Did you know Sam Champion is on Twitter? Yes, the ABC Newsman is chronicling life 140 characters at a time, and not in that way Anderson Cooper is doing it, by which we mean regurgitating actual news and not filling us in on his personal life. Weathergay Mr. Champion, on the other hand, is! On Saturday, we was in New York City’s Meatpacking District. We know this because he Twittered, “It’s hopping in the meatpacking district in NYC!” He was either attending or walking by a fashion event. We know this because he Twittered, “Crowd outside the Bellhaus fashion preview at Bagatelle on W13” and posted this photo:
And last Saturday, the blonde boywonder was enjoying his Saturday morning with some java. We know this because he Twittered, “ahhh perfect cup of coffee and flawless nyc saturday morning!!! gonna answer some tweets b 4 heading out.” Coffee = The breakfast of Champion.
Don’t you feel like you’re practically waking up next to the man?
April 6: “morning all! felt good to sleep late! chasing deer away from budding bushes this am! (didn’t even spill coffee)”
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Oooh, Sam, but what were you wearing?
And in between tweeting about the weather — that is soooo 2008, Sam — he’s tweeting about his ouchies. Can someone please tell us: How did Sam get stitches on his forehead?! MUST SEND GET WELL SOON CARD!
April 13: arrrrrgh…here we go! 1st day with stitches on air!
April 12: stitches come out after the show tomorrow!!! so they will still b in forhead for tmrw’s show! looking better..not as swollen
Sig Ep
I believe they said on air that he had a cancerous mole removed.
Jack Scribe
Has Sam ever taken the coming out step, or is he in the Anderson Cooper realm of ambiguity?
Nick
What is it that attracts so many gay men to meteorology?
/a storm is coming, and I am afraid
//it’s a twister! it’s a twister!!
greg
@Jack Scribe: Sam is glass closeted. He’s one of the many closeted gays (and lesbians) in TV news.
AJ
He’s actually pretty good looking. Who knew.
Dave
Sam has always been out and proud…since the early 90’s and his work on local stations.
Sig Ep
Yes, he has always been out:
Champion is active in many charitable organizations in the New York City area. He was the Grand Marshal of the Multiple Sclerosis Society Fall Bike Tour, the chairman of the 25th annual March of Dimes NYC WalkAmerica, and master of ceremonies of “Stopping AIDS Together,” a part of Sunday by the Bay. Champion, who is openly gay, also hosted the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project’s 2002 “Courage Awards”, along with movie critic Frank DeCaro.[2] [3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Champion
TANK
ha ha ha…is it a lobotomy scar?
greg
Other sources would disagree about him being officially out, such as this from May 2008:
Like CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, ABC weatherman Sam Champion has been inching out of the closet: he’s basically out socially (just ask our commenters!) but remains closeted professionally. Michael Musto wrote in Out one year ago that Champion was in a “glass closet… the press still gives a free pass to people like… Champion and… Cooper, helping to keep their glass doors shut so they can lead gay social lives while carefully skirting the issue.”
http://gawker.com/5011271/sam-champion-outed-by-bravo-exec
Mister C
DAMN IT….DOES IT MATTER?????
mc
@Dave: In what way has he been “out and proud”. If you just mean he has been out socially, attended/hosted gay events and out to his employers that is what is known as “glass closeted” when a TV personality never publicly on the record acknowledges or discusses his sexuality or partner in interview or on air.
Sam never actually acknowledges his sexuality or partners in interview or on air that I have ever seen or heard of.
greg
@Mister C: There are a lot of people on this website who have conniption fits over glass closeted people not contributing to public gay visibility or providing out and proud public role models in the media for gay kids. I don’t see why someone like glass closeted Sam should get a free pass from that criticism.
adam
@Sig Ep:
Champion, who is openly gay
Openly gay means he lives a gay social life – lives with boyfriends, goes out for dinner with male dates, visits gay establishments, that sort of thing. A celebrity being openly gay is totally different from being out.
Jodie Foster has been openly lesbian for years and years and went to gay and lesbian conferences and other events, but that never made her out.
Jason
Sam is as out as his colleague, Robin Roberts. Wouldn’t it be nice for viewers to wake up in the morning knowing that 50% of the GMA team is queer? Maybe we would be farther along in gaining equal rights if people would be out and open. Sam and Robin could act as positive role models to many Americans who don’t know GLBT people. Unfortunately, they choose to stay closeted for a paycheck instead of being true to themselves.
Nitesurf
Ya see? Anderson’s not the ONLY high profile gay celeb who doesn’t talk about their sexuality.
rogue dandelion
so, i am all for more gays in the media, more role models etc, well more gays everywhere, but..
is there a difference between being in a glass closet and being discreet/professional/private?
I mean I don’t know anything about Brian Williams private life, although i think he is quite a catch… is he in a glass closet?
As much as I’d love it to have more voices in the media speaking out, some people aren’t advocates. They are just living their lives, I don’t think it is our place to judge.
hardmannyc
He often shows up at dance parties in NYC & Miami, used to go to the Roxy & the Pines, where he docked his boat, now has house in the Hamptons. He’s never “officially” come out, but yes, he’s supported on air various AIDS charities and has served on various gay organizations’ benefit committees.
Personally, I don’t like the guy — always thought he was a snob. But I think this litmus test some people have about being “out” is getting ridiculous. What does the guy have to do — wear tighty-whities while giving the weather report and tongue kiss the cameraman?
He’s done work for gay rights & AIDS charities, so cut him some slack.
Tony
To be “Out” Sam, Anderson, Jodi Foster, Ricky Martin et. al. need to acknowledge publically that they are gay to the straight majority. They need to simply answer the question “are you gay?” with a “yes” and they will be out. They don’t need to makeout in public or discuss their sex lives. They simply have to say “I’m gay”.
When I first moved to NYC I went to gay bars, gay events and had gay friends, but I wasn’t out. I was concerned about co-workers and people judging me. It wasn’t until I came out professionally and was happy to say at a cocktail party to perfect strangers who asked if I had a girlfriend that I was gay did i consider myself out of the closet.
Everyone on here who is spouting off that Sam has done work for gay charities and gay rights well the same can be said for Elizabeth Taylor, Kathi Griffin, Phil Donahue and many more. These people aren’t gay.
Just simply say “I’m gay” and it’s over. Done. It isn’t that hard.
adam
@hardmannyc: By those standards Anderson Cooper is out too. Anderson’s emceed major events to support AIDS and a date with him is auctioned off at a gay charity event for homeless AIDS sufferers every year. He’s been spotted in lots of gay bars and gay establishments over the years of his career. He used to attend gay conferences before everyone became obsessed with him and Michael Musto says he’s been a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association.
There needs to be ONE standard for gay celebrities. There is no excuse for Sam Champion to get a pass if everyone is going to be complaining about Anderson Cooper all the time. Sam is well established in his career. He’s a face of a highly viewed network news show. Unlike Anderson’s show, GMA doesn’t totally rest on the image of Sam Champion, so there’s less risk in terms of fall out. Morning shows normally include some chat about the stars’ families, so mentioning a partner on air once and a while would be natural (instead Sam and Robin never mention having dated someone ever or the existence of a partner). Sam as a weatherman also doesn’t have any of the concerns about maintaining an appearance of journalistic neutrality and being able to get people of all walks of life to quickly open up to him and trust him as an interviewer.
Lyndon Evans
I just started following Sam a couple of weeks ago.
I loved when he tweaked about going to the gym.
Oh yeah, right there with ya Sam !
Lyndon Evans
@Mister C:
Thank you very much !
Lyndon Evans
@greg:
Honest to God now I can see why some celebrities move to out of the way places like the mid-west, Montana or Idaho to name a few.
Can people not have any privacy ?
Do they have to wear a “pink star” on their lapel ? That ended with the Nazis, I swear without picking on anyone here (ahem), that’s what people seem to want and ya know what, they’re just a bunch of Nazi figgits.
Lock and load ladies, take your best shot at the old man !
Lyndon Evans
@Lyndon Evans:
I wasn’t picking on you greg, you brought up a very good and valid point which set off my “trirade” to the others.
Lyndon Evans
@Tony:
I’m gay.
Lyndon Evans
@Lyndon Evans:
And how did this whole commentary board go from an article about tweeting to everybody who’s anybody and is, should let everybody know that they are, so that the rest can feel good about themselves, being that they is and everybody knows and probably doesn’t give a good darn hoot wether they are or not to begin with.
Lord have mercy.
Time for a nap.
peensez
Prolly cuz it is nobody’s business. WTF!!
BITTER
I thought that Sam was already out the closet?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Champion
helen glover
what about robin roberts is she gay also i heard the whole gma team was gay
JAN
I think there are so many gay men out there because they are too lazy to do what it takes to TRY to please a woman. All they want to do is please themselves in the quickest way possible.
JoeyB
This pompous twit! He, David Muir, Jeffrey Kofman, AC, all these queens on TV prancing around in tight T-shirts showing their bulging muscles and pretending to be straight. BARF!