Hollywood heartthrob Matt Bomer has opened up about his coming out, and why he risked his career to do so.
In an interview with comic Billy Eichner as part of GLAAD’s virtual Pride, Bomer reflected on his decision to come out in 2012, “before that was the acceptable thing to do.”
Related: VIDEO: Matt Bomer as a crazy lonely weatherman in John Butler’s ‘Papi Chulo’
“It was a risky thing to do at the time,” Bomer told Eichner. “Magic Mike was about to come out, [which] was largely built on sex appeal and I was a romantic lead on television. To me, I had to weigh out my personal life, which was the fact that I was soon-to-be a husband, we had three children, and I wanted to be able to look them in the eye with love and sincerity. Truth and honesty was ultimately more important to me than what was going to cost me my career.”
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.
Bomer came out publicly at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards in 2012, during which he acknowledged his husband Simon Halls, and their three children together. His career has also continued to thrive, winning roles in The Normal Heart, Papi Chulo, The Magnificent Seven and on stage in The Boys in the Band. He’ll reprise his role in The Boys in the Band in the Netflix version of the film set for release later this year.
Alex_S
His extremely handsome, but his career has not “continued to thrive”. His a B-list celebrity and I doubt we’ll see him anywhere outside of some TV-productions by his pal Ryan Murphy.
carolpshort
I got inspired and start work now i am making 175 Buck.per hour. Its to easy to do this, every one can do this no experience or skill required just join the given link and start earning from very first day. Here is link…? 6.gp/a72Ln
Cam
Except for the fact that he was on a little watched cable series. Since coming out, he has continued to do major movies, multiple TV series’ and a Broadway lead.
Odd you didn’t mention that part.
trsxyz
It was a risky decision to come out in Hollywood. (Ask Rupert Everett…) But I think that as an actor, he’s more hampered by his beauty than his sexuality.
Donston
It was virtually impossible for him to maintain an image of hetero-normalcy or having overall hetero preferences and ambitions. There were pictures being widely circulated. And he had a whole ass husband and kids. Still, he did pay a price. He’s gotten a handful of non Murphy projects, but Matt’s career has hardly thrived. Before being “out” he was just breaking through and was being considered the “next big thing”. Now, he’s been secluded to “queer Hollywood” and small tier projects. He’s not even been in the running for the few high-profile “gay roles” that exist, most of which still go to actors who for all intents and purposes present themselves as “straight” or at least very hetero-leaning. The stakes were different at the time, and they’re still different when you are dependent on your looks and dependent on your appeal to women and you’re aiming to be a leading man.
dhmonarch89
He forgot the part where he milked it/strung it out to get better PR offers…. Supposedly, at an event he thanked his husband and children- before coming out. When he was asked about this by a writer from the blog- After Elton, his uber publicist husband- Simon Halls, threatened to block the writer’s access to every star he represented if the writer published anything about this. The writer thought thanking his husband was tantamount to coming out- but there may have been a major magazine deal still in the negotiating phase and they couldn’t let a little gay blog ruin that. Allegedly, Halls threatened many writers/publications about outing Bomer (even though they were living openly together), using his other clients as a shield.
Black Pegasus
He was good in Doom Patrol.
missvamp
i adore him. loved him in so many things, but he was delicious in ahs hotel!