# Who were you most surprised to see come out of the closet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150 "2008-09-18T14:56:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/61 "2008-09-19T12:14:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Elton John. I never knew that he was supposed to be in the closet until he announced he was coming out. This was my thought when Sigfried and Roy “came out” last year. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/62 "2008-09-19T12:27:32Z")
Nearly everyone. I am clueless when it comes to this. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/63 "2008-09-19T13:39:05Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > This was my thought when Sigfried and Roy “came out” last year. Sigfried and Roy are gay? I had no idea! :eek: OK, maybe I had a little idea, because I thought they had been out for years. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/64 "2008-09-19T14:27:27Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > This would be mine, as far as the coming out part. > > It never surprises me that someone is gay. I assume everyone is until demonstrated otherwise. 😛 Ellen’s wife. You know…whatserface… Portia DeRossi. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/65 "2008-09-19T14:28:35Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Jonathan Taylor Thomas is one of the kids from _Home Improvement_. Shut. UP. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/66 "2008-09-19T14:45:21Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > I was genuinely surprised when I heard about Queen Latifah. Others expressed shock at my shock, but I honestly didn’t know much about her except that I think she’s super fucking hot and I already had a major girl crush on her. Really? I have no freekin’ gaydar. NONE. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/67 "2008-09-19T14:47:03Z")
Jodie Foster didn’t surprise me so much as she disappointed me. She’s the same age as me. and I’ve had a crush on her ever since the 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/68 "2008-09-19T15:11:36Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Jodie Foster didn’t surprise me so much as she disappointed me. She’s the same age as me. and I’ve had a crush on her ever since the 70’s. … so does anyone have the number of the Secret Service? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/69 "2008-09-19T16:34:31Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > I would be surprised if anyone didn’t know she was gay by the time she came out. That was one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood. She (Jodi) was kind of “tomboyish” when she was young (on SNL, specifically), but I never figured her for gay. She was a complete surprise…but then so is everyone, to me. I just don’t see teh gay. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/70 "2008-09-19T22:05:41Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I certainly wasn’t surprised to learn that John Inman (Mr. Humphries of _Are You Being Served?_) was gay, but I was surprised when he married his partner in one of England’s first legally recognized same sex unions. For those who wonder why gays want the right to marry, here’s an excellent reason: they were together for 35 years when they married, but it’s because of that “little piece of paper” they got just over a year before his death that his partner didn’t have to pay a huge chunk of Inman’s multimillion pound estate (even though he never made the money of a Kelsey Grammer or Jennifer Anniston he had excellent money management) in inheritance taxes but got the spousal rights instead. John Inman is _dead_??? That’s the biggest surprise of this thread right there for me. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/71 "2008-09-19T22:32:17Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > Same here. Halford always looked that if you went up and called him gay, he’d reduce you to a pulp. Rob Halford gay? [Whoever woulda thunk it?](http://www.xtcian.com/RobHalford.jpg) “Screaming Hot Metalflakes!” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/72 "2008-09-19T23:25:05Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Jodie Foster didn’t surprise me so much as she disappointed me. She’s the same age as me. and I’ve had a crush on her ever since the 70’s. Damn it Hinckley, how many times do you have to be warned about socks! ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/73 "2008-09-19T23:32:55Z")
Bob Mould. At the time he came out, there was nothing in his music (or image) to suggest it. Of course, after he came out, it started to make its way into the songs as a theme. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/74 "2008-09-19T23:45:03Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > **lissener** , I would love a comprehensive list of all the celebrities you know or your friends know. It must be out of this world impressive. Dude. First of all, this thread isn’t about me; you should stick to the subject at hand. Second, I’m 45 and have worked in various arts-related situations for my entire adult life, so have met once or twice a great number of people that other people have heard of. That coupled with the various degrees of separation of having a cousin and two school friends who are well known actresses, and one friend who’s a bestselling author, and a family member who played professional sports, means, yeah, I’ve met a few people over the years. The Rollins thing is I worked in a Chicago record store in the eighties that was the club DJs’ go-to place for bootleg 12-inches, so I knew a lot of gay clubbers and music people. Not really that unusual; I met most of the eighties acts, with various instores and show passes. I saw Billy Idol naked; I can tell you what Lena Lovich smells like; I can tell you which member of the Romantics is gay, and which member of Frankie Goes to Hollywood is not. Collateral career trivia. I don’t usually like to get that specific, but I also don’t like being called a liar. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/75 "2008-09-20T01:05:59Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Luther Vandross (posthumously outed) I’m more surprised to find out he’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/76 "2008-09-20T07:42:46Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I can tell you what Lena Lovich smells like; I would genuinely like to know - what does Lena Lovich smell like? ---
**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:** [September 20, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/77 "2008-09-20T12:30:16Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] the club DJs’ go-to place for bootleg 12-inches [/QUOTE] 12 inches _whatzies_? Interesting term to use in a thread about gays ---
**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:** [September 20, 2008, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/78 "2008-09-20T12:38:45Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Dude. First of all, this thread isn’t about me; you should stick to the subject at hand. Second, I’m 45 and have worked in various arts-related situations for my entire adult life, so have met once or twice a great number of people that other people have heard of. That coupled with the various degrees of separation of having a cousin and two school friends who are well known actresses, and one friend who’s a bestselling author, and a family member who played professional sports, means, yeah, I’ve met a few people over the years. The Rollins thing is I worked in a Chicago record store in the eighties that was the club DJs’ go-to place for bootleg 12-inches, so I knew a lot of gay clubbers and music people. Not really that unusual; I met most of the eighties acts, with various instores and show passes. I saw Billy Idol naked; I can tell you what Lena Lovich smells like; I can tell you which member of the Romantics is gay, and which member of Frankie Goes to Hollywood is not. Collateral career trivia. I don’t usually like to get that specific, but I also don’t like being called a liar. Liar, liar, a Pit Thread on fire. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10219919](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10219919) ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/79 "2008-09-20T13:21:19Z")
[nitpick] _ **lene** _ lovich[/nitpick] ---
**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:** [September 20, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150/80 "2008-09-20T13:43:26Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > [nitpick] _ **lene** _ lovich[/nitpick] I’m gonna surprise everyone here by coming out… and saying that although I am a total square, I actually know who Lene Lovich is! (Only because I remember her on old episodes of Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-you-most-surprised-to-see-come-out-of-the-closet/464150.md?page=5)