# 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:** 13
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/241 "2010-04-03T18:53:37Z")
> [@alexandra](#): > > I’ve got to wonder what’s the motivation for Parker, too. I mean, she’s smart, seems confident, is more famous than him and is a decent actress. Unless she reallly really likes him as a friend and doesn’t care about sex, the only way this makes sense is if he’s actually bisexual (and maybe discovered his attraction to women later than to men). Perhaps it’s a double beard for Sarah Jessica too. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/242 "2010-04-04T19:36:10Z")
Florida’s Gov. Crist and Fox’s Shepard Smith were outed in the movie “Outrage”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/243 "2010-04-04T21:27:51Z")
> [@](#): > > You’re not actually saying here that those three actors are gay are you? Because if so I’m going to need a pretty good cite considering that Eastwood has been married to five women and fathered seven children, and outside of marraige was considered a complete dog when it came to women. You missed the fine print disclaimer in digs’ post. It was a National Lampoon Radio Hour sketch (originally broadcast on October 13, 1974 - you can find anything on the internet). ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/244 "2010-06-09T14:29:19Z")
> [@davidw](#): > > I just read [this interview](http://www.avclub.com/articles/guillermo-diaz,38591/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=feeds&utm_source=avclub_rss_daily), and was very surprised to find out that Guillermo Diaz is gay. Well that is a shock to me! I just watched every season of Weeds over the past few days and I think he’s one of the best things about the show. I didn’t realize I’d seen him before, just not so full of machismo. I didn’t even connect him with Dirty Love or Mercy. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/245 "2010-06-09T15:57:46Z")
> [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](#): > > This brings up very distrubing images in my brain…I can just see him starring in Gay Cop Porn For God’s sake just don’t picture the Urkel slash fanfic! ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/246 "2010-06-09T16:46:14Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Perhaps it’s a double beard for Sarah Jessica too. Nitpick: the equivalent term to “beard” for a lesbian is “handbag”. She’s his beard, he’s her handbag. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/247 "2010-06-09T17:00:09Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Nitpick: the equivalent term to “beard” for a lesbian is “handbag”. She’s his beard, he’s her handbag. I’ve also heard ‘bonnet’. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/248 "2010-06-09T23:12:15Z")
None, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/249 "2010-06-10T02:23:28Z")
Actually, I hung out with a lot of guys in acting school at a job I used to have. It’s a running joke that any male who is an acting major is gay. I also took a 100 level acting class, and every single guy in the class (except me) wanted to do a gay scene. Of course, it was “just acting.” My friend (who is gay) also says that lots of gays get into acting. I have had female friends who majored in acting saying that you had all these beautiful guys and horny girls. Imho, I believe that for most gay males, they are forced to spend most of their lives “acting” straight, so the stage allows them to maintain their secret identity, yet show their true selves. Acting school is like the girl’s softball team for homosexuals. So, I’m never, ever, EVER surprised when an actor “comes out.” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/250 "2010-06-10T02:50:54Z")
I don’t have data to back me up, but I’m guessing that the percentage of gay stage actors is significantly higher than gay film actors. Hollywood because of its climate, the promise of massive money (a B-list sitcom star can earn way more than an A-list Broadway star) and the emphasis on looks over experience draws from a much broader pool and while certainly there are many stellar film actors it’s the stage that seems to attract the more serious variety, and also it’s the stage that gives most gays who enjoy acting their first exposure to the spotlight. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/251 "2010-06-10T05:28:32Z")
I’ve heard that the largest concentration of gay men in Tokyo is in the dressing rooms of the international and Japanese performers at **Tokyo Disneyland**. ---
**Author:** ![Loisseau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@Loisseau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loisseau)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/252 "2010-06-10T16:22:32Z")
Not an actor ,but a famous musician–Gary Burton, the vibraphonist and Berklee prof. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/253 "2010-06-10T17:02:00Z")
Rock Hudson was a big surprise. To think that he would be doing a movie with Ann Margret and only be thinking of going home to blow Gomer Pyle , left me amazed. ---
**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:** [June 10, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/254 "2010-06-10T17:37:32Z")
Peter Marc Jacobson, who had been with Fran Drescher since they were 15. I wish he’d write a memoir. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/255 "2010-06-10T17:42:55Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Nitpick: the equivalent term to “beard” for a lesbian is “handbag”. She’s his beard, he’s her handbag. The term I’ve heard is “merkin”. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/256 "2010-06-10T17:49:46Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Rock Hudson was a big surprise. To think that he would be doing a movie with Ann Margret and only be thinking of going home to blow Gomer Pyle , left me amazed. It leaves me amazed _anybody_ would be thinking of going home to blow Gomer Pyle. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/257 "2010-06-10T18:49:09Z")
Rock Hudson and Jim Nabors- per Nabors anyway- didn’t know each other socially. The whole rumor about their relationship started as a _Laugh In_ joke- “If Rock Hudson married Gomer Pyle he’d be Rock Pyle”- and from there, since Hudson’s homosexuality was an open secret and Nabors if he isn’t gay missed a really good chance it morphed into an urban legend that the two men were involved. (Rock preferred 20-something hunks; no idea what Nabors taste lends itself to- wouldn’t be surprised to learn he’s celibate.) ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/258 "2010-06-10T23:16:35Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [Edgar J Hoover](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover)being maybe-sorta-kinda gay was kind of a surprise. > > That “wide stance” [Senator Larry Craig](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Craig) didn’t ping the gaydar in interviews he held. > > Dumbledore being gay was a bit of a surprise. Craig, after he was self outed, pings the radar like crazy when you think back. Now he looks very gay when he speaks. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/259 "2010-06-10T23:20:41Z")
Christian singer Ray Boltz sure as heck did. While I’d heard her music before, I didn’t know who Christian singer Jennifer Knapp was until she came out a couple months ago. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/260 "2010-06-11T03:23:33Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > Just finished watching _Perry Mason_’s “The Case of the Prodigal Parent.” In the banter they usually goes on at the the end of the show between Perry, Della Street and Paul Drake, Della often asks “Which one of you handsome gentlemen is going to take me to lunch [dinner].” Perry volunteers by offering her his arm and heading for the door. > > Paul interjects, “What about me?” > > Perry turns and says in what, even if only in hindsight, could be a wink-wink, nudge-nudge retort to Paul, > > “Sorry, you’re not my type, you’ll have to buy your own lunch.” > > Of course, he then goes on to say, “Come on.” There is another “Perry Mason” episode..“The Case of the Crying Cherub” which has dialogue something like this Della Street “There is a young couple to see you. Perry” Perry Mason “I’m too busy to see them. Send them away.” Della Street “The girl is very pretty” Perry Mason “Did you happen to notice what the man looks like? Okay, send them in”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867.md?page=14)