Kristy McNichol Has Come Out. Who’s Kristy McNichol?
Family and Empty Nest star Kristy McNichol has avoided the spotlight for decades—so much so that when the former teen idol came out Friday to People magazine, many of our, ahem, younger gay friends didn’t know who she was.
McNichol, 49, has lived a private life with partner Martie Allen for almost twenty years, but before that, she was a big-name actress and a regular in teen mags, on television, and—after acknowledging drug abuse and being diagnosed with bipolar disorder—on tabloid covers.
Her decision to share that she’s a lesbian, she told People, came from the fact that she’s nearing 50 and wanted “be open about who I am.” She also wanted to reach out to LGBT youth who are being bullied.
McNichol “hopes that coming out can help kids who need support,” publicist Jeff Ballard tells the magazine. “She would like to help others who feel different.” Ballard added that since leaving Hollywood, the former actress is “very happy and healthy…and enjoys living a very private life.”
We’re not gonna be nasty (no, really): McNichol went through some serious tough times. We’re glad she’s found happiness and can live openly and honestly.
Now excuse us while we go watch Little Darlings.
Everyone I know and even people I don’t know, knew Kristy McNichol is a lesbian.
Kinda’ like Tom Cruise. Oh snap, I said it. I hope the Scientologists don’t dispatch the Xenu army to kidnap me now.
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I always had a crush on her growing up. Must have been attracted to her tom-boyish ways. Of course it’s no surprise, and would have been great if it was earlier, but good for her.
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I remember back in the day when the bar “Peanuts” in WEHO was a drag bar. She came in often with her girlfriend.
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When I first heard about this, I thought it was a joke. Only because It was known that she was a lesbian twenty five yrs ago. I’m not sure if she was ever really in the closet since she was open about who she was.
I’m sure she means well but I think her reason for her so-called comming out is misdirected. I just don’t think that too many of our LBGT youth are gonna be able to our want to relate or listen to a nearly fifty-year-old lesbian.
I thank it’s wounderful that she’s been able to mantain a long term twenty five year relationship. If it’s been a good 25yrs for her and her partner, her energy would be better used by her sharing and giving advice to LBGT people maybe, 25 or older who are ready for a long term relatioship. And considering that she has been in a relationship longer than, Kim, Brittney, and most others in Entertainment she would be more helpful to LBGT people and a good example to our straight breathern as to why we deserve legal marriage. Everywhere.
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If you see any old movies with her in them I thought it was pretty apparent that BOTH she and Jodie Foster were lesbians. Friends and I saw “Little Darlings” a year or so ago and were all saying “Um……we know the reason that she is still a virgin and it has nothing to do with availability of boys or morals.” lol
It’s a shame it took so long but congrats to her for finally confirming what everybody who ever saw her in ….anything already knew.
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I thought she came out too. Way back when dropped off the Empty Nest show and had a nervous breakdown I believe when it came out. Kind of like everyone always knew she was. I loved her on “Family”, but I was more into her older brother, now he was hot.
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I’m not sure what the fact “everyone already knew” has to do with it tbh.
There are thousands of gay kids in schools where everyone kind of knows they’re gay before they come out, but that doesn’t make them coming out any less brave. Coming out is a personal thing, so who cares what everyone does or doesn’t already know.
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I remember watching her on Empty Nest as a kid and thinking she had to be gay. “Gay” became the word I heard everyone whispering by the time I was 7 years old in reference to me, and I was a precocious enough kid to be able to figure out what it meant. This is not news, but @Lefty: you are right, glass closets are still closets and it takes courage to open that door. I am sure it also took courage for her to step back into the spotlight after all that time out of it, especially with something so personal.
IDK, I’m torn on this one. I can be pretty nasty myself about the “duh” factor at times, but this time, I am touched.
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Loved her in the 1970s if only because she grew up in the same house as Jimmy McNichol, whose aluminum “tv special “slacks I dreamed of seeing through. My first ‘twink’. Ahhhhh.
It seems they both survived their Studio 54 days….albeit him better than her. While she has finally arrived at a place of public confidence, a little internet stalking tells me he grew into a boring middle aged environmentally conscious California construction contractor & father of two.
That era was merciless to many child stars. Sounds like the McNichols escaped alive.
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She did not acknowledge drug abuse, that is completely false! She was one of those straight laced kind of actresses except she did smoke. I have researched all of the materials written about her for the past decades and there was absolutely no accusation she abused drugs or evidence whatsoever to support that accusation.
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I thought she was quietly “out” decades ago….