Jim Parsons “Was Scared Coming Out” In Fear Of Causing Trouble For Sitcom ‘Big Bang Theory’

‘Big Bang Theory’ star Jim Parsons, 47, who came out as gay in 2012, has admitted he stayed in the closet in fear of affecting the sitcom. He stated that back in 2007 when the show first started it was not easy for actors to be openly gay.

“I was 33 when I started doing The Big Bang Theory [in 2007], and things started to become much higher-profile very quickly. So I wasn't some spring chicken.

“But I hadn't grown up even close to the era we are in now, as far as what it meant to tell somebody you were gay.

“I think it's undeniably different than it was 20 years ago.”

The actor stated that it wasn’t his career he was worried about but rather that the sitcom itself would be affected.

“So I was scared. I wasn't scared about losing my job. And I wasn't scared to the point of denying my sexuality,” Parsons explained.

“But I was scared enough to make it my mission not to talk about it. I was scared enough to be nervous the first time I was even nominated for the Emmy.

“And I was scared that it might cause trouble, quote unquote, for our big television show.”

He then spoke about his official coming out stating: “I was doing an interview [in 2012] the summer after I had been in The Normal Heart on Broadway. I was doing Harvey in New York, and I was interviewed by Patrick Healy of The New York Times.

“I can't remember the exact question, but he asked about something to the effect of, 'Was it more meaningful to be a part of The Normal Heart being gay?’

“I said yes. I remember leaving there going, well, I sort of just took the back door out, as it were. I remember thinking it was kind of poetically perfect.”

His coming out made a big impression at the time, but the news faded pretty quickly.

“It got picked up, and it was briefly a thing just as far as like there was some news to it or whatever, but it faded away pretty damn quickly and was kind of not a big deal," he remembered.

“The big deal for me came in the weeks and months after that. Once it was out officially, I felt a sense of ownership over it, and that was very new to me, and I felt like a more participatory member of the community.

“That was and still is to varying degrees elating to me.”

As ‘The Sun’ reports, Parsons married his partner Todd Spiewak in 2017 and is now starring in Ryan Murphy’s ‘Hollywood’ on Netflix.

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Read related myGwork articles here:

Jim Parsons Is Creating A Docuseries Looking At Historical Moments For The LGBT+ Community

Actor Charlie Carver Recalls Feeling “Unsafe” At School For Being Gay

Wanda Sykes On Coming Out: “I Had Something To Say”

Watch The Trailer For Nick Murphy’s New Netflix Series ‘Hollywood’

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