Neil Patrick Harris reflects on being pressured to come out as gay
Neil Patrick Harris reflects on being pressured to come out as gay
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYThu, August 13, 2026 at 2:38 PM UTC
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Neil Patrick Harris is reflecting on his coming-out journey.
The "How I Met Your Mother" star, 53, spoke on the "Great Company with Jamie Laing" podcast about his decision to come out as gay in 2006 after feeling pressured to do so by gossip bloggers.
"That was at a time when there were bloggers on the internet that you would go to to, like, read the salacious, you know, 'try to guess who this actor is that's gay and in the closet' kind of comment," Harris said. "And so there was a fear that I would be, like, the next target on that."
Harris did not name any specific gossip blogs, though Perez Hilton was infamously known for his efforts to out gay celebrities on his website in the 2000s. In an interview recorded before his recent hospitalization, Hilton recalled on the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast how he led a "witch hunt" trying to "track down people that [Harris] dated" to out him. Hilton said he has since made "amends" with the actor.
Speaking on "Great Company," Harris noted that before coming out as gay, he and his partner, David Burtka, whom he later married in 2014, would attend premieres together, but Burtka couldn't join him on the red carpet because they had to avoid being seen as a couple.
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The father of two ultimately decided to come out after a publicist was quoted in the media making an implication about his sexuality.
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"Someone asked a publicist about my sexuality, and the publicist said I was 'not of that persuasion,'" Harris explained. "That turned into a 'that's weird for him to say, because we know that he's gay. … Why is he doing that?' And then it became, 'I'm going to have to say something. I've got to get ahead of the story, because I don't want to be coming out in reaction to 'if anyone has any information on Neil Patrick Harris, and have you ever slept with him? Please come forward. You don't want those stories."
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Harris shared his sexuality in a statement provided to People magazine in November 2006.
"The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life," he said at the time. "Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships. So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love."
Harris told "Great Company" he was "scared" about how this statement would be received, but the reaction was "indifference, at best."
"I was a little bit offended that more people weren't surprised," he quipped.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Neil Patrick Harris reflects on being pressured to come out as gay
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
