13 Gay Actors Whose Families Outed Them to the Tabloids First

Navigating fame is difficult enough without personal secrets becoming public fodder. For many actors in Hollywood, maintaining privacy about their sexual orientation was a necessary survival tactic during less accepting times. While some stars chose to come out on their own terms, others had that agency taken away by the people closest to them. In several high-profile cases, spouses, partners, or relatives leaked information to the press or confirmed rumors that thrust these men into the spotlight. The following actors faced the complex challenge of having their private lives exposed to the tabloids by those they considered family.

Rock Hudson

The leading man of the 1950s spent decades carefully crafting a heterosexual public image. His secret life began to unravel when his former wife Phyllis Gates recorded conversations and eventually wrote a book discussing their marriage. The situation escalated dramatically when his former partner Marc Christian sued his estate. Christian brought their private relationship into the public eye through a high-profile court case that exposed intimate details to the tabloids. This legal battle dismantled the carefully constructed persona Hudson had maintained throughout his career.

Liberace

The flamboyant pianist and actor was known for his extravagant lifestyle and coy denials regarding his sexuality. His private world was exposed when his long-term live-in partner Scott Thorson filed a palimony suit against him. Thorson sold his story to the press and provided details about their domestic life that shattered Liberace’s denials. The tabloids seized on the lawsuit as confirmation of the rumors that had circulated for years. Liberace continued to deny the claims until his death, but the lawsuit effectively outed him to the world.

Michael Barrymore

This British comedian and presenter was one of the biggest stars on television before his personal life became front-page news. His marriage to Cheryl Barrymore ended in a highly publicized divorce that served as the catalyst for his outing. Tabloids ran relentless stories fueled by the acrimonious split and leaks regarding his sexuality. The intense media scrutiny orchestrated by the fallout from his marriage forced him to publicly come out. The revelations completely transformed his career and public image in the UK.

Robert Reed

Known to millions as the patriarch of ‘The Brady Bunch’, Reed lived a closeted life to protect his career and the wholesome image of the show. His sexuality was revealed to the public posthumously when his death certificate indicated HIV as a contributing factor. Following this revelation, his co-stars and friends who functioned as his surrogate family confirmed his orientation to the press. Florence Henderson publicly discussed how unhappy he had been hiding his true self. The tabloids immediately ran with the story of the beloved TV dad’s secret life.

Brad Davis

The star of ‘Midnight Express’ kept his HIV diagnosis and sexuality a secret from the industry to continue working. It was his widow Susan Bluestein who revealed the truth to the public shortly after his death. She wrote a memoir that detailed his struggles and his hidden life as a bisexual man. Her decision to go to the press was motivated by a desire to raise awareness and combat the stigma of AIDS. The book and subsequent interviews provided the tabloids with the confirmation they had lacked during his life.

Anthony Perkins

Best known for his role in ‘Psycho’, Perkins guarded his privacy fiercely throughout his career. After he passed away from AIDS-related complications, his widow Berry Berenson spoke openly about his life. She discussed his past relationships with men and his journey to their marriage in various interviews. These family revelations confirmed what had long been whispered in Hollywood circles. The press coverage following his death recontextualized his legacy through the lens of his widow’s admissions.

Charles Laughton

The acclaimed British actor maintained a marriage to Elsa Lanchester for over thirty years despite his homosexuality. Lanchester revealed the truth about their relationship and his sexuality in her autobiography released after his death. She detailed the moment she learned of his orientation and how they managed their unconventional life. The book provided the tabloids with intimate details about Laughton’s private struggles. Her account remains the primary source for the public understanding of his personal life.

Merv Griffin

The media mogul and talk show host was fiercely protective of his private life. His sexual orientation became a subject of tabloid headlines when his former employee and partner Brent Plott filed a palimony lawsuit. Plott claimed they had lived together as a couple and sought a significant financial settlement. The lawsuit forced the details of their alleged relationship into the public record. Although the case was eventually dismissed, the filings gave the tabloids ample material to discuss Griffin’s sexuality.

Raymond Burr

The ‘Perry Mason’ star invented a fictional history involving a dead wife and son to deflect questions about his bachelorhood. The truth was revealed after his death when details of his long-term partnership with Robert Benevides emerged. Benevides and other associates confirmed their decades-long relationship to the press. Biographies authorized by his estate later clarified the extent of his hidden life. The post-mortem revelations by his inner circle finally corrected the narrative the tabloids had questioned for years.

David Bowie

While the music and film icon had a fluid relationship with public labeling, his first wife Angela Bowie was instrumental in keeping his sexuality in the headlines. During their marriage and subsequent divorce, she frequently discussed his relationships with men in interviews. She provided quotes to magazines that fueled the bisexual chic image Bowie cultivated. Her candidness with the press often outpaced his own willingness to define himself. These tabloid stories became a central part of his mythology during the 1970s.

Kerry Rhodes

The former NFL player and actor faced an unwanted spotlight when a former assistant and alleged partner released photos to the media. Russell Simpson provided images and texts to gossip sites that suggested a romantic relationship. Rhodes denied the gay rumors vehemently while Simpson gave interviews contradicting him. The release of personal photos by someone from his inner circle sparked a media frenzy. This incident remains a prominent example of a digital-era outing by a former associate.

Vincente Minnelli

The legendary director was married to Judy Garland, and their turbulent relationship was often fodder for the press. Biographers and family accounts later detailed how Garland allegedly caught him with other men. These stories were disseminated through books and articles that relied on family sources. The dissolution of their marriage brought many of these rumors to the surface. The narrative of his hidden sexuality became inextricably linked to the tragic story of their family life.

Cary Grant

One of Hollywood’s greatest stars faced persistent rumors about his close friendship with Randolph Scott. His ex-wives often stoked these fires in the press through cryptic comments and divorce proceedings. Virginia Cherrill accused him of being abusive and disinterested, which the tabloids read as code. Later biographers relied heavily on the accounts of his spouses to paint a picture of a bisexual man. The speculation was kept alive largely by the people who had lived with him and shared their stories with the media.

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