# Has Any Famous Person Who "Came Out" Ever Truly Surprised You? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867 "2010-02-21T13:52:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/181 "2010-02-24T01:24:58Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > Secrest in, or Secrest OUT? Rumors galore, but also girlfriends, so officially straight. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/182 "2010-02-24T02:22:01Z")
I thought of one who surprised me: Tom Hulce, best known for the title role in _Amadeus_. He was never really closeted but didn’t address the issue and came out gradually until it was finally said “gay actor Tom Hulce produces play in Seattle” in some publication and now he’s “Gay actor Tom Hulce” when referenced. I read an interview with him and they asked if he minded being “gay actor Tom Hulce” and he said “Very much, because I haven’t acted in ten years. I’m gay _director_ Tom Hulce these days.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/183 "2010-02-24T03:40:30Z")
> [@Mona\_Lott](#): > > I was shocked when it was revealed that Dusty Springfield was gay. Oh, come on, that preacher man’s son is the only boy who could ever reach her. Clearly he turned her off men all together.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/184 "2010-02-24T03:44:17Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Oh, come on, that preacher man’s son is the only boy who could ever reach her. Clearly he turned her off men all together.😃 That preacher man’s son was never the same after he discovered his father making love in the sun to that woman who’d never been to herself. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/185 "2010-02-24T05:05:09Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > That preacher man’s son was never the same after he discovered his father making love in the sun to that woman who’d never been to herself. You don’t know how many times I’ve been forced to listen to that song over the past six months. grrr. 😛 Do you suppose she ever gave him back his hand? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/186 "2010-02-24T05:28:23Z")
Dunno if this goes with this thread, or the other one about gay celebs… Can we count gay celebrities who clearly aren’t gay, but are just in it for the publicity? I don’t believe that Wanda Sykes or Rosie are ACTUALLY gay. I think they are in it for the publicity and are running with it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/187 "2010-02-24T05:34:58Z")
> [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](#): > > You’re kidding me right?:eek: Darlene was SCREAMING gay. I do think that if the show’d been on in the 00’s, they would have made the charector be gay. Sara Gilbert is the one celeb who I was really surprised was gay. Because from the moment I first saw her on _Roseanne_, I thought, “I’ll bet she’s gay,” and for possibly the only time in my life, my gaydar was entirely accurate. I was so shocked, you could have knocked me over with a feather. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/188 "2010-02-24T06:12:58Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Do you suppose she ever gave him back his hand? Maybe when she got to “Me” (not sure where that is but she sure wanted to go there). ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/189 "2010-02-24T14:41:53Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I thought of one who surprised me: Tom Hulce, best known for the title role in _Amadeus_. He was never really closeted but didn’t address the issue and came out gradually until it was finally said “gay actor Tom Hulce produces play in Seattle” in some publication and now he’s “Gay actor Tom Hulce” when referenced. > > I read an interview with him and they asked if he minded being “gay actor Tom Hulce” and he said “Very much, because I haven’t acted in ten years. I’m gay _director_ Tom Hulce these days.” Pinto’s gay? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/190 "2010-02-24T15:33:45Z")
Chuck Palahniuk. That’s the correct spelling. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/191 "2010-02-24T19:49:42Z")
Well I just found out Reginald VelJohnson, who played the dad on Family Matters is gay. That surprised me almost as much as Raymond Burr. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/192 "2010-02-24T20:02:10Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Well I just found out Reginald VelJohnson, who played the dad on Family Matters is gay. That surprised me almost as much as Raymond Burr. :eek: Forget Raymond Burr, we definitely found a new “winner” for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/193 "2010-02-24T20:03:12Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I don’t believe that Wanda Sykes or Rosie are ACTUALLY gay. I think they are in it for the publicity and are running with it. I don’t know about Sykes but I met Rosie decades ago, before she was famous, when she had a fling with my sister the lesbian. She is definitely gay. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/194 "2010-02-24T21:20:17Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Well I just found out Reginald VelJohnson, who played the dad on Family Matters is gay. That surprised me almost as much as Raymond Burr. Rumored and probably true, but I don’t believe he’s officially out. Ditto his predecessor black sitcom father Sherman Hemsley. (John Amos isn’t and Cosby is apparently waaaay not.) Zac Efron seems to be the current leader for the most “young tweener heartthrob” gay rumors, with Justin Bieber (who I’ll admit I didn’t know from Bilbo Baggins before the recent We Are the World thing) fast gaining on him. I’ve no idea if they have more in common with Neil Patrick Harris or with NPH’s character in the \*Harold and Kumar \*movies, but the reason I mention them is that people often say gay celebrities should come on out/it won’t hurt your career/blah blah, but… when you consider these two is there anybody out there who doesn’t think it would implode their fan base overnight? Mark Indelicato, who plays the “swishy” nephew (the word used in the series) in UGLY BETTY, has never publicly addressed his sexuality and at 15 it’s unlikely he has any sexperience to speak of yet, but his character is almost certainly gay. If he should come out in real life (and again, he may be straight- I highly doubt it but he may be) I wonder if he would be the youngest celebrity to do so. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/195 "2010-02-24T21:56:10Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I dunno, I sometimes wonder… By asserting/thinking that X is _obviously_ gay because, well, _look_ at how he dresses and acts, are we advancing harmful stereotypes and reinforcing strict gender norms/roles? I mean, I get where the reactions come from, I really do. But I feel vaguely bad/guilty about “passing judgment” on someone’s sexuality for a reason short of him/her actually saying so (especially when it _goes against_ a denial). > > Too PC? “Not that there’s anything wrong with that” ? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/196 "2010-02-24T22:17:30Z")
I’m a big fan of [Douglas Coupland’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Coupland) fiction. It didn’t exactly shock me when he came out, more like, “Hm. Did not see that coming.” Even though, in hindsight, I can spot some hints even as far back as _Generation X._ ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/197 "2010-02-25T00:07:01Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Mark Indelicato, who plays the “swishy” nephew (the word used in the series) in UGLY BETTY, has never publicly addressed his sexuality and at 15 it’s unlikely he has any sexperience to speak of yet, but his character is almost certainly gay. If he should come out in real life (and again, he may be straight- I highly doubt it but he may be) I wonder if he would be the youngest celebrity to do so. If that kid isn’t gay, 1. He should win any and every acting award we can find and 2. I’ll suck Rosie O’Donnell’s dick. One faux gay celeb could be Anne Heche, who disappeared until her relationship with Ellen, and then became an actress in demand again. And promptly married a guy. I don’t know who she’s doing now. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/198 "2010-02-25T00:48:15Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Mark Indelicato, who plays the “swishy” nephew (the word used in the series) in UGLY BETTY, has never publicly addressed his sexuality and at 15 it’s unlikely he has any sexperience to speak of yet, but his character is almost certainly gay. If he should come out in real life (and again, he may be straight- I highly doubt it but he may be) I wonder if he would be the youngest celebrity to do so. Well, his character on the show came right out and said he WASN’T gay. Of course he could just be in denial, but with the series finale drawing close, we may never find out. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/199 "2010-02-25T01:22:35Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Well, his character on the show came right out and said he WASN’T gay. He’s 15 and had just been humiliated by his high school class. Hardly surprising. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/200 "2010-02-25T01:22:46Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Mark Indelicato, who plays the “swishy” nephew (the word used in the series) in UGLY BETTY, has never publicly addressed his sexuality and at 15 it’s unlikely he has any sexperience to speak of yet, but his character is almost certainly gay. From what I’ve read, we’re going to see the nephew confirmed as gay before the series ends. As for Indelicato himself, his best friends are girls, he loves fashion and wants to work at Vogue when he’s done with school, and he’s obsessed with Taylor Swift. If his character on the show is playing into stereotypes, so is the actor. It’s really kind of adorable though. (I feel like a dirty old lady following him on Twitter.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867.md?page=11)