Another day, another accusation against John Travolta: A former masseur at the Peninsula Hotel in New York says the actor was put on the hotel spa’s blacklist for three years because of sexual misconduct.
Michael Caputo tells the New York Daily News that Travolta, 58, “would always request a man for his massage, but after a while no one would take him. It got to the point where they couldn’t find any men to take him, and they had to ban him.”
According to Caputo the Pulp Fiction star would slide his towel down, start humping the massage table and hoist his butt in the air. “These are signs to a massage therapist he was trying to see how much he could get away with,” he says. The masseuse who witness this behavior went to management and Travolta was barred from returning to the Peninsula’s spa until someone from Travolta’s team complained and the ban was eventually lifted.
Travolta’s attorney, Marty Singer—who’s been working overtime putting out fires lately—denies the actor was ever blacklisted to begin with: “If he was banned, do you think he’d ever go back? He’s never been banned, I guarantee you—The hotel never told John he was banned, and John never acted improperly,” Singer argued.
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Singer accused Caputo of being a “disgruntled employee” looking for his fifteen minutes of fame—the same accusation Singer’s lobbed at the other three men who have come forward.
Meanwhile Travolta’s wife, Kelly Preston, is staying incommunicado while John’s scandal unfurls. According to Fox411.com, the actress has been instructed to be silent and stay away from the public eye until further notice. “It’s a means of damage control and will protect her from any public scrutiny,” said a source.
Preston told People magazine last month that she’s relishing being a new mom at 50, even going so far as to breastfeeding baby Ben. “When I stop, it’s going to be really hard on me,” she said.
Breastfeeding at 50? We can’t say if these new sex-scandal allegations are true or not, but there’s something not right in the Travolta-Preston house.
Photo: Warner Bros.
Jonathonz
What is scandalous about a woman breastfeeding her newborn baby at 50? Ageist much? Cool it Queerty!
Cam
The church of Scientology must be on it’s last legs. The internet has hurt it so much that they couldn’t even stop these accusations from coming forward.
Way2Go
Really? If he was banned, there must be some kind of paperwork…and this is called Proof not heresay.
jurlesia
@Way2Go not necessarily. Several years ago I managed a gym here in CA and when we would get repeat masturbators that needed to be banned, we would just print out a copy of their gym id and post it behind the receptionist’s desk so they can escort them out should they decide to show their faces (or privates) back at the gym. Not everything has a paper trail…
EdWoody
MassEUR. MassEUR. MassEUR.
The whole point of the article is that he always requested a man, so why use the feminine form of the word if you’re not talking about a woman?
Bi-Latteral
Jeez, can’t a guy be married and secretly bisexual any more? I mean, really. Admit it: most of you would love to get it on with a good-looking movie star, marital status be damned. And doesn’t the B in LGBT stand for “bisexual”? If that doesn’t include us frustrated married guys, I don’t know what does.
Cam
@Way2Go:
That isn’t true at all. Businesses all the time ban people. They don’t file paperwork.
reality
@Bi-Latteral: Gross.
Way2Go
Ah ha. That would apply to the average citizen, but really, you don’t think in the 30 odd years SOMEONE wouldn’t have the smarts to take a picture, catch him in the act? At some point, you gotta give the guy the benefit of the doubt. I am not suggesting these are false rumours, but what is Travolta, a UFO? This all harkens back to a time when the insinuation that someone was gay could destroy a career. I thought the model for “outing” was IF someone did things that hurt the gay movement or were hypocritical. While he is part of a church that resembles crazy, is there some evidence that Travolta has done anything to harm the gay community other than wear bad dresses? What is reason for everyone wanting him outed so badly? That’s a question.
Mikel D McGrew
Protect her from public scrutiny? She and her closet case husband are public figures – they invite scrutiny. Breast feeding at 50, ye gods. something is indeed not right at the Travolta house!
abel
I like Travolta and I don’t care who he fucks or fucks around with. His life, his privacy, let the guy alone.
Spike
Scientology seems to be having trouble keeping the closet door closed with regard to its most famous closet case.
Benjy
Outing someone who’s not hurting the community is just as disgusting as his alleged behavior. This is between him & his wife & anyone he may have harassed. Period. Not our business. Unless it goes to court & then all bets are off.
Bi-Latteral
@abel: Thank you. They deserve our apathy, not our scrutiny.
mc
This is not about outing someone, which apparently was done back in 1990 by Porn actor Paul Barresi who claimed he & John Travolta had a 2 year love affair. If John Travolta is actually a predator and a sexual harasser as the lawsuits claim, then I think all bets are off and he should be named everywhere and it’s no longer between just he & his wife. Otherwise, he continues this behavior.
Larry McD
@EdWoody: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
M
@Benjy:
No one outed him. He outed himself with the way he conducted his personal life. Thanks for playing.
streetsmart
Watch for all these cases to be settle out of court and simply fade away. They won’t be thrown out of court because they simply won’t get there. Now, the downside of that is many wealthy people (and businesses) choose to settle, even when innocent, because of the time and publicity involved in going to court and regardless of their innocence there is always the chance of the court not ruling in your favor. I don’t know, and actually don’t care, if Travolta is guilty or not just saying that he, and his attorney, might decide that making these situations disappear is the better overall strategy.
JohnnyMorales
Are there still people who care or are titillated by the notion a senior citizen is gay? I personally don’t care at all, and the less I know about Travolta’s sex life the better. If he is a hypocrite so be it, but at least he is not the type that denounces gays, and only denies being one himself, which is his business really.
dave
Does no one in the media know the difference between masseur and masseuse anymore?
Franco
I don’t believe any of these claims.
Dr. Norman C. Murphy
Since both homosexuals and heterosexuals engage in sexual and erotic behavior with the same sex, a distinction must be made between homosexual persons and homosexual activity. Sexual orientation expression is of two types:
1. Natural. Gender/sex neurology established during fetal development or through post-natal brain trauma, determines sexual orientation.
2. Pseudo. Psychosocial trauma and inadequate coping skills interfere with the expression of the individual’s underlying gender/sex neurology and can cause unexpected sex and gender behavior. In clinical practice, there are many pseudoheterosexuals and few pseudohomosexuals. Pseudohomosexuals seeking treatment to establish or increase heterosexual adaptation find psychotherapy useful. In a society that condemns homosexuality and encourages heterosexuality, pseudo-heterosexuality may be common.
Despite underlying sex or gender orientation, humans are diverse in sexual behavior and selectively respond to expectation, setting, and object. Homosexual behavior arises in three basic contexts:
1. Natural. The behavior is normal for cross-gendered/sexed individuals naturally attracted to members of the same sex.
2. Institutional. This behavior occurs in prison, same-sexed hospitals, military service, and boarding schools where the opposite sex is unavailable. Heterosexuals do not become homosexual because of these experiences.
3. Opportunistic. This behavior occurs in the general community–where the opposite sex is available for sexual relations. It is most often an adjunct to an overt heterosexual lifestyle. Many sexually opportunistic men marry and become established community members who do not identify themselves as either Gay or homosexual.
Differentiating Gays and Homosexuals.
Although many have come to believe that Gay is synonymous with homosexual, there are some homosexuals who do not identify as Gay and some Gays are not homosexual. Persons socialize into the Gay community. Being part of a support community with mutual interests is an important part of life for many homosexuals, some pseudohomosexuals, cross-dressing heterosexual transvestites, pseudo and real hermaphrodites, and the transgendered–particularly those who feel stigmatized by society. Research studies have used widely differing definitions of homosexuals, bisexuals, and heterosexuals. Gay community organizations stress positive images for Gays, education, personal achievement, and service to community. Through positive social and political action, Gay organizations increase self-esteem, self-acceptance, and reduce depression, suicide, promiscuity, unsafe sex, and alienation.
Bailey
I read it more as he is a cheap bastard not willing to pay his whores a good price. Otherwise, there’d be no banning.
peter
what’s the deal with scientolgy and gays? do they attempt to ‘cure’? do the entrap them and then threaten to out them? be much more interested in finding out dirt on tom cruise than revolta. the idea of him humping the massage table, wiggling his fat daddy ass. ugh!
EvonCook
@Spike: No, Tommy Cruise is their most famous closet case!
EvonCook
@JohnnyMorales: Can’t wait until you are a “senior citizen,” if you ever get there.
Kamikapse
@Bi-Latteral:
Good looking movie star? When was the last time you looked at John Travolta?
EvonCook
@Dr. Norman C. Murphy: Wow, Dr. Norman (Kinsey) Murphy that was a mouthful. In short, everybody should be allowed to do and enjoy everything. So why doesn’t Johnny call me when he is horny? I’ll blow him good, closing my eyes and remembering his hot young self. Some older guys have more going for them then a lot of the vapid youngins who think they are all so gl or vgl! LOL The “god’s gift” attitude wears thin very quickly and they usually have little technique and even less depth.
jackpapa
I honestly do not care whether John is gay, bi, whatever. The rumors have circulated for years. I applaud Kelly for her decision to breast feed – it’s best for the baby. I can’t see that the Travoltas have done anything to warrant this intense scrutiny of their private lives. I do not agree that entertainers are fair game for the press. I think everyone has a right to privacy. If John is charged with a sexual assault, that is a criminal matter for the courts. Any alleged victim who chooses to pursue the matter by suing automatically gets my BS detector going. At that point it seems more about publicity and monetary gain, than unwelcome and unlawful behaviour. At this point it is all heresay and blah, blah, blah. Show me a conviction, and I will rethink my opinion of John.
David Myers
I agree with several writers here that, since Travolta does not appear to be one of those hypocrits who condemn gays and lesbians, his personal sexual orientation/balance is only relevant to himself, his wife, and any other sexual partners he may or may not have. I also wonder, what is the deal with attacking his wife for breast feeding their baby at age fifty! Who the hell’s business is that? I am no fan of scientology, but Travolta and family doesn’t deserve this intrusion into their personal lives. Also we call both male and female actors “actors” these days instead of actors and actresses, so what’s the big deal with masseur and masseuse? Finally, to “peter”, who is so offended by Travolta allegedly “humping the massage table, wiggling his fat daddy ass. ugh!”, – “what you say goes, but only for you”. When you are older and have a fat or sagging ass, I hope some stupid unfeeling young one, like you, calls your ass fat and says ugh! What goes round comes round. That’s the thing for ageist individuals, unless they die young, all of their bigotry will come back to reflect on them. Get some compassion in life – people!
Indi
this is typical oif Queerty, I really dont know why I follow it. Queerty consistently objectifies people. Queerty to me is no better then the cooky cutting gutter media trying to pass its self of as a real GLBT site.
Already had words with the editor here about objectifying trans people. I see Queerty has learned nothing about common decency. Not surprised at all.
Cam
@Indi:
Gee, lets see, the guy is a member of a rabidly anti-gay church, and is outed and shown to be a hypocrite.
Give me a break, you are no doubt one of the folkds who pretty much never ISN’T complaining.
Cam
@Dr. Norman C. Murphy:
A lot of tying to basically say that he is a closet case.
B
Re No 3 & 4: while there may not be a useful paper trail, some manager must have agreed to banning Travolta if that in fact happened. Normally people are expected to keep such client information private, but there is no reason to do that if Travolta grants explicit permission to release such information as long as what is released is factual.
If a manager (current or former) corroborates what Caputo claims, we can be fairly sure it happened. If someone who was in a position to know claimed it never happened, that would get Travolta off the hook or at least provide an indication in that direction.
Regardless, if there was a blacklist sitting at a receptionist’s desk, surely the receptionist would recognize John Travolta’s name if he were on it, so if Caputo’s story is true, others who were working at the same place should be able to verify his story.
Of course, if the whole flap gets its 15 minutes of fame and sinks into oblivion, I could care less – allegations on actors’ private lives really are not the sort of thing I care about (I care more about how much cross-checking is done before publicizing accusations in general).
me
@Dr. Norman C. Murphy who wrote: “( Homosexualiy) 1. Natural. Gender/sex neurology established during fetal development or through post-natal brain trauma, determines sexual orientation.”
————————-
Really, does that mean heterosexuality is the result of “post-natal brain trauma” too…or are just the Gays brain-damaged? What a crock of pseudo-scientific shit.
That is almost as stupid as trying to dissect the human brain to find where the seat of the soul lies. Leave it alone until you can be more definitive and use more reliable scientific “evidence” to back up your “theories” — otherwise, they do more harm than good and the “now let’s cure the homos” mob will latch onto your unwise speculations with dire consequences for all sexual minorities.
I’m happy with being born this way — don’t look for a broken gear in my clock, mine works just fine.
cassandra
@Jonathonz:
Thank you! If you have a baby at 50…you breast feed at 50!!!
LadyL
@M @mc: Yes, exactly–thank you! This is NOT about “outing” Travolta, it’s about him finally getting called out for unwelcome, predatory behavior. He may not make movies of the caliber of “Pulp Fiction” or “Get Shorty” anymore but he’s still a major celebrity (and an obviously frustrated closet case) who has long been accustomed to being protected from censure or public scrutiny when he steps over the line with ordinary people. And I’m sick of the attitude that because a celeb is gay we’re all supposed to cut them slack when they do wrong. Using your fame, influence and money to get away with sexually harassing others is just another form of bullying and shame on anyone here who refuses to see that.
jack jett
I don’t believe that totally straight men massage other men. I have had massages at hotels all over the world. If I wanted a “happy ending” it would happen.
Jonathan
Travolta is notorious at bath houses in LA since the late ’90’s.
Philip
@David Myers: You, my friend, have a refreshingly clear mind. I stand with you on everything.
Philip
@David Myers: Well said, my friend.
James M. Martin
It’s a cult. But not exactly in the sense usually meant. The Roman church has its confessional; Scientology, e-meters. Both require human manipulation to bind the sucker into the con. If you spill your guts to a priest he has something on you that he can use. Ditto trying to “clear” on an e-meter. This is nothing but a skin galvinometer, i.e. lie detector test. During his dabblings in the occult with Aleister Crowley follower Jack Parsons, L. Ron Hubbard figured out a mind-blowing scenario used to convince people that their neuroses are programs from space aliens and the only way you can self-realize is to become clear. (Clever play on words, as the e-meter tapes would register no spikes; it would be clear of them.) Wouldn’t you like to see the secret files on Travolta. I would. The pattern of the “church” in punishing former members probably suggests they did not have much to confess and were mostly just bad-rapping Scientology as a cult. Travolta is an idiot if the stories are true, and there are too many of them now. He should come out. Obama said it was OK, Travolta can marry a guy.
Kyle412
@Bi-Latteral:
Kyle412
@Bi-Latteral:
Travolta isn’t good-looking and hasn’t been for over a decade.
Kyle412
@Spike:
Travolta isn’t their most famous closet case. That would be Tom Cruise.
Herson
I stayed at the Ritz in key biscayne last year and I heard the same rumors at the spa there.. he owns an apt at that hotel.
Kayo
I just don’t understand why he doesn’t just hire escorts???? is he stupid???
Scott
Kayo-he probably does, or else he’s one of those guys who really like the baths/sex clubs.
It’s not surprising about Revolta.
David Myers
@Philip: Thanks for your comment and agreement.
dvlaries
The truth is, I don’t care: with or without the closet-case question, for their creepy representation of Scientology alone, I never intended to watch another Travolta or Cruise movie again.
*
Just as his unmasking as a drunken anti-Semitic gay-basher has put me off that degenerating former hunk Gibson too.
Jose Rodriguez
Exactly! It isn’t the gay thing I have a problem with, its the harrassment. Massage therapy has medical purposes. If I shoved my erect penis at my Ear Nose and Throat doctor, well then please sue me. And put me in jail.
Genevieve Ali
@Jonathonz: Absolutely.!!! WTF Queerty.? Sounding like a bitchy queen, not cool.
ScaryRussianHeather
“Breastfeeding at 50? We can’t say if these new sex-scandal allegations are true or not, but there’s something not right in the Travolta-Preston house.”
What an awful thing to say. Her autistic son died of a seizure in 2009 and 3 Bahamian creeps tried to extort money from her, a senator and Parliament member. In 2010, the woman had a pregnancy, delivered a baby and is feeding him, FFS. She was 48. Weaning at 16 months is NOT unusual. Especially if you already had one autistic kid, dumb asses. They even find PFCs in baby’s umbilical cords. For you unenlightened geniuses, PFCs come from crap like TEFLON.
If you don’t approve of women breastfeeding, then don’t breastfeed and MYOB. Sound familiar?
Ageist AND Misogynist. WTF is your problem? Oh that’s right. She’s not the “Pregnant Trans Man, Thomas Beatie” fame hoaring freak that Queerty has followed with accolades and supported all this time.
And you WONDER why John Q Hetero Public continually votes against EQUALITY?
Andrew
@Way2Go: Thank you. I hate this practice of outing supposedly gay or bi celebrities, like they are somehow obliged to come out just because they are public figures. I personally don’t believe anything until we have actual evidence, like photos, videos, phone calls etc.
Sure, it would be screwed up if he was on the down low while being married to K. Preston. However, it’s still his business and responsibility to come out, no one should push him.
PTBoat
OMG, 50! I guess, at FIFTY, one is supposed to don black crepe, a silver bun, and chase that mean ol’ kitty away from the sweet tweety bird.
streetsmart
@ScaryRussianHeather: You had me all the way down, cheering you on … until you get to
“Ageist AND Misogynist. WTF is your problem? Oh that’s right. She’s not the “Pregnant Trans Man, Thomas Beatie” fame hoaring freak that Queerty has followed with accolades and supported all this time. ”
and then you suddenly became guilty of the same kind of unnecessary character attack that you are accusing others of perpetrating. If you have a problem with Thomas Beatie than maybe you should take your own advice and MYOB. It’s easy enough to avoid the topics on Queerty that you find distasteful.
ScaryRussianHeather
@streetsmart:
Understood why you think that. But my criticism of Beatie is based on his complete lack of common sense not his gender status. This dope got pregnant in the middle of transitioning, via sperm donations while being allegedly on welfare, from what I remember, while having 2 other kids they can’t afford, complaining about having a 500K mortgage and other instability problems, drinking and violence for “years” ….which I posted about on the last Beatie thread here. I think it was the one about him cheating on his wife and being abused by her in retaliation.
And MYOB doesn’t apply to posters commenting on a blog post about a pop culture topic or person seeking fame. And it’s true that Queerty had no problems with Beatie’s instability even though other posters do. They asked “Are you sad to see a high-profile transgender man fail prey to the same old problems “traditional” marriages encounter?”
My reply was:
“Are you sad to see a high-profile transgender man fail prey to the same old problems “traditional” marriages encounter?”
No, what makes me sad is that these two crack pot fame hoars are allegedly living on welfare, have a $5000.00 a month mortgage payment and going to extreme measures like sperm donations to crank out more kids that we’re paying for. I couldn’t care less about either one’s sexual identity or equipment.
If you’re a man trapped in a woman’s body go take care of it yourself THEN start your life over. Who the hell decides to get pregnant with a THIRD kid, in the middle of hormone therapy, surgeries, and postponing SRS . It’s also reported he’s been cheating on his wife. He’s lucky he didn’t get the Bobbit treatment after all that money spent. Oh wait. He probably didn’t pay for any of it anyway.
I’d post the link but sometimes that triggers a spam flag here.
Kelly Preston, OTOH, was just some woman having a baby and feeding him, jacked up husband not withstanding. She may be famous but I don’t know a single thing about her and don’t think she’s what I’d consider a fame hoar asking for hypercriticism. HTH 🙂
LadyL
One more time– how exactly did this become a debate about “outing” John Travolta? Is that a criticism of those who have come forward with complaints about his having harassed them? Are they not allowed to do that, or are we all that cynically disposed not to believe them just because Travolta is famous? The thing about celebrities–yeah, they become targets of opportunists BUT just as often their fame permits them to get away with murder (and until the OJ trial I used to mean that phrase metaphorically).
*
To paraphrase Barney Frank, public people are entitled to privacy but not to hypocrisy. Travolta’s alleged behavior has done the outing for him, don’t you think? Would we be talking about him this way otherwise? That’s the thing about the closeted famous, they want it both ways; we’re supposed to respect their right not to come out. But then they do reckless things that make it impossible to ignore the double lives they lead.
*
I think John Travolta is sick unto death of the closet but can’t find the guts to do his own coming out, so he’s forcing the rest of the world to do it for him. Then when it’s finally all out in the open, he can wear his brave “victim” face and the rest of us are expected to feel either sympathy for his “ordeal” or guilt for having participated in it through open discussions on forums like this.
Gerry Myers
AllI can say is that KP’s is way past the expiration day. Yuck, stale baby’s milk.
David Myers
@Gerry Myers: You just outed yourself as a bigoted misogynistic low life troll. Go troll some place where people care what you think. It certainly isn’t here.
David
There’s nothing wrong with breastfeeding at 50. Do you have a clue at all? You disappoint your readership.
Lori
@Cam: Chances are that maybe John is showing signs of leaving the c o s. they’re known for doing these sort of things to they’re former members or sps. I wouldn’t doubt that he’s been questioning the cult since the death of his son…….which was the reason for the death of his son, btw.
Lori
@Andrew: He can’t come out AND be a scientologist. It’s against their rules. I really suspect he’s “coming out” of Scientology and this is an attack on his charactar from them. His child died from a direct cause of being in that cult, when a parent experiences such a huge loss, it seems reasonable that he would begin to question the church. ESP. When the child would not have died if he didn’t belong it.
Regardless, it’s sad..
Lori
@James M. Martin: I’ve never seen a priest record all of a persons confessions or any for that matter. What other purpose is there to record such things except to have them available for use later against the person.
There’s no comparison between that cult and the Roman church.