The year was 2006 and Matt Dallas was the star of the hit ABC Family sci-fi series Kyle XY.
Cut to January 2013 when Dallas announced on Twitter that, not only was he gay, but he was engaged to his boyfriend, musician Blue Hamilton.
Now, in a recent Q&A alongside his husband, 36-year-old Dallas reflects on the years he spent in the closet at the urging of entertainment execs.
“I was told to stay in the closet,” he recalls, “not talk about my sexuality, to be on every red carpet with a girl on my arm.”
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Dallas went on to say he was told “you could not be successful if you were openly gay in the entertainment industry, at least in front of the camera.”
That bad advice still affects him today.
“I became very disconnected from who I was,” he says, “and there’s a lot of residual stuff that to this day that I still deal with where I find myself [thinking] ‘oh, I sound too gay’ or ‘I’m acting too gay’ because it was so drilled into my brain.”
Dallas and Hamilton also talked their adopted son, Crow, launching their new vlog, and, ahem, spanking each other, among other things.
Watch.
Related: Matt Dallas And Blue Hamilton Share The Things Husbands Do
Brian
Crow?
Vince
I guess he’s their adopted son.
Brian
I figured that much out. I just can’t believe he would give his kid such a stupid name.
Mainere
Imagine being so pathetic that even a kid’s name bothers you
RobertJ25501
Hey Brian. They never changed his name when they adopted him. His birth parents named him Crow.
Donston
Well, who knows what type of career he’d have if he was fully committed to the closet. However, you can definitely tell based on footage before, during and after his show that he was told to “butch up”. And “gay” is just a word you stay away from if you’re a “heartthrob” who’s trying to become an A-lister. But this is just how Hollywood works.
Brian
This is so sad. He could’ve been a role model to gay kids, or at the very least, acknowledgment that gay people exist.
“ABC Family” eventually became “Freeform” as it started to play edgier material. I wonder if the same homophobes still work there?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Brian: they actually did become more accepting and actually supportive of the Gays. There was a show called “The Fosters” the leads were a Lesbian couple who foster many kids. Including a Gay teen boy, Jude. The network actually sent the right wing smcubag nutbag nation into a collective meltdown when they showed Jude as a 14 year old engaged in a relationship with another teen. And they actually had the balls to show them making out!! Pretty sure the homophobes were long gone at that point..
As to Matt,he had such a unique attractiveness about him. Had my Gaydar pinging at first site :-p
Creamsicle
Just a reminder that Hollywood really likes to pat itself on the back over being progressive when it’s convenient, but still keeps people in the closet if executives think it might hurt the bottom line.
ubettergetit
They were right. But in the end he got married and has had a wonderful life
Me2
Life is about choices and is often unfair. Ultimately, he chose his truth.
iamru2
Hypocrisy in Hollywood? Shocking no one said ever!
spiralx
This is a bit like gay conversion therarpy, isn’t it. For everybody concerned.
Scout
Sounds just like what Tab Hunter had to endure in the early 1950’s.
Bob LaBlah
Keiynan Lonsdale’s career has hit an obvious stall since he started instagramming pics half naked and showing up at promotions wearing dresses and earrings while still cast as a superhero who smashes bad guys. It wasn’t going to work and I’m sure he was told to put the brakes on but decided to be “himself”. Now that the checks have stopped arriving and the phone has stopped ringing I wonder if he still thinks telling the world that overall didn’t really care what position he prefers during gay sex was worth it. I grew up poor but knew the value of a well paying job and what it would bring. I hope younger gay actors realize the costs of being a “role” model and “inspiration” can bring, poverty.
Donston
One of the issues with Keiynan is that he comes across a bit like a try-hard and he became far more known for his gaudy looks and being naked than anything in his so far scant career. He also wasn’t all that well known before he came out. He’s not a very conventional “Hollywood hunk” type dude. And I don’t know where he’s at talent wise.
Ezra Miller has always had an outrageous persona, always has outlandish looks, has let people know that he gets down with every type of person, has fully embraced being a “queer icon” and is someone who I believe doesn’t have a ton going on talent wise. Yet, he’s still constantly getting gigs in Hollywood blockbusters and still getting high-profiles roles. Part of that is that he’s ambiguous and “modern” in his “queerness”. Despite admitting to having some gender fluidity and sometimes wearing dresses and crazy outfits he’s still ultimately conventionally masculine and “cool”. He’s never had a public non hetero relationship. He’s made sure to keep his distance from “gay” and has made sure to let people know that he’s not all that interested in legitimately being with a guy and does not have overall romantic, sexual, affection, relationship same-sex preferences and contentment. He’s also white. So, you can have a very “queer” image and continue to get high-profile gigs in the industry. It often comes down to timing, luck, networking, knowing how to play the Hollywood game and being the right type of “queer”.
Bob LaBlah
@Donston…….”He’s also white. So, you can have a very “queer” image and continue to get high-profile gigs in the industry. It often comes down to timing, luck, networking, knowing how to play the Hollywood game and being the right type of “queer”.
“Kid” Flash is clearly aimed at teenage boys, most of whom would be/got turned off by a sissified off camera image of a crime fighter as would sponsors once parents and the audience in general began to complain. It costs a lot of money in production, promotion and casting to have one of your stars clearly miscast even though they knew they were taking a risk by casting a black guy in that role. They should have picked an actual teenaged black kid for the role instead of a gender confused twenty-something. It could also be he had a few person antics on the set that have yet to be told that they all grew tired of as well. He was on three different super hero tv series and had a nice income coming in. He threw that away telling everyone he preferred dresses to pants. As for Ezra Miller his Flash character is aimed at adults who remember the comic from our childhood and have no problem with its updated, somewhat gay-tilting persona, or at least I don’t.
Donston
It frankly appears as if you resent Keiynan, which I don’t get. He may be a bit of a narcissistic, but he hasn’t said or done anything harmful or ignorant or too publicity stunt-ish or anti-gay (which some of these non gay identifying “queers” can do either on purpose or by accident). You seem to believe he’s some loony, emotional, unprofessional guy when we really don’t have much evidence of that. And the reality is that he was likely never really destined for stardom. He got a couple of small supporting gigs but only really became more widely known when he came out and was seen as “queer inspiration” or whatever. He’s not all that popular in the blogs. He’s not even someone who is constantly, endlessly talking about his sense of self and how he defines himself and wanting to be acknowledged for it and trying to use that for profit or something. So, I don’t get your bitterness towards him.
queerty02
he is def one of the hottest celebrigays out there. it stinks that he didnt get to be out of the closet in his prime.