasting sharply with their public, sanctimonious image.

3. BJ’s Naked Fight and the Terrifying Use of Nudity (Season 3)

Season 3 offered a memorable and bizarre scene involving BJ Barnes (Tim Baltz), Judy Gemstone’s mild-mannered husband. In a moment that mixes dark comedy with action, BJ finds himself in a lengthy fight scene while completely naked. This full-frontal nudity was used to terrifying and comedic effect, a departure from the show's usual purely comedic "hanging dong." The scene required extensive choreography and direction to pull off, demonstrating the creative lengths the show goes to for its unique blend of humor and chaos. It subverted the expectation that nudity must be sexual, instead making it a source of vulnerability and absurdity in the midst of violence, further cementing the show's unique voice.

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4. Judy and BJ’s Helicopter Penis Roleplay (Season 3 Finale)

Perhaps the most emotionally complex and bizarre intimate scene belongs to Judy Gemstone (Edi Patterson) and BJ in the Season 3 finale. The scene involves Judy roleplaying as a father who must stop his son's "helicopter penis" with her mouth. While the description sounds utterly absurd, the scene was praised by critics for its surprising warmth. It managed to be "romantic and warm as well as hilarious and strange," showcasing the unique, deeply weird, yet ultimately loving bond between Judy and BJ. This moment is a perfect example of how The Righteous Gemstones uses sexually charged, ridiculous scenarios to reveal genuine character connection and emotional truth, making their relationship one of the most compelling—and oddest—on the show.

5. Young Eli Gemstone’s Wrestling Nudity (Season 1)

The show’s tendency to use male nudity began early, even in flashback sequences. In Season 1, the audience is given a glimpse into the backstory of Eli Gemstone during his days as a professional wrestler. These scenes, which depict a younger Eli in a state of full-frontal nudity, help to establish the character’s gritty, non-sanctimonious past and serve as a foundation for the show's ongoing theme of exposing the Gemstone family's less-than-holy origins. It sets the stage for the later, more explicit scenes by normalizing the male form in a non-sexualized, often pathetic or comedic context.

The Satirical Genius: Why The Gemstones Get Naked

The consistent inclusion of controversial or explicit scenes is not a gimmick; it is a core element of the show's satirical mission. Danny McBride and his creative team—including co-stars and writers like Jody Hill and David Gordon Green—use this raunchy content to critique the American mega-church industrial complex. The Gemstones preach moral purity and traditional family values while their private lives are a mess of greed, violence, and bizarre sexual antics. The scenes of nudity and explicit sex serve as a visual metaphor for the moral nakedness and hypocrisy of the family.

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By focusing so heavily on male nudity, the show also satirizes the fragile nature of toxic masculinity that often underpins the power structures of these religious empires. When characters like Baby Billy or BJ are exposed, they are stripped of their public pretense, revealing the pathetic, vulnerable, or ridiculous man underneath the religious façade. This commitment to unflinching, yet deeply funny, character exposure is what makes The Righteous Gemstones a critical darling and a truly unique piece of modern television.

Ultimately, the "sex scenes" and moments of nudity in The Righteous Gemstones are far more than just controversial content. They are meticulously crafted comedic and dramatic beats that deepen the show's satire, humanize its monstrous characters, and ensure that the Gemstone family's personal filth is just as spectacular as their public piety.