Josh Strickland comes out in The Advocate...

I see that he states otherwise (and why not?), but weren't there rumors at the the time that Disney made him sign an agreement not to come out during the run of Tarzan? It doesn't sound entirely out of character for The Mouse, does it?

Good for him, whoever he is.

To continue that line of thought, showinoff - has any celebrity ever come out at a time when it wasn't (at least in part) in service to bumping their career? we love to applaud them for their bravery and honesty, but it usually seems to be, in some way, a mercenary action, doesn't it? (I'm not recommending that anyone stay in the closet, by the way, I would just think it amazing to see a celebrity come out when they have nothing professionally to gain by it.)

More than likely, there's a morals clause in the Disney contracts...a clause that can, in some cases, be interpreted broadly.

I actually didn't realize he was in! I had a few drinks with him and some friends a few years ago at Therapy, and he was an absolute doll!

Oh...and coming out publicly is never silly.

Never. Silly.

There's this thing that often happens when little boys hit puberty and they see a magic act. Where earlier in their life they were starry-eyed with wonder how a magician accomplished a surprising feat, now they act as if they aren't impressed, they know it's just a trick and nobody's pulling anyting over on them.

This is how I feel the culture is now reacting to people coming out, both in the gay community and externally.


"No kidding."

"In other news, the sky is blue."

Etc., etc.

I sort of hate that this is how things have gone, although I guess in an odd way it reflects what a lot of people always wanted, it's so "not a big deal" that everybody pretends they knew all along and they're just so insidery they can not be impressed.

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"I would just think it amazing to see a celebrity come out when they have nothing professionally to gain by it."

But you're missing the forest for the trees. The amazing thing isn't coming out when you have nothing to gain. It's that people think there IS something to gain in this business by coming out.

This was not the case even 5 years ago. It's astonishing.

Updated On: 6/11/10 at 12:43 PM

Oh, I think it was the case 5 years ago, or even longer. The first example that comes to mind was Greg Louganis, who was quickly being forgotten after his Olympic diving coup, and came out as way to get the needed publicity/attention to attempt an acting career.

I'm not sure I follow your logic; clearly Louganis and his people perceived it as something that could help his career at the time. So that's not really a change...

A celebrity with a floundering career will do anything to recapture public attention. Nothing wrong with that, and I would much rather they do so by coming out than by going on a reality show, entering rehab, or committing murder.

But the reality of this business is that (really until Neil Patrick Harris came out) coming out would hurt your career as an actor. Your example of Greg Louganis shows that to be the case. It doesn't even matter if Louganis and his people felt that would help sell him as an actor (though, I'm willing to concede that they thought it might help him sell some books). It didn't. It probably cost him more (in endorsements, acting jobs, etc.) than it netted him.

This is still the case. Trust me on this one, from personal experience. After the whole Setoodeh/Hayes/Groff nightmare, I still wonder why any actor would come out. I'm just grateful they do.

You may be right Robbie, but it's not the point I'm discussing.

Whether or not coming out helps a celebrity's career, the point is that they often do it to get the attention that they believe will help them, following that old saw "there's no such thing as bad publicity."

Actually, I think the thing that hindered Louganis' acting career was a lack of talent more than anything else.

"the point is that they often do it to get the attention that they believe will help them"

Though an actor may think that (debateable), I feel like I can say with confidence that the vast majority of management teams counsel their clients to stay in the closet. Most through simply not speaking about their 'private' lives. I can tell you that it has been said to me. I can tell you that friends who are in management (for high profile clients) absolutely counsel their talent to not say anything.

I think, unless we're speaking of an actor who doesn't have representation, that the reality is few on the business end of things are supportive of actors coming out. No matter the publicity received. And I think this discussion can't be had without acknowledging that.

The reality is still that it's better for an actor to be closeted. But the perception that it's changing is actually a big deal.

It's also extraordinarily simplistic and cynical to assume that everything a celeb does is for money or publicity. That every celeb functions in that capacity. That there are no artists or humans in Hollywood.

Every coming out is reduced to a PR move. Appearances on a telethon are just a chance to improve one's image. Adopting a child from Africa is a PR move. Controversial subject matter in a music video is just an attempt to get headlines.

Yes, this can be true of certain people. But not all of them. And unless you know that person, you don't really know their motivations. I say this as someone who sees the headlines or the message board discussions and actually knows some of those people discussed.

Coming out can be a massive, vulnerable decision. I don't think that many people take it lightly or frivolously.

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