# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/121 "2010-02-22T11:25:54Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > OTOH, pregnancy is (often/usually) physically obvious to everyone around you, so why not talk about it. Sexual orientation (despite this thread’s general implication) usually isn’t. 🙂 There’s a huge difference between talking about pregnancy tips and graphically describing the actual birth process in detail like Jodie Foster has done 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/122 "2010-02-22T11:37:45Z")
Jim J Bullock was JM J Bullock for his years on “Too Close For Comfort,” because someone in the actors union had the name first so he had to change his. Later that actor dropped out so he got to “reclaim” his correct name. Jodie Foster was outed by her brother Buddy in a book he wrote. Buddy Foster is best known for playing the role of Mike Jones on the continuation series “Mayberry RFD.” I will admit you have to be careful about people who are outed, if you’ve ever read anything by Paul Lynde you can see he outs virtually everyone who’s ever worked with him such as Agnes Moorehead and Maurice Evans. Though I can’t recall reading anything about those two except where Paul Lynde outs them. I always think it was funny to hear about the stars in the 30s and 40s having roommates. Granted I know movie stars in the 30s and 40s didn’t make what movie stars do now, but you’d think they could afford their own flats. On the other hand Marlon Brando and Wally Cox were very good friends, not lovers but were roommates, so perhaps there is something about living together when you’re two young men. Maybe Wally was getting Brando’s leftover women. Or could Cox have been the real stud giving his leftovers to Brando 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/123 "2010-02-22T13:05:01Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > I guess my answer (that I haven’t seen mentioned yet) would be Wentworth Miller, but I DID first see him on the show “Popular”, so… Has he actually come out though? I think it’s just rife speculation at this point. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/124 "2010-02-22T13:15:17Z")
[The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2423/was-j-edgar-hoover-a-cross-dresser) on whether J Edgar Hoover was a cross-dresser. ---
**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 22, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/125 "2010-02-22T13:25:19Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > To my knowledge neither has. There are rumors about both but you’re nobody until you’re rumored to be gay if you’re not married. Galecki played a male prostitute in a hit play on Broadway- one that required a full nude scene and making out with another guy (pics online if you’re interested) which probably fuels the rumors. This isn’t to say he _isn’t_ gay IRL- I honestly have no idea. Not only is he straight, but he’s actually dating Penny from The Big Bang Theory in real life too. If he’s gay, he’s doing it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/126 "2010-02-22T13:26:46Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > His co-star Jim Parsons _almost_ outed himself on a TV show when he was talking about growing up in a conservative suburb of Dallas and having to to go to downtown to find “other… shall I say… like types”. There was some laughing and he said “You know what I mean… other people into… theater”. I went to college with him and two of my roommates and my freshman girlfriend were theater majors. Parsons was not in the closet then. I didn’t really know him any more than to speak to him, but my friends were close to him. He seems to be pretty open about it short of appearing on the cover of People. Also, Jim went to high school in a conservative HOUSTON suburb. Not Dallas. (Dallas SUCKS!)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/127 "2010-02-22T13:40:14Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’m not the only person I know (and one of those other people is queer as a football bat!) who just thought George Michael was British, you know? There’s a Spanish actor/singer/showman who completely refuses to talk about his private life. Once we were talking about whether he was or wasn’t gay and I said: “Well, I don’t see that it matters, really, since it’s not like any of us is going to date him or whatever, but he is for sure. I mean, Bea was crazy about him when we were 15.” “So?” “So, the other two guys she was nuts for at the time were George Michael and Boy George.” “Oh! I see. He totally is, then!” ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/128 "2010-02-22T13:47:27Z")
So both King Tut _and_ the Joker, then? Now I’m starting to worry about the Bookworm! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/129 "2010-02-22T14:06:39Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Hey, it was the 50s. Men had to repress so much of their personalities that were not Cold-War or Organization-Man approved that women had no choice but to seek vicarious romance through the drippy emotional campiness of an over-the-top candelabrum-brandishing gigolo of the keyboard. > > Damn, that was a long sentence. But seriously, this was an era where you could be thought of as a homo for wearing a striped shirt. Just to set the record straight (ha ha) here, I’d be willing to bet the farm that **tr0psn4j** was quoting Mike Myers as Austin Powers. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/130 "2010-02-22T14:31:11Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > For some reason I always assumed William “Fred Mertz” Frawley was, no idea why. I was surprised when I learned that not only was he straight but he lived with ridiculously young women for much of his life. When he died he was almost 80 and his live-in girlfriend- of several years- was a dancer in her late 20s/early 30s. Well, wasn’t Ethel a younger woman? Also, I really didn’t need the mental image of Fred Mertz having sex – gay, straight or otherwise. ---
**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 22, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/131 "2010-02-22T14:35:51Z")
I didn’t know soap opera actor [James Mitchell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mitchell_(actor)#Personal_life) was gay until his obit mentioned his “long time partner.” ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/132 "2010-02-22T14:48:02Z")
**Robert Reed** aka the dad on the Brady Bunch. Why? Because he had 6 kids and not one, but two, wives! 🙂 **Portia DeRossi** ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/133 "2010-02-22T15:03:53Z")
Mickey Mouse’s dog was _gay_? If you recognise that quote, you may be gay as well. Or just old. I think I’m more surprised by the Tony Randall thing than anything else in this thread. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/134 "2010-02-22T16:00:24Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > The moment he danced around in short pants in the “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” video and sang, “You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day”, I knew he was more than British. :dubious: Except that Andrew Ridgeley did the exact same thing and _was_ just British… ---
**Author:** ![McGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@McGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGeek)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/135 "2010-02-22T16:01:34Z")
We need to give a prize to Raymond Burr, as being the one that everyone here agrees was a bit of a shock. I’m one of those who just found it out while reading this thread. I have to admit I was surprised to read here that John Mahoney is gay. My gaydar so rarely misses, at least where men are concerned. FTR I am a straight female. A lot of folks here have raised the question that there was nothing obviously gay about such&such celebrity, so how can people say they knew? For me the answer is that I’m not saying I always knew, or that the given celeb was obviously gay, but they certainly were not obviously straight. George Takei is a perfect example of this. So I’m just saying I was not surprised. The one that I do think is obvious that others don’t all seem to agree on is Neil Patrick Harris. I agree he’s not flaming, or stereotypical for the most part. But, as good an actor as he is, on HIMYM, I cannot for 1 second buy him as a womanizer. I know that show started after he was out, but, whereas, John Mahoney was able to make me believe him as a womanizer in Moonstruck, I’ve never been able to buy NPH as being attracted to women. I didn’t buy it in the 1st Harold & Kumar flick either. I think that’s why people think Tom Cruise is gay. He is the oddball case that is impervious to my gaydar. I can’t tell if he’s attracted to men or not. I can’t tell if he’s attracted to women or not. Maybe other people get that same vibe from him, and since they can’t figure it out, they figure he must be hiding something, and so it must be that he’s gay. Glad to have my gaydar vindicated in the case of Johnny Galecki - I just feel he is straight. I must admit my gaydar for other women is not great, unless they are actually hitting on me. Like others here, I was surprised by Portia DiRossi, Meredith Baxter, and Fannie Flagg. And Jodie Foster. With all 4 of those, even now that I know, I still don’t see anything that would tell me if I didn’t know already. I’ve always thought it interesting that in those movies with Doris Day, Rock Hudson was the big ladies man, and Tony Randall was the effeminate neurotic. But in real life Hudson was gay, while Randall was fathering kids in his 70s. That’s what makes this subject so interesting, rather than being none of our business - it makes us question stereotypes - they often fit but not always. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/136 "2010-02-22T16:05:52Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Fannie Flagg surprised me- don’t know why. I suppose she always looked matronly. (She’s never officially come out to my knowledge but her ex-lover, Rita Mae Brown, has written about their relationship and about Fannie’s previous relationship with Susan Flannery, with whom she remained close.) I did not know that about Fannie, but having read _Fried Green Tomatoes_, it surprises me not in the least. What does shock and rather horrify me is that she’d be in a relationship with someone who lists her cat as a co-author. (I saw a fairly new Sneaky Pie book just a few weeks ago–either that cat is on its last legs or she’s on Sneaky Pie II.) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/137 "2010-02-22T16:18:16Z")
> [@McGeek](#): > > We need to give a prize to Raymond Burr, as being the one that everyone here agrees was a bit of a shock. I’m one of those who just found it out while reading this thread. > > \ > > I’ve always thought it interesting that in those movies with Doris Day, Rock Hudson was the big ladies man, and Tony Randall was the effeminate neurotic. But in real life Hudson was gay, while Randall was fathering kids in his 70s. That’s what makes this subject so interesting, rather than being none of our business - it makes us question stereotypes - they often fit but not always. Burr does indeed need recognition in this thread (at least) as “the winner” and I was as surprised as anyone at the news. I believe it was after his death that I was aware of his preferences. I enjoyed the rest of your post and wanted to say that the Doris Day mention caused me to think of how Elizabeth Taylor has conducted her relationships as regards the gay issue. I suppose her having been married eight times would remove any suspiciions of her own persuasion but the friendships (platonic, I’m led to believe) with Dean, Hudson, Clift, and perhaps others, would suggest her attitudes have always been the way she has demonstrated with her support of gay issues. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/138 "2010-02-22T16:37:34Z")
John Gielgud. In hindsight, it seems obvious. I guess I just never thought about it. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/139 "2010-02-22T16:39:58Z")
There were long-standing rumors that Alicea Keys was gay. They apparently originated in the fact that she would never discuss her love life at all. Nor was she ever seen dating any men in public venues. So the speculation became that she must be concealing her homosexuality. But Keys has now admitted that she’s been in a long-term relationship with a married man. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867/140 "2010-02-22T17:55:20Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Just to set the record straight (ha ha) here, I’d be willing to bet the farm that **tr0psn4j** was quoting Mike Myers as Austin Powers. Yep. 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-famous-person-who-came-out-ever-truly-surprised-you/529867.md?page=8)