Last week on The View, Queen Latifah discussed a recent interview with More magazine in which she revealed she hoped to adopt a child soon.
“I’m actually kind of working on that,” Queen Latifah told Barbara Walters and the girls on Wednesday. “I think I saw one of those specials, you know, those movies of the week and I just always wanted to bring a child home. It didn’t matter where the child came from.”
When Walters pressed her on the point, Latifah repiled “No, I’m totally serious.” She then joked: “So if you’ve got a kid that you don’t … Just give me a year, let me set up camp and then send me the kid.”
It’s always odd when a celebrity who’s made a point to say their personal life is private discusses intimate matters like adoption and having kids.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Then again, this could be the first step to Latifah admitting she’s a lesbian: Both Clay Aiken and Ricky Martin had kids shortly before they came out.
Ronn
I could not be happier for Queen starting a family however I do not want to hear about it. Queen is always going on and on about not wanting to discuss her private life publicly
(refusing to come out in other words)so why is this any different? I thought the adoption of a child would be considered incredibly private. Can’t have it both ways Queen!!!
David Ehrenstein
She’s not going to admit that she’s a lesbian. Ever.
She made that quite clear after her Long Beach Gay Pride appearance.
mc
The quote from that EW interview where she said she wasn’t coming out at Long Beach Pride : “That definitely wasn’t the case. I’ve never dealt with the question of my personal life in public. It’s just not gonna happen.”
She’s going to have a hard time reconciling that statement if she’s willing to discuss personal matters like adoption but not being a lesbian. She’s going to start feeling the pressure because news outlets are going to feel that she’s just opened the door to discussing her personal life. This may be her way of coming out slowly. She did give herself a year for the adoption. Matt Bomer started his coming out by first talking about his kids. She might be trying something like that.
Cam
I”m glad if she is happy, but it’s so uncomfortable to watch these folks go to such tortured verbal antics to try to dance around the truth of their lives. Especially Queen Latifa who sand songs about being a strong person not caring what others think etc…
I hope she’s happy, but honestly, I think she would feel better if she relaxed and was honest about herself.
luther
It’s heartwarming to see a female star discuss plans to adopt. She’s following in the steps of icon Joan Crawford, and we all know how well that turned out.
Global Traveler
She says she doesn’t want to discuss her private life, but I saw an interview years ago where she discusses buying her beloved brother a motorcycle and he was subsequently killed on it.
After discussing something like that, I would think that coming out would be a cake walk.
Having said all of that, I wish her nothing but the best. I don’t know her. I’ll most likely never meet her. So her private life has zero to do with my own, and she isn’t doing any harm to the LGBT community. So I say let her set the boundaries with which she’s most comfortable.
Flick
@luther: What about the tons of celebs that ended up being great adoptive parents (such as Barbara Walters)? I think Joan Crawford is an outlier in this case.
Flick
I think people need to lay off of when or if she decides to come out. There are endless reasons as to why she has decided not to do so, and when she is ready, she will know. With a life as public as hers, I bet coming out can be a scary process.
I also don’t think it should decide when she should adopt. I’m sure she will be a fine parent.
Brandon
Why is she staying closeted? Gay and bisexual black men have a lot more to lose by coming out yet we do it, and she stays closeted.
Brandon
Also she’s already been seen at LGBT pride parades/events, and photographed with girlfriends she might as well just have came out then so why didn’t she do it then?
Rockery
At this point, who cares, she is hypocritical if she talks about adoption which is very “personal” and won’t talk about her girlfriends. Anderson & Frank Ocean have overshadowed her. While we have razzed AC at least he did it, finally, and Frank did it towards the beginning of his career. Latifah and Seacrest can go away
Woody
Seems to me Queen is living her life out in the open without declaring her sexuality like many ‘closeted’ celebrities. On a recent David Letterman Show promoting Ice Age 3 she seemed to skirt the issue while distinguishing her (perported female) bodyguard from her best friend (unless they are one and the same).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Mv5RWbzsc
At the 1:50 mark “messing with her bodyguard” (backstage dancing to musical guest Buddy Guy performing during commercial break).
At the 5:50 mark Referring to her yearly BBQ, “Best Friend and I” “every year I invite my family, she invites her family”…
Qazzo
It’s her life; let her live it in the matter SHE see fits. She is allowed to pick and choose what aspects of her “private” life she is/isn’t willing to disclose to the world. It’s no one else’s place to try and dictate to her how open she should be. Furthermore, not everyone wants to get their forehead stamped and be a foot soldier for “the cause.”
WillBFair
Coming out is a personal decision based on family, freinds, and career prospects. Only the individual understands his own circumstances, and only he is qualified to make the decision. Self righteous activists don’t understand other peaople’s circumstances, nor do self involved blog commenters. Leave her alone.
Mark
@WillBFair:
Good post. I totally agree.
Pathetic
For all of you defending her staying in the closet, you know darn well that it’s not a matter of “I don’t talk about my private life” nonsense because she talks about her private life plenty (just like how she’s talking about wanting to adopt). The plain and simple truth is she’s either ashamed and/or afraid of coming out. Simple as that. She has no guts because she’s more worried about money and her “career” (which isn’t so hot anymore anyway). It IS important for celebs to come out because when celebs allow themselves to be kept in the closet, it makes Hollywood execs think they keep closeting actors and that’s no right. Quit defending closet-cases and making excuses for them.
Brandon
WillBFair-It’s not like she’s an average person, an LGBT teen/young adult, or in a country where if you are out as LGBT you’re in major danger for your life. In all of these cases LGBT People who are not closeted celebrities came out and they were in danger or had a lot more risk involved with coming out yet did anyway.
I agree with Pathetic she’s either ashamed of being lesbian or she’s afraid to come out because of her “career” in Hollyweird.
Yes most of her fans and mostly everyone in the black community knows; but I am sure there are some AA people who are in denial and will think that she is heterosexual or not really gay.
LDC
Stop trying to put your political agenda on celebrities. Latifah doesn’t -owe- it to anyone to reveal anything about herself that she would rather not share, simply because your ego needs validation in the name of a famous person. Her job is to sell her work, not be another player on the gay celebrity softball team.
Ronn
@WillBFair: I think you’re missing the point…of some of us anyway. It’s hard to “leave her alone” when she’s not playing by her own rules. I for one totally respect her and other closeted celebs to remain so if they chose to. It is THEIR business. However, don’t get upset when the press asks you about your love life during an interview and then you (closeted Queen) get an attitude and says that she does not and will not talk about her personal life and then in the very next sentence she’s talking about adopting a child. Really??? I’m sorry but that just defies logic to me.
Either shut up and talk only about what current professional project(s) you’re working on or be open and talk about your personal life …all of it – at least in general terms. It’s so transparent why she won’t talk about her personal life and it’s sad.
Kyle215
ummmmmm. not sure why she doesn’t come out. i don’t know many guys who sit at home fantasizing about banging queen latifah. it isn’t like she is or has ever been a sex symbol. she is a talented (but limited) entertainer. if she comes out i don’t think she will be affected. gays aren’t going to care. either are women…gay or straight. as for the straight men, they have never been her fan base.
luther
Gay people need to stop looking toward celebrities to justify their own existence.
Glass closet
@ Luther: Whether we like it or not, some people (especially younger people) DO look up to celebs. That’s just the way it is and always will be. Celebs have a platform to make a difference, and instead of hiding in a closet, why don’t they use that platfrom? I’ll tell you why – because all they care about is money and getting “good” roles. But if all the closeted celebs in Hollywood came out, all the closeting would be over.
Kim
Well more Gays need to act as mentors in their community young people role models should be neighbor, relatives not celebs.
QJ201
Queen is trying to have it both ways. She’ll talk about having kids and her siblings, but not her “private life.”
Her company is located in Jersey City…but she doesn’t appear at Pride in JC or in NJ (her home state), she goes to CA.
She’s totally going up on the Asshole scale.
greenluv1322
Can everyone please stop with the QL is a lesbian. Everyone on here knows that having same sex relations does not make you a homosexual. So there is speculation that a some point QL had sex with another woman. Well here’s a thought. Why hasn’t any woman who has had sex with Queen ever put her on blast? Why hasn’t any lesbian that has seen her at the club or doing something on the down low? How can she be so careful for 20 years? Perhaps she is not a lesbian. Being gay, lesbian, or bi-sexual is something the person determines for themselves. So on behalf of actual black lesbians I ask you to STOP. We don’t need any role models. We are fine. No one is checking for QL in the black lesbian community. It’s a mostly male and heterosexual black women who are obsessed with the idea that big ole Tifah is a lady licker. Let it go. Thanks.
Analog
@WillBFair: I completely understand some people’s frustration and even anger, but I agree with your comment personally.
Analog
@greenluv1322: “Why hasn’t any woman who has had sex with Queen ever put her on blast? Why hasn’t any lesbian that has seen her at the club or doing something on the down low? How can she be so careful for 20 years?”
I often wonder myself how very famous closeted celebrities avoid being outed by others, but to be fair, many of the recent big name celebrities who have finally come out were in the closet for decades too and although the same rumours persisted about them, as far as I know, no one ever came forward with any evidence on them either (A. Cooper, Ricky Martin, Neil Patrick Harris, etc).
I guess it is possible, when you’re that famous and rich to completely avoid all the dangers of being outed by just choosing very carefully who you date and where you go.
Cam
@Flick: said.
“I think people need to lay off of when or if she decides to come out. There are endless reasons as to why she has decided not to do so, and when she is ready, she will know. With a life as public as hers, I bet coming out can be a scary process.”
___________________-
No, there is one reason and one reason only. The same reason that all of the celebs use.
steve
You.. Madam.. are no Harvey Milk… go back to making your cheesy movies..
Ren
@steve:
LOL! She never said she was Harvey Milk and no one expects her to be; except for catty, self-righteous spectators in the gay community who long for gay celebrities to validate them.
Talk like this really makes me hope she would NEVER reveals her lesbianism, just so she doesn’t give you people the satisfaction.
Matt
@Steve-Well she’s not a sick chickenhawk like Harvey was that’s for sure!
RomanHans
We unfamous people HAVE to come out. We don’t have a choice. The alternative is listening to stories about heterosexuals, and when the time comes for our own stories to be told, either we lie or come out.
If we lie, we don’t have real friends. If we come out, we put ourself in real, physical danger.
Queen Latifah has power. She’s a role model. She’s famous. She can pave the way for us, saying that we’re not all heterosexual, that being gay is nothing to be ashamed of, that homo stories are valuable too.
She doesn’t. She’s ashamed. She’s embarrassing.
It’s time we say, Fine, Latifah. Enjoy your closet. Goodbye.
Diane
I think Queen Latifah would make a great adoptive parent especially because she’s wanted to adopt ever since she was 17. I enjoyed watching this episode where she opened up about a personal aspect of her life even if she didn’t “come out,” perhaps she’s warming everyone up. This is one of my favorite shows and I watch the recording every day on my Hopper. I upgraded to this by the suggestion of a coworker at Dish. I love the convenience of being able to start watching the recording in one room and continue watching in another room, it saves me so much time!