Barry Manilow Explains Why He Waited to Come Out as Gay in His 70s
Barry Manilow is opening up about coming out.
The 80-year-old music legend got candid on the latest episode of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? on Max.
During the discussion, he revealed why he made the decision to publicly come out as gay in 2017, having already spent 39 years with his manager and now husband, Garry Kief.
Keep reading to find out more…
“Well, in the ’70s, you know, you didn’t [come out],” he explained. “It wasn’t the same as it is today. Now being gay is no big deal. But back in the ’70s, it would have killed a career.”
“The public was not ready for anybody to come out. And, frankly, it was just too personal. I just didn’t want to talk about my personal life anyway. I never did that. I was happy talking about music. But talking about my personal life was just kind of creepy to me. So I never did.”
When asked if he felt he had to hide his true identity, he said he “never thought about it.”
“Honestly, Chris, it was a non-event. And when we came out, it was — I think everybody knew that Garry and I were a couple all those years.”
The two met in 1978 and wed in 2014.
“Garry actually kind of saved my life, because as my career exploded, as I said, it was crazy, and going back to an empty hotel room, you could get into a lot of trouble if you’re alone night after night. But I met Garry right when everything was exploding, and I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had somebody to cry with or to celebrate with.”
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