I think [the gay rumors about me are] funny, but the last thing you’ll ever see me do is jump up and down, saying, “These are lies!” That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community. I’m not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing. My private life is private, and I’m very happy in it. Who does it hurt if someone thinks I’m gay? I’ll be long dead and there will still be people who say I was gay. I don’t give a shit…
People think Brad and I hang out all the time, but the truth is that we see each other very rarely, maybe a couple times a year. I’ve had great fun spending time with my friend again over the awards season. Not only do I enjoy him as a person and respect his talent, but I also love what he does in the world…
Not that I don’t think Bradley Cooper is a perfectly sexy guy, but I’m still shocked that Ryan Gosling didn’t get Sexiest Man Alive last year. I thought he worked hard and ran a very solid campaign, so I feel that he was ripped off.
Actor George Clooney, who’s set to star in Dustin Lance Black‘s 8 this Saturday, tells The Advocate that he’s not as good friends with Brad Pitt as we all think, that the gay rumors don’t irk him, and that he’s got a man-crush on Ryan Gosling
wc1
You’re gay or bi George, you’re loved enough that people will be cool with it. We get that coming out in Hollywood is considered box office poison, so you staying ‘in the closet’ is understandable. Maybe you can come out when you’re dead.
Awesome response in the interview either way though.
iDavid
Clooney said, “I think [the gay rumors about me are] funny, but the last thing you’ll ever see me do is jump up and down, saying, “These are lies!” That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community. I’m not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing”.
How in the world does telling the truth, that gay rumors about him “are a lie”, going to “hurt my good friends in the gay community”? Not!!!
This sounds a bit like what Rock Hudson might have said if he were ever asked.
Then the gushing comments about Gosling. Man I wasn’t sure about Clooney before but now I’m 99% convinced we might just have a super star super mo hanging from the rafters.
But then “keeping ’em guessing” has always been one route to go with the ever attractive mystique effect i.e. James Franco. But even Franco didn’t go this far. He was much better with his slinking chesher cat style technique.
Joe
For that matter why haven’t Danny Devito, Clint Howard, Vincent Schiavelli, and Ron Perlman ever fully addressed the gay rumors about them? I’ll tell you why: Because they’re not attractive to most people and we only suspect the hot ones about their orientation.
Al
@Joe: Actually there are/were rumors about Clay Aiken, Liberace, Senator Orrin Hatch, Raymond Burr, Sir John Gielgud, Nathan Lane and Michael Jeter but most people would not call any of them “hot”.
Drew
I agree with wc1 Clooney is either bisexual or gay and it’s obvious and has been for awhile now.
Joe
@Al: No doubt, Al, but for most of those there is some substance to go behind the rumor, for example Aikens webcam photos, or Liberace’s, well, just Liberace.
Charlie in Charge
So a celeb says they aren’t gay in a very charming and positive way and most of the responses are “He must be gay.”
You just can’t win.
Halston
@iDavid: I don’t think he was really all that serious about the comment about Ryan Gosling. I think if we want the straight world to accept us we really have to stop this everyone is gay-which is nothing short of bullying. And, I would also say that there is sometimes some shame from us when we do it-like we are saying to the person you’re not better than me, because I am sure you are gay too. I’m not sure if anyone understands what I mean, but when I hear gay men talk about this issue of being in the closet we sound no better than staight people because it sounds like we are putting being straight on the same pedastal as the rest of the word. I remember dating a guy who asked me if my brother was gay, but before he asked he prefaced it with “…don’t be offended.” Why should I be offended the guy I was dating was gay and so was I. We want straight men to be comfortable with gay men and to be able to say that another guy is attractive without feeling funny about it- then we have to stop rolling our eyes and snicker under our breath about how gay he is because he said another guy was attractive or he didn’t jump up and down and say “NO I’M NOT GAY!!!!!”. It’s like Clooney said it does not matter what he says people are going to keep saying that he is gay and that it would be an insult to act like there was something wrong with being gay. There really hasn’t been anything that made me feel that Clooney was gay (not that that means anything-but there are some Celebs that do give me a feeling for various reasons that they are), so I’m just going to take the man at his word.
Halston
@Drew: Please tell me what makes it so obvious to you? Because, I really can’t see what you maybe seeing (and I’m serious…I’m not trying to be clever or bitchy)?
Mr. Robertson
@Halston: I totally understand what you mean. +1,000 internets for you, sir.
Cam
I”m not sure how this is a gay story.
iDavid
@Halston
I don’t subscribe to being accepted by str8s or wondering if I am trying to make other people “gay” when they aren’t. That is a very inferior position. I am going simply on gut feeling and facts. And technically, since he has been married (1989 for 3 yrs.) he would be possibly bi if he is sexually attracted to guys. But the truth is we will never know unless he says something. All else is random speculation of which I find interesting fun fodor at best. So please don’t take all this too seriously regarding what I say on this. My personal gut feeling? He swings both ways. Is he a total “mo”? I recant, probably not. But even then, it’s all in the “maybe” category.
tookietookie
I just assume most actors are gay. I mean, they are actors for crissakes.
I have no patience to softpedal it with ignorant heterosexuals. We put up with their fiction that “some” hairdressers are gay, just not their hairdresser. Some male nurses are gay, just not their male nurses. Some librarians are gay, just not their librarians. And some actors are gay, just not any actors in their world.
Oh, there can be gays, outspoken, pushy, in-your-face types which equals people who actually acknowledge it at all and don’t live some weird dissonant 1950s closet case situation, you know them Mr. One-Face-at-the-Bar and a Different-Face-at-Work.
I work in a field which stereotypically is full of gays, and is actually full of gays. And yet, oddly enough, no one is gay.
I don’t care if this guy is gay or not because frankly if it’s just schoolyard titillation we’re after, there are much hotter. If he is gay and just private about it, well good for him. It is pathetic, but it is sadly quite common.
Society is raising new generation after new generation to perpetuate this Rock-Hudson-liked-the-ladies stupidity. The methods just change with the times, e.g. boy bands, etc.
All actors are gay to me, lol. ALL actors are gay. 🙂
JayKay
@tookietookie:
What’s pathetic is all the sad little leftist gays desperately trying to force celebrities out of the closet, regardless of whether they’re even gay, just to feel validated.
steve sydney
I know everyone loves to swoon over him and he is fabulously handsome but really.. he’s never done anything for me. I couldn’t care less if he was gay..
Ryan Gosling on the other hand .. HELL YES!
stevoj
@iDavid: so do you happen to have any facts? if not then it’s just feelings. and i highly doubt something in your gut is telling you that George Clooney is gay
i cannot stand the incessant witch hunt people go on to “prove” someone is gay. gays have lived their whole lives explaining to others that there is nothing wrong with the way they are. why put other people through that…
accept what they say and live your own life. and when you just so happen to stumble upon George Clooney penetrating some guy, rejoice!
for you have ended world hunger
Mr. Robertson
@stevoj: “for you have ended world hunger” Laugh line of the day. Thank you, sir, for that.
Portia Subramanian
The question to celebrities shouldn’t be, ‘are you gay’, but rather “uh, Have you ever slept or messed around with a man?” And watch their face CLOSELY.
iDavid
@Portia Subramanian
Exactly! Well put.
@StevoJ
Facts being if you add up his romantic life, zero kids, zero marriage in 20 years, trophy style gf’s that look energetically disconnected from him, it does leave room for strong speculation. I wouldn’t take it all too seriously, it’s all just part of the celebrity gay drama.
~PR~
@iDavid: Ah. Saddly, your gut feeling lacks evidence and thus would be considered inadmisable. Although you do have me curious now. Do you know George personally? Y’know, aside from his celebrity persona and his films?
Paul
@Charlie in Charge: I agree, Charlie…if anything, that response tells me he’s a total straight guy who’s very secure in himself. I never thought he was an astounding actor (he’s fine, I’m just not a fan, I guess), but my respect for him as a person was high and it just went up quite a bit more.
tookietookie
@JayKay: You obviously can’t follow a train of thought.
Blahqula
Everyone else agrees how hot GC is, and I can see why but don’t agree since I saw him at LAX once from the back and he has no ass. Like a pancake, or Carl’s Jr. So when I think about that handsome, slightly jowly face looking down past his furry chest at me…OK, He’s hot again. *whew*, I no longer feel so alone, just a little too willing to degrade myself. Welcome to Hollywood, people. BTW, let’s just let people say who they are and judge their actions, so we don’t start an epidemic of hyper tension, K?
Joey
@Halston: Cheers to you friend. I think we let trolls and inflammatory comments reign here at queerty. I often have reactions like yours to articles and when I skim to the comments, if its not just people bothering to post how much they dislike something or someone, its a troll making some really truly dumb misogynistic remark. I read jezebel.com as well and they have this great comment set up that means that when you finish the article, the comments are actually part of what I look forward too as opposed to an exorcise in masochism. This isn’t directed to everyone, others have done and continue to make positive contributions to this online community. Halston’s comment just pushed me over the edge of having to admit that my silent criticism is not helpful, and if I want to see better conversations, ideas being shared, or intelligent (or at least intelligible) debates then I need to step up and start speaking out. So thank you Halston.
Also, George just said that he doesn’t mind if you speculate on his sexuality, so I think its fine to. So whether he is gay or not, this is the kind of reaction we should encourage in celebrities, even if he’s a big ol’closeted queen, at least he’s friendly towards gays, as opposed to taking the closted Republican senator routine of legislating against us.
Mr. Robertson
@Joey: +1
William
This is why gays can’t have nice things.
You have a man here who is an international adored superstar and is being more of an ally to our community than 80% of gays are. Of course, with all that said, he gets treated like this.
What a joke.
He's Gay
He needs to just come out already (like most of them). I was told I looked like him back in 1998 when I changed my hairstyle appropriate for my age (by White trash no less).”Who the F is George Clooney?”, I asked at that time.
I do remember my Mom holding my hands and swinging me around to Rosemary’s ‘Come Ona My House’. Bet Rosie did the same with him.
Who’s he puttin’ his legs up for? Let’s keep it real.
You're the worst
@He’s Gay: You’re the Britta of George Clooney-based Queerty comments.
stevoj
@iDavid: i thought facts were more like: questions his sexuality, has a husband, or prefers water based lube…
understand that i’m not taking the “celebrity gay drama” too seriously (whatever the hell that is). i just don’t like how others profess to know a man and question his lifestyle. again, we’ve struggled through it so why put other people through the same foolishness
iDavid
@Stevoj
I don’t know Clooney but my facts are cumulative with my gut instinct, some call it gaydar. Instead of facts, it sounds more like you were asking for proof. That is different and I don’t have proof.
But I disagree that celebrities suffer from such speculation. I think there is good reason to keep us guessing, as it gives them attention, which in their world means dollars. So to compare them to gays who struggle to be understood by society doesn’t seem to match up with this scenario.
This type of “foolishness” for a celebrity can actually be taken as a compliment, as it attests to the fact that an entire segment of the population finds them very attractive and very HoT.
If I were a celebrity in the same position as Clooney or Franco, I’d be laughing, all the way to the bank.
what?!
seriously people! Whats the problem if he says he’s not gay? stop forcing people to come out, you don’t even know the person. How would you know you’re right?
Even if he’s gay, and closeted, let him be. If you’re in his case, and people forcing you to come out what would happen to you? hmm, maybe that’s why gay teen suicides are rising up.. because not only haters force them and abuse them, but also, people who were once them are also pressuring them.
Alexa
As a lesbian, I don’t have much interest in Clooney beyond seeing him in movies, so why do people think he’s gay? Have there been actual rumors of boyfriends or hookups a la Tom Cruise and John Travolta?
Libertarian Larry
Apparently, all hot men are gay, according to you guys. Ever read the Queerty comments about Tim Tebow? You guys talk like you’ve witnessed him getting gang-banged in a bath house, which you haven’t. I think Clooney is a pretentious snob, but how does that translate into being homosexual?
loafersguy
The Los Angeles premiere of Dustin Lance Black’s play about the Proposition 8 trial, “8″, starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and many others will be streamed live for the entire world to see this coming Saturday, March 3. Starting time is 7:30 p.m. PST.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcGbPqRqS8o
Oh, ok.
@Libertarian Larry: Purses fall out of his mouth when he opens it and he’s suddenly running around West Hollywood trying to be a stah so yeah he’s gay. Problem?
Not sure what Tebow has to do with Clooney or why you’re so defensive about Tebow in a non-Tebow article.
axon
Lots of interesting comments, some both intelligent and intelligible! 😉 I read out of curiosity: How do people think they know about the sexuality of someone like Clooney, who acts pretty mainstream (but looks a bit better)? Us there really a gaydar? For that matter – is there a heterodar? I’m a straight woman, and although I appreciate Clooney for a lot of reasons, I never had a sexual fantasy about him. Did you?
Blahqula
@Oh, ok.: Libertarian Larry is an undercover NeoCon, as well as a defender of all religious liberties as Ayn rand instructed him to be….Or was that Alan Greenspan? Um, whatevs, vote Ron Paul so we can party like it’s 1864, Woooo!
drums
He pings my straight-dar so much harder than my gaydar, especially with comments like the ones about Ryan Gosling. If he’s trying to stay in the closet, he wouldn’t say something that baiting. But then again, he rakes in millions of dollars and has a fancy girlfriend and has publicly said that he doesn’t mind at all if people think he’s gay, so I don’t think we need to get offended and defend him. If some people like to believe he’s gay, let them. George Clooney himself said he doesn’t mind, why should we?
ST
I know someone who lived in LA and actually saw him when she was on a secluded private beach, and she saw George making out with some guy. And there’s no mistaking George Clooney so it’s not like you can mistake him for someone else. And if you watch him and his “girlfriend[s]” on the red carpet, it’s obvious it’s all for show. It’s a PR thing. A former WWE Diva who is now an aspiring actress, what will they do? Set up dates with the most recognizable bachelor in hollywood. There’s no love between him and his PR stunts. And I dont understand why in these times, where people are beginning to become somewhat more open, that he won’t come out. I guess it’s because his reputation is that he’s some adonis (but he’s really not.) and it helps with the sales.