Colton Haynes: My dad killed himself because he found out I was gay
Gay actor was told by a relative that his father overdosed after learning his son was gay
“I’m the last person in the world who would say, ‘Oh, my dad — pity me.’ But I was told that my dad killed himself because he found out I was gay.”
–Actor Colton Haynes, in a new interview with OUT Magazine, talking about his father’s suicide. Haynes, who came out at age 14, was severely bullied in high school and upset by his mother’s negative reaction to his coming out. Haynes ran away from home for three weeks, crashing a a friend’s place, when a relative called to tell him that his father had killed himself by swallowing 40 oxycodone pills.
After being told why his father allegedly chose to take his life, Haynes said he “lost it” and was incredulous that the relative would say such a thing.
“…No one will ever really know the truth,” Haynes says in the interview. “But my brother and my mom went to pick up my dad’s stuff, and the only picture on his fridge was my eighth-grade graduation picture. So I was just like, Fuck.”
Haynes came out earlier this year after social media went wild over reports of a “secret gay past,” referring to a 2006 photo shoot for gay magazine XY in which Haynes appeared with and kissed his then-boyfriend. Openly gay actor Noah Galvin of The Real O’Neals later criticized Haynes’ decision not to come out sooner, calling it “fucking pussy bullshit.” Galvin later apologized for the comments, though not before Haynes called him out on Instagram.
“Since when is a three [page] article in Entertainment Weekly not an appropriate way to come out?” Haynes said in the Instagram post. “And since when did [Galvin] become the judge of what’s appropriate. Shouldn’t we all be supporting each other?”
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
