Matt Bomer Reveals “My Coming Out Story Was Stolen From Me”
Matt Bomer recently spoke with Jesse Tyler Ferguson on the Dinner’s On Me podcast about gossip websites that revealed his sexuality before he was ready.
“It felt kind of unfair to me, that that was stolen by people who did have a microphone at the time,” Bomer said. He talked about sites like Perez Hilton that shared details about his private life without his okay.
The White Collar star said these sites were quick to spread rumours but never gave him a chance to speak for himself. “No media outlet was ever going like, ‘Hey!'” he said. “I just didn’t have a career that warranted that.”
Family Comes First
Bomer never tried to hide who he was with his family. “Even when we were walking around in the streets, you know, there’d be pictures of Simon and our kids and I,” he shared, talking about his husband Simon Halls and their three children.
He finally spoke about his sexuality at the 2012 Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards in Palm Springs. He decided to do this because he didn’t want his family “to feel like they were some kind of shameful secret.”
Career Hits
In 2024, Bomer shared that being outed cost him the Superman role in 2013’s Superman: Man Of Steel, which went to Henry Cavill instead.
This news came when Bomer was being cast as “a straight leading man” in shows like White Collar and movies like Magic Mike.
Matt Bomer and Channing Tatum in Magic Mike XXL (2015) pic.twitter.com/b2uQEUpxix
— Frame Found (@framefound) February 4, 2019
The Power of Being Real
What’s most striking about Bomer’s story is what he gained by being true to himself. “I didn’t have anything to fall back on,” he said. “But what I had was a loving family. That was my safety net.”
His bravery led to a great career, including a career-defining role in Fellow Travelers, a show about the hard life of closeted men in 1950s politics.
A beautiful evening all around celebrating these two.
— Tommy DiDario (@tommydidario) August 16, 2024
Catch up on the full conversation with Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey here: https://t.co/7bB2Is0lv2
📸: Photo Credit: Vladimir Kolesnikov/Michael Priest Photography#FellowTravelers #MattBomer #JonathanBailey pic.twitter.com/9Dcvc4qSRz
Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey were amazing. There are so many things to take from their performances that have nothing to do with their chemistry, but I want to say that the chemistry was PhD level #FellowTravelers pic.twitter.com/xVKZxtBIk4
— Brown Butter Evangelist 🍉 (@krysilove) December 28, 2023
Talking about his role in Fellow Travelers to Entertainment Weekly in 2023, Bomer said, “Hawk does have a public persona that he needs to survive and manoeuvre in the world that he’s in, but underneath it all is a real ‘f— you.'” He found it “refreshing to play” and liked seeing “gay sex brought to life in such an authentic and unflinching way.”
Living Your Truth
Bomer has gone from having his story taken away to owning his life story again. His career is strong not despite being himself, but because of it.
For others in the spotlight, Bomer shows both the dangers of gossip media and the hope that being yourself can lead to both happiness and success.
At DNA, we love how Bomer has built his career on talent instead of hiding who he is. Will his story help change how media treats private stories that aren’t theirs to share?
