Openly gay PR man Howard Bragman is the mastermind orchestrating the buzz around May 5’s short-lived mystery celeb coming out. We know now that the gay celeb is country singer Chely Wright — and all the build-up made her more famous than a new album and book could. But the guessing game had America speculating about other gay-ish celebrities like Queen Latifah, Shelby Lynne, Ryan Seacrest, and Anderson Cooper, none of whom were ready to come out themselves, nor answer questions about when they might. So while Bragman’s ultimate goal was to ease one client out of the closet, did he actually hurt the larger group of still-closeted gay celebs?
Bragman has helped other gay public figures come out. There’s WNBA player Cheryl Swoopes, Cher‘s daughter-cum-son Chaz Bono, and Family Ties‘ Meredith Baxter. Thanks to Bragman, Chely Wright this week becomes free to embrace lesbianism in her life. Her new memoir Like Me and album Lifted Off The Ground will undoubtedly sell big(ger) because of the buzz. That’s great for both of them, but what about the other closeted celebs who have had to fend off their own outings in the wake of Wright’s media storm? Is it OK that Wright and Bragman’s press ploy may have placed unnecessary pressure on closeted celebs? Do they have no obligation to these other gay celebrities whatsoever?
Bragman is a veteran cog of the celebrity PR machine. He’s worked in Hollywood long enough to know what effect his campaign could have on celebrities who, like Wright until this week, choose to keep their sexuality private. While he’s not morally or legally responsible for protecting the images of celebs who are neither his clients nor his friends, he knows that a surprise outing can prove devastating to an unprepared star. Bragman’s own client Isaiah Washington pushed TR Knight out the closet after reports surfaced of him screaming “faggot” on the Grey’s Anatomy set. For some, deflecting gay rumors is already a part-time job; see: Oprah, Tom Cruise, Ryan Seacrest. But by encouraging everyone to play Guess The Gay, it suggests Bragman’s only interest in coming out is about his retainer fee, not about who else suffers in the process. The entire tailored plan of his pre-announcement announcement was to encourage speculation about who it could be. It left many victims in its wake.
Then again, celebrities like Latifah, Lynne, Seacrest, and Cooper have to field gay rumors all the time. Every day they go out with or publicly kiss their partners, they risk a paparazzi shot and a tabloid dish; see: John Travolta. They’re used to that sort of pressure, have made the personal decision not to come out, and must deal with the consequences.
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It may be an unkind hassle of stardom, but withstanding public pressure like this is part of the game. But must Bragman take some responsibility for turning the lives of closeted gay celebs into witch hunts?
SSCHIEFRSHA
“Is it OK that Wright and Bragman’s press ploy may have placed unnecessary pressure on closeted celebs?”
It’s a pressure well placed.
fredo777
Howard Bragman’s job as a publicist is to generate interest in his clients. I can’t think of a better way to draw attention than to get this kind of media shitstorm surrounding a client whom many of us had never even heard of.
If we are talking about accountability for any collateral damage, though, Queerty + others should take ownership of their own part in all the speculation that went on, even going so far as to name names of potential celebs who might be coming out on the 5th.
Again, his outing campaign would have been much more successful had TMZ + the blogosphere not gone out of their way to spoil the reveal before it was set to take place. Granted, many of us would’ve been disappointed that it wasn’t more of a household name, but that’s really not the point. The way this all panned out reminds me of why I dislike the site Votefortheworst.c*m, who are also hell-bent on spoiling everyone’s fun.
Sam
It may be really, really cynical to suggest this, but what if this was Bragman’s way of getting more clients? Most gay celebrities don’t come out until they’re pushed to the brink by rumors about them being gay – so many people are talking about their secret that they feel like they have nothing to lose. What if Bragman’s plan all along was to get people talking about 1) closeted celebs and 2) how great a publicist he is, especially with regards to coming out of the closet? He’d basically manufacture a breaking point for a whole bunch of celebrities, and then they’d hire him for their coming-outs?
As I said, it’s a really cynical suggestion and I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case. But that’s what came to my mind, because I am a horrible person.
Dave
This is at best tangentially related, but am I the only one who thinks there’s about 0% chance that Ryan Seacrest is a ‘mo?
I mean, maybe it’s just me. Maybe I can’t get past the fact that his sensitivity to gay issues is on par with the grade-school playground, mouth-breathing, “hurr-hurr, no, YOU’RE a fag!” gay-baiting set.
Maybe I just don’t to be in the same club with him.
But I mean, really. It’s 2010. A vanishing lisp and bad highlights do not a gaymosexual make.
WalkderDC
He only damaged them if they are self hating enough to think that being gay is damaging. If they do then fuck them, they don’t deserve our dollars. On the other post you had a bunch of people from hollywood trying to come on and saying oh, so and so is not closeted, he just likes his privacy. Again, fuck him. When Gwenyth Paltro got married did she deny dating and then marrying her husband? Was that considered privacy? Was George Clooney’s date to the Oscars private? These gay celebs are actually showing up to events with their dates and the press takes no pictures of them together. Rosie O’Donnell brought Kelly to events for years and Kelly just didn’t walk up the red carpet. No straight celeb would be given that courtesy. If Sandra Bullock has a new boyfriend no press would agree to not publish pictures of them together.
Marc
@Dave: Yes Dave, you are the only one who thinks that Ryan Seacrest isn’t gay. Ryan’s (bad) showmances convinced me he’s gay.
Hilarious
“Bragman’s own client Isaiah Washington pushed TR Knight out the closet after reports surfaced of him screaming “faggot” on the Grey’s Anatomy set.”
I really wish you would stop saying this Queerty. That’s not what happened at all.
TR Knight was not even there when it happened. He was nowhere around.
There was a verbal shouting match between Isaiah and Dempsey. It takes two to tango yet we have no clue what Dempsey said to him, only one side of the story, yet Isaiah is dragged through the mud for what?
Isaiah Washington is not the first star to use the word fag, you do it all the time(as do plenty of people you write articles about), and it wasn’t aimed at a gay male.
Why keep bringing him up? ABC went out of their way to try and destroy his career for publicity and milked idiotic gay men by race baiting to do it. Let it go already.
Queerty has to be the only blog left on the net that hasn’t realized they got played by ABC and TR Knight who both gained a lot by flat out lying to the public and playing on sympathies while mentally lynching a man in public.
Did Dog the Bounty Hunter go through what Isaiah did for dropping a very real N-bomb about his son’s black girlfriend? No. Did anyone call for it? No. Was the internet outraged at the same ridiculous level? No. Is Dog back on tv? Yes.
And lets not forget how many fags use the word fag all flippin day long.
Evan
I don’t really expect this to be corrected, but it would be really nice if it were:
If you want to highlight Chaz’s two coming-outs and his gender history, then that’s fine, but there’s got to be a better way to do it. The phrasing you chose implies that he’s an androgyne, and as I understand it he’s nothing of the sort.
Tim W
@fredo777: You had me to the VoteForTheWorst comment. They aren’t trying to ruin anyone’s fun. They are merely making fun of a show which is basically a big karaoke contest. They get a hit on occasion Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and tons of misses Taylor Hicks, Fantasia etc.It’s a fun website with some funny and some bitchy people.
fredo777
@Tim W: Fantasia is not a “miss”, in my opinion, by any stretch of the imagination. Her “Summertime” performance alone proved that. Also, what you consider a big karaoke contest also helped talented artists like those you just mentioned (+ countless others) get their big break + I’m not a fan of the cynics who would rather send those talents home early so that acts like Sanjaya can pull out another crazy hair-do for another week.
jason
The thing that peeves me about Bragman is that his enabling of lesbians appears to be a marketing ploy. It seems to be all about money as well as exploiting the notion that lesbians are more socially acceptable than gay men.
Notice how he also seems to have a thing for lesbians. Is his interest genuine? I’m starting to wonder.
Blake
@Dave: I agree with you. I hope he is not part of the team!
OhYeah
What I find repulsive about the whole Bragaman affair is his relationship with the owner of a hotel who is anti gay and supported Prop. 8, as Queerty here informed a while back. Those gay stars aligning with this man have even less shame now. Guess it’s all about the money. And this country singer? Why make such a big deal when she’s not a major celebrity and many people had never heard of her? Ah, money, again. Sigh.
holla
I agree with the commenter above, pointing out that, really it is Queerty and the blogosphere who engaged in open discussion of who the gay celeb might be. If there is an issue here, you are just as much a cause as this stupid PR dude who has made himself as much of the story as his client.
Cam
No. 7 · Hilarious
“Bragman’s own client Isaiah Washington pushed TR Knight out the closet after reports surfaced of him screaming “faggot” on the Grey’s Anatomy set.”
I really wish you would stop saying this Queerty. That’s not what happened at all.
TR Knight was not even there when it happened. He was nowhere around.
There was a verbal shouting match between Isaiah and Dempsey. It takes two to tango yet we have no clue what Dempsey said to him, only one side of the story, yet Isaiah is dragged through the mud for what?……..Queerty has to be the only blog left on the net that hasn’t realized they got played by ABC and TR Knight who both gained a lot by flat out lying to the public and playing on sympathies while mentally lynching a man in public.
___________________________
You seem to have forgotten the part where Washington assaulted Dempsey by grabbing him by the throat and choking him. Was that somehow a ploy by T.R. Knight? Anybody at ANY other place of employment was going to get fired for physically assaulting a co-worker. It is only in Hollywood that there would even be a question of NOT firing somebody for doing it. Go to your office, choke somebody and see what happens.
Rob
I’d still sleep Howard in a minute. Sounds like he might need some consoling. Howard, I’m here!
Hilarious
@Cam: I’ve never heard anything about that and it has nothing to do with him having to do PSA’s. Did he do PSA’s about choking people? No. It was all about him saying faggot behind the scenes and ABC as well as TR Knight using it to gain publicity.
Neither TR Knight nor ABC had anything to do with any of it. It was between Isaiah and Dempsey. Two grown men who acted like children and should’ve just apologized to each other and moved on.
That said this happened many years ago and plenty of celebrities have said “fag” since then so why is Isaiah still being brought up?
Hilarious
Oh and you know while this site likes to go on and on about Isaiah Washington it’s really funny that the media who dragged him through the mud forces actors to remain in the closet.
How much work is TR Knight getting now exactly? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Maybe you should be attacking ABC rather than their scapegoat used to drum up controversy.
They have no place for you unless you’re a stereotype or very good at hiding the fact that you’re gay.
David Ehrenstein
@Cam: Too late, Rob. Howard’s a married gay man.
jeffree
Bragman, the publicist, is like a quack doctor. You go see him in his fancy office and tell him what’s wrong and he promises you a “miracle cure.” He says “Trust me, I’m a professional.”
You don’t have any better options, so you sign the forms, agree to the price and let him do his magic. You put yourself into his “trained hands.”
But then Uh oh, whoops, it turns out that he’s looking out for himself and not for you. Turns out he’s not so magical after all. Turns out his “cure” may not work or may make you worse.
Chely Wright’s not the only one to blame for this fiasco. She trusted a “professional” and he ended up being a guy selling snakeoil, a quack with hidden agendas & no real back up plan.
Cam
No. 17 · Hilarious
@Cam: I’ve never heard anything about that and it has nothing to do with him having to do PSA’s. Did he do PSA’s about choking people? No. It was all about him saying faggot behind the scenes and ABC as well as TR Knight using it to gain publicity.
_________________________________
Wow, how convienient, that you just never happend to have heard about the person you were defending’s assault on the other person during the argument. Would that be like a gay person voting for John McCain and saying “Well I”VE never heard him say anything anti-gay so I’m going to vote for him. Here is an excerpt from CBS News
“”…Washington got angry and allegedly grabbed McDreamy by the throat and shoved him a few feet. “”
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/11/entertainment/main2081186.shtml
Again, this is besides the point of this post, however, if you are bitter that Dog the Bounty Hunter didn’t get the same punishment remember something. Washington was on a top ten show, making a fortune compared to “Dog” who has a small show that cateres to a specific audience. If the producers of Grey’s anatomy happen to be more worried about people reacting to an anti-gay incident, you think it could be because a hell of a lot more gay and gay friendly people watch that show then “Dog the bounty Hunter”? Try putting something in context before you just lash out. And lastly, once again, I would say, you go to your work and start choking somebody and see if YOU don’t get fired.
Hilarious
@Cam: Apparently you don’t know what allegedly means and the very article you’re using as a source goes on to say no punches were thrown but nasty things were said.
You’re defending a one-sided “he said, she said”, I’m not.
You claim I’m defending Washington, I’m not.
I merely said that it takes two to tango and we don’t have all the facts, we only have one side of the story, yet Washington’s career was dragged through the mud.
And while you rant and rave about his homophobia Hollywood continues to be homophobic and won’t hire TR Knight to star in a damned thing.
Meanwhile Washington has moved on to other projects and is continuing to make bank.
So what’s your point? Mine was merely that Queerty needs to drop it because there are plenty of white celebrities with big names screaming faggot all over the place and they’re not being brought up 3 years later.
Cam
No. 22 · Hilarious
@Cam: Apparently you don’t know what allegedly means and the very article you’re using as a source goes on to say no punches were thrown but nasty things were said.
____________________________
From MSNBC “Dempsey and Washington squared off in what is being called a “violent brawl” on the set. Reportedly, Isaiah grabbed Patrick by the throat after an argument broke out over cast members showing up late for work.”…”Isaiah’s rep hasn’t denied the incident”
I’m not the one ranting, you made the comment that Washington was unfairly targeted in a ploy set up by TR Knight and the studio and he was fired while Dog the Bounty Hunter wasn’t. I pointed out that Washington Assaulted and Chocked Dempsey, you claimed not to know anything about that. End of story. Perhaps you should research a bit more before you rush out decrying an injustice done to somebody.”
And lastly you said….”””So what’s your point? Mine was merely that Queerty needs to drop it because there are plenty of white celebrities with big names screaming faggot all over the place and they’re not being brought up 3 years later.”””
Then do you mind posting links to all these actors running around screaming “Faggot” and are they also running around choking people?
alan brickman
More pressure on politicians…..less on celebrities…they don’t vote in the senate…grow up already…otherwise you just sound jealous…
Hilarious
@Cam: Good lord they’ve been reported on Queerty, Towleroad, and other gay blogs. Do a search for the word “fag”, you don’t need me to do that for you.
I did not once say they set him up as a ploy, I said they cashed in on it for publicity, which they did.
You’re so busy on your rampage in defense of what ABC and TR did that you’re not even reading what I’m writing.
Funny thing is ABC/Disney won’t hire TR to star in a damned thing because he’s gay.
So keep ranting about homophobia while ignoring the real issue.
Disney is far more homophobic than Washington “allegedly” is.
Matthew Rettenmund
First commenter = spot-on: “a pressure well-placed.” Also, Bragman wound up making everyone openly guess who is probably gay, making those closet cases realize, “Jesus, everyone knows???” and also made everyone go, “Who??? Who cares?” when Chely was revealed. Both of those things make stars MORE likely to come out, not less likely—knowledge that their secret isn’t, and the realization that being gay is no big deal to at least a good chunk of the kinds of people who care about what they do for a living.
Donald
Wait! What? That’s the person? Chely Wright? I thought this was suppose to be an A-List major star. I’ve never heard of Chely until I read this story. *sigh* Guess I will delete my DVR setting to record the event tomorrow.
Cam
No. 25 · Hilarious
@Cam: Good lord they’ve been reported on Queerty, Towleroad, and other gay blogs. Do a search for the word “fag”, you don’t need me to do that for you.
I did not once say they set him up as a ploy, I said they cashed in on it for publicity, which they did.
________________________________
I don’t have to do a search for it, you are the one saying it is evidence, if it is so easy to find then you should have no trouble posting it. You also said that it was a verbal shouting match and keep seeming to leave out the assault and battery. There is no rampage to attack him here. But you came out guns blazing talking about how he had been wrongly punished and yet seem to keep leaving out the part about him bassicaly committing a felony. If a coworker coked you I have a feeling you would call the police.
Ray
@Cam: No offense but you sound pretty dense. He’s talking about the bait and switch ABC did by making him do gay PSAs that had nothing to do with what you’re talking about which would be assault and battery.
ABC really could have handled the entire thing behind the scenes and they chose not to.
I think that’s what Hilarious is talking about. I personally don’t believe the assault portion myself since no charges were filed and no suit took place. I doubt they wouldn’t press charges if he physically assaulted someone who didn’t retaliate at all.
timncguy
tell me when, as you state, Ryan Seacrest has “gone out with or publicly kissed his partner”.
If it has ever happened, he MUST be good at hiding it, because I’ve never seen a picture or a story reporting any such event.
DEREK WASHINGTON
A PR guys job is to make a big noise for his client.
Done.
When I finally come out publicly, I’ll give him a call.
Oh.
Maybe I’ll send the number to Tyler Perry.
Btw, I knew Washington was a dick when I watched him on Tavis with some really smarmy Nigerians talking about how they were doing business to bring the two Black cultures together.
Bull.
I know this is wrong, but, I have worked for many a Nigerian and I have yet to meet one who wasn’t homophobic and shady. Sorry. That’s just MY personal experience.
I was glad when he got busted and all that coded “lynching” talk is just more racial shit where their really isn’t a racial element in this particular case. There’s plenty of racial bating etc., I just don’t think that case was one them.
Dude’s a dick.
Oh, I don’t think Shecrest is a Gay either. WAY too obvious.
Cam
No. 29 · Ray
@Cam: No offense but you sound pretty dense. He’s talking about the bait and switch ABC did by making him do gay PSAs that had nothing to do with what you’re talking about which would be assault and battery.
ABC really could have handled the entire thing behind the scenes and they chose not to.
I think that’s what Hilarious is talking about. I personally don’t believe the assault portion myself since no charges were filed and no suit took place. I doubt they wouldn’t press charges if he physically assaulted someone who didn’t retaliate at all.
______________________________
No, in his first post he asked why was Washington fired and not Dog the bounty hunter. AS for whether or not the assault happened. He and his publicist never denied it, if it never happened they could have gone after the news outlets reporting it.
James UK
1) Celebrity closet cases feel uncomfortable. Closets are uncomfortable places to be. But hey, I’m sure the names you mention can cry all the way to the bank. Boo hoo.
2) Queerty – you really are brazen. You have had this “guess who” going for almost a week now, with extra hits and no doubt extra advertising revenue. And this article is designed to keep the $$$ flowing. And some of us entertained. But not as entertained as we were before the D-list object of the exercise was revealed.
Jose
Made me lol how this article is so certain Ryan Seacrest is gay.
Marcus
@James UK:
So true!
@Jose:
You think he’s not?
mk
I don’t see how the speculation could have been any big thing for the major celebs who are always dealing with the gay issue like Latifah, Cooper, Seacrest and Kevin Spacey.
It was probably a big thing to mostly unknown country singer Shelby Lynne. However, if she thought the publicity from this was a bad thing she would have shut it down by getting her PR person to truthfully say she’s not the the celeb coming out on May 5th rather than encouraging speculation by saying “no comment”.
The problem I see with how Bragman handled this is different. He made a lot of regular people pissed off and resentful towards him and his client because the guessing game PR strategy intentionally raised and dashed hopes and wasted people’s time since no one could have guessed Bragman’s non-entity client. Maybe it’ll work out for them in money and fame, but it’s at least as likely it’ll backfire on them. They should have put out some clues that the star isn’t all that famous to curb expectations.
testington
I’m sorry, I still don’t know and don’t care who Chely Wright is…wtf kind of name is Chely anyways?
Michael
Regardless of the effect of Bragman’s stunt, he’s not the one who spent an entire week speculating. He’s not the one who, after the real celebrity has been revealed, continues to wrap unrelated celebs in rainbow flags. That was and is Queerty. I hadn’t even heard of some of the people mentioned, but now the only thing I know about them is that they’re potentially gay. If there’s blame, don’t forget to spread it around to the authors of those Queerty posts.
Jeremy
Queerty sounds bitter about Bragman. But who knows, maybe you two are shaking your hands behind our backs???
Flileexidge
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