# Are you sitting down? Barry Manilow MIGHT BE GAY. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217 "2015-04-09T15:47:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/1 "2015-04-09T15:47:32Z")
[So Barry “married”[sup]1[/sup] his longtime lover](http://www.people.com/article/barry-manilow-marries-garry-kief) and manager secretly last year. That’s all great and not really news, but apparently some vague “fans” are surprised by the revelation that Barry Manilow is gay. I want to be skeptical, and dismiss the claim “some Manilow fans” may be surprised as weaselly worded bad journalism, but the comments under the article seem to indicate some people really didn’t know. :smack: If you’ve lived through this post, Richard Simmons is gay, too. [sup]1[/sup]The quotes are not ironic, as though I think gay marriage isn’t real or something. The quotes are because they didn’t legally get married; they just had a ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/2 "2015-04-09T15:52:41Z")
I honestly had no idea. I just thought he was one of those flamboyant straight guys. So he didn’t really have a big thing for Mandy after all? Damn, the whole world is a lie. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/3 "2015-04-09T15:56:20Z")
Oh, my, I haven’t been this _shocked_ since George Michael and that whole restroom thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/4 "2015-04-09T15:58:16Z")
Richard Simmons just hasn’t found the right girl yet! And he’s shy. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/5 "2015-04-09T16:02:31Z")
I haven’t followed entertainment news much, what exactly has Barry Manilow done publicly that would have let me know that he’s gay? As far as I know he’s just a writer and singer of songs I don’t particularly care for, but if that’s the criteria to suspect someone is gay then most of the music industry is gay. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/6 "2015-04-09T16:02:42Z")
I didn’t know he was gay. I never really thought about it. I’m not surprised, but I wouldn’t really be surprised to hear anyone is gay unless they’re known for their sex life or something. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/7 "2015-04-09T16:10:21Z")
Count me as well as someone who’s not surprised per se because eh, some people are gay, but nevertheless, wouldn’t have particularly thought of Manilow as likely to be gay. What is he supposed to have done that would have tipped me off? ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/8 "2015-04-09T16:13:01Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I honestly had no idea. I just thought he was one of those flamboyant straight guys. So he didn’t really have a big thing for Mandy after all? Damn, the whole world is a lie. No, he had a thing for MANdy as it turned out. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/9 "2015-04-09T16:13:25Z")
I have a vague memory of him playing music in a gay bath house at the beginning of his career, possibly with Bette Midler. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/10 "2015-04-09T16:16:05Z")
He never indicated he was gay before, and he actually never pinged my (albeit flawed) gaydar. Writing easy listening songs isn’t necessarily an indicator that a man loves the tender embrace of another man, fyi. Richard Simmons’ short pastel shorts and smooth tanned legs, on the other hand, \*are \*a fine indicator of a man loving the tender embrace of another man. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/11 "2015-04-09T16:18:50Z")
Getting his start playing bathhouses kind of nudges in that direction. It’s been a very badly kept secret in the entertainment world (and therefore largely among those who both follow entertainment circles and who are gay). There’s more shocking news, though! That nice boy Liberace, who loved his mother so, might be a little light in the loafers, too! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/12 "2015-04-09T16:21:24Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I haven’t followed entertainment news much, what exactly has Barry Manilow done publicly that would have let me know that he’s gay? As far as I know he’s just a writer and singer of songs I don’t particularly care for, but if that’s the criteria to suspect someone is gay then most of the music industry is gay. If you’ve ever heard him speak, or watched him move for more than 4 seconds of video, or seen [any album cover](https://www.google.com/search?q=barry+manilow+album+covers&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=s6YmVZKEFMzHsAWbhoGACw&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=939&bih=639), those are all public things that would have let you know he’s gay. But you say you don’t particularly care for his work. I guess it’s flooring that \*fans \*of his didn’t know. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/13 "2015-04-09T16:24:40Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > I didn’t know he was gay. I never really thought about it. I’m not surprised, but I wouldn’t really be surprised to hear anyone is gay unless they’re known for their sex life or something. > [@Frylock](#): > > Count me as well as someone who’s not surprised per se because eh, some people are gay, but nevertheless, wouldn’t have particularly thought of Manilow as likely to be gay. What is he supposed to have done that would have tipped me off? Ditto. I am not particularly astonished, but nor did I assume he was. He just seemed like the epitome of a “showbiz” performer. If flamboyancy alone is the tell, next we will be learning that Elvis was gay. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/14 "2015-04-09T16:26:15Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > Ditto. I am not particularly astonished, but nor did I assume he was. He just seemed like the epitome of a “showbiz” performer. If flamboyancy alone is the tell, next we will be learning that Elvis was gay. Or Freddie Mercury! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/15 "2015-04-09T16:26:47Z")
You mean… he… _putts from the rough?_ _faints_ ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/16 "2015-04-09T16:30:07Z")
> [@bup](#): > > If you’ve ever heard him speak, or watched him move for more than 4 seconds of video, or seen [any album cover](https://www.google.com/search?q=barry+manilow+album+covers&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=s6YmVZKEFMzHsAWbhoGACw&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=939&bih=639), those are all public things that would have let you know he’s gay. What? Soft-focus portrait photos on album covers are an indicator of homosexuality? I guess half of all musicians releasing music in the 70’s were gay then. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/17 "2015-04-09T16:32:16Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > So he didn’t really have a big thing for Mandy after all? Sure. Just not Womandy. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/18 "2015-04-09T16:35:44Z")
> [@bup](#): > > If you’ve ever heard him speak, or watched him move for more than 4 seconds of video, or seen [any album cover](https://www.google.com/search?q=barry+manilow+album+covers&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=s6YmVZKEFMzHsAWbhoGACw&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=939&bih=639), those are all public things that would have let you know he’s gay. IMO, none of that is really indications that someone is gay. I’ve heard him speak, watched him move and seen some of his album covers - you’re reading way too much into superficial items. Who else can you predict is gay based on their album covers? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/19 "2015-04-09T16:36:45Z")
[Quagmire kissed him and stopped him from shaking.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKjw47pUEHw) ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217/20 "2015-04-09T16:43:09Z")
> [@D18](#): > > No, he had a thing for MANdy as it turned out. Or more accurately Man D. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sitting-down-barry-manilow-might-be-gay/717217.md?page=2)