Wentworth Miller is gay! This really surprised me. I knew him mostly as “the dude from Prison Break” and it seems like that’s pretty much all he is career-wise (see his IMDB here). He’s also English (shocking!) and 41 years old (WTF?!). And now we know he’s gay too. He came out in a really awesome way as well: he wrote an open letter to the organizers of the St. Petersburg International Film Festival (in Russia) declaring that he would not attend the festival because of the country’s new anti-homosexuality laws. Here’s more:
Wentworth Miller took a stand — and a big step — on Wednesday, Aug. 21, when he came out as gay in a letter to the organizers of the St. Petersburg International Film Festival in Russia. Citing the country’s headline-making anti-LGBT legislation, the 41-year-old Prison Break star said he could not “in good conscience” attend an event in a place that would promote such discrimination.
“Thank you for your kind invitation. As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes,” he wrote in the letter, posted to GLAAD’s website. “However, as a gay man, I must decline.”
Wentworth went on to note that he took issue with Russia’s anti-gay laws, which include a ban on the adoption of Russian-born children to national and international same-sex couples.
“I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government,” he continued. “The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.”
“Perhaps, when and if circumstances improve,” he added, “I’ll be free to make a different choice. Until then.”
“Wentworth’s bold show of support sends a powerful message to LGBT Russians, who are facing extreme violence and persecution: you are not alone,” GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz said in a statement after the letter was posted. “As people from across the globe continue to speak out against Russia’s horrific law, more celebrities and corporations should follow his courageous lead in openly condemning Russia’s anti-LGBT law.”
It was a bold and amazing thing to do, but let’s not pretend that Wentworth Miller’s declined invitation is going to really change things in Russia. Maybe if ALL of Hollywood decided not to promote their films in Russia out of allegiance to the LBGT community, maybe that would be something. I’m sorry, I’m really not trying to be Debbie Downer on this nice LBGT-Pride story. It is awesome that he came out. It is awesome that he spoke out against Russia’s crazy anti-gay laws and spoke up for the Russian LBGT community. Yay.
You can read Wentworth’s full letter here at GLAAD.org.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I had no idea he was 41. Good for him for taking a stand.
I thought everyone knew he was gay; the 41 year old thing is a bit of a revelation.
My thoughts exactly! Most people already know that he is gay. So its not shocking
Exactly, he was with Luke Macfarlane for awhile. Plus he was in the batch that Perez Hilton outed way back when. Speaking of Perez, all those dudes he outed are now Out, no? Lance Bas, NPH, Quinto, Wentworth, Max Kyle. Maybe only Zach Efrons left.
Wentworth did beard though, so maybe thats why people are surprised. And he did give interviews specifically denying being gay and declaring his desire to meet Ms Right. I just didnt think anyone actually believed him.
If people knew, it was based on gaydar. Because he was repeatedly quoted saying the words “I am not gay”. Gawker has one of those quotes in full.
Boy was he steamy in that first season of Prison Break. That show went downhill very quickly though
Most of us knew Wentworth was gay a long time ago; no biggie. But I was surprised to find out that he was part Black. His father is AfricanAmerican/Jamaican/German.
Prison Break was great by the way.
T.Fanty: thats what i was coming to say wasnt he out EONS AGO?
Theres a bunch of actors in this category. Guys who have loud gay rumors but also have pr campaigns claiming to be straight.
So while they are in the closet, everyone says that the rumors are unfounded because a)he has had gfs b)he is too hip and smart to closet
c)its not our concern
But then when he does come out, everyone feels like they already knew, on account of the rumors, notwithstanding that they had in the past dismiised those same rumors.
To put it another way, when Henry Cavill or Vin Diesel or Jeremy Renner come out, everyone will feel like they already knew. Even though when you look at comments to old articles its clear that most people were denouncing the gay rumors.
@V4Real
He has the hottest afro when the hair grows out! Google images.
Please watch the Human Stain where he plays a young Anthony Hopkins. The character decides to “pass” for white even though he is black, in order to advance his career. Which was apparently much closer to the truth than most knew. You know with the bearding thing and all.
@Sara Yes I saw The Human Stain and I have been a fan of Wentworth since the first season of Prison Break; that’s when I also found out about his ethnic background. I was just surprised because his phenotype doesn’t show signs of African American. Not many would be able to tell just by looking at him that he was part African American or Black some would argue.
@mindy let me just go on record by saying that I have never said that Cavill or Renner is not gay. So if or when they do come out I will be one of the ones saying no biggie, I knew or suspected it all along. As for Vin I’m not sure but let’s not forget that a person can be bisexual which is different from being gay.
V4Real, please understand that I wasnt suggesting that people are being knowingly dishonest by saying they knew he was gay.
I just meant that the way the mind works, a rumour, even one you dont really believe, can over a time be remembered as Fact. Thats why many comments here start with “wasnt he……” instead of the surer “he was……”. The rumor is being refiled from vague internet gossip to he wasnt hiding. Even though he absolutely was hiding it and the whispers about him were always vague.
I probably make even less sense now than my first post. Its so clear in my head just cant seem to articulate it. And you are right ofcourse about bisexuality.
I agree, I thought it was well-known fact by now that he was gay.
being 41 on the other hand…..wow…… never would have guessed.
@T.Fanty: That’s right! There were rumors since the first season of Prison Break. The gossip at the time was that the executives were afraid he would come out because it would affect the show, which was a hit. I remember him denying he was. Well, I really liked his letter. I think it was the right time and on his terms. Well done, Wentworth!
I’m only surprised he is 41, wow!
No idea he is a gay man or he is 41. None. Then again i never paid attention to the gay rumors since i have 0 gaydar. He’s still super hot with that smoldering, sexy stare…uhf! And though Russia won’t change from a few boycotts they will feel an initial sting when their festivals and events have low turn out and their revenue takes a hit. Nothing changes a person or nations stance faster than a hit to the wallet.
Cavill is not gay.He banged half the Vancouver female population and i happen to know one of them.She didn’t gave details but she did say that he was very good and sweet!
Everyone paying attention did know.
Of course if one spends one’s free time believing everything the tabloids print, then one is going to be “surprised” by this (OLD) news.
And @Mindy is correct. You can also add Gyllenhaal, Franco, Clooney and Bradley Cooper to that Cavill, Renner and Vin Diesel list.
Same here. I knew he was gay. How, I don’t know. I’m amazed this is his coming out!
@Emily yeah I’m sure Cavill isn’t gay because he banged half of Van and your friend banged him as well; sure. BTW some gay men are known to sleep with women to try and convince themselves they are straight and the obvious reason which is to fool the public.
No way he’s 41! He looks like 25! Crazy!
that was the shocking part for me, he’s a young looking 41.
Yea, I read the article, and although my gaydar didn’t ping either way, mostly because I’m not a fan, wasn’t he on Popular also? I think that’s where I remember him from, and he deliberately played a douche, who incidentally, was a frenemy of Tammy Lynn’s (Melissa Etheridge’s ex) character Nicole.
Th einterview he needs to give is how he stays young! Because that’s the real shock. He’s 41, looks young and not tweaked. Hell, hardly any wrinkles that I can see! and Plastic surgery and botox doesn’t work well with either.
Fassbender looks more in his forties than Miller does. And Fassy’s younger!
I remember seeing him sing in college – so gorgeous & beautiful & and gay. Delighted that he has come out in such a wonderful way. So proud.
@VReal
I was wondering when he was going to admit he was half-black. I’m still waiting on Vin-Diesel.
@Cs Yeah Vin likes to play that multiracial card. There’s nothing wrong with that but why can’t he say his father is Black and his mother is Italian. I wonder what does his twin brother say when asked about race.
he is actually a quarter black..his father is also biracial, though he identifies as black so i don’t know why anyone would be surprised that he looks the way he does
I thought he was one of the celebrities that everyone knew was gay, he just didn’t talk about it publicly.
In any case, I think this was an awesome time to make a statement, and while you’re right that this alone won’t change Russia, I doubt he thought that it would.
Maybe you are thinking of Zach Quinto, who never referenced his personal life? Because Wentworth did. He said he was straight repeatedly. He went to events with his “girlfriend” as recently as June. He was deeply closetted.
Oh, that’s kind of a bummer. I watched Prison Break (to the bitter terrible end), but I haven’t heard anything about him since then.
Linet, you are right. There were also interviews where he said he wanted a wife and kids.
As he previously stated he had a girlfriend, did any women beard for him?
Cel
Yes. He had an “On-Off” relationship with a female write called Amie Bice. She first showed up after the suggestive pap photos with Luke Mcfarlane were published in 2007, I believe. His rep confirmed she was his girlfriend and they began doing pap shoots, walking down the street, eating dinner on restaurant patios etc.
This has been the state of affairs on and off for almost 10 years.
She was a good pick for beard I think. Wentworth used to edit the College paper at Princeton and still writes abit. Alot of us fans who followed him believed it. I am very happy for him coming out but I hate feeling that a guy I like so much was part of something so cynical. I dont blame him but I still feel conned.
i had a huge huge crush on him durin his prison break days ,he was the best thing in those mariah carey videos, gay or not ,i stil find him hot ,and good for him to be brave enuff to stand up
I have found a kindred spirit in you, Lady Mary. I was in love with Wentworth during Prison Break. Actually, I still am. But good for him that he can freely live his life the way he wants.
Congrats and thanks.
Good for him!!! I remember the rumors about him being gay when Prison Break started. It must have been terrible to stay in the closet so long.
He’s 41? Lord he must drink the souls of unicorns mixed with puppy blood.
However, it is nice to see him making a stand, a couple of other ppl have also decided not to attend this thing right? Well I believe every drop counts.
YaYYYYYY!!!
Kudos to him- I really liked Prison Break, especially the 1st season. All of this anti-gay stuff in Russia is awful. They surely wouldn’t have gotten the 2014 Olympics if they had been this blatant about it during the bidding process.
Nope – oil money talks!
They’re holding the 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia and the 2022 event in Qatar for the same reason.
Heck, nevermind the prejudice against homosexuals in both countries – Qatar is one of many Middle Eastern countries that still flogs and jails rape VICTIMS for “adultery” whilst turning a blind eye to immigrant slave labour.
Good for him! Taking a stand and being true to yourself is a beautiful thing whether it can “fix” the problem or just bring comfort to one person struggling or suffering.
I thought it was well known…
What is shocking to me is that he is 41!
That’s a really good thing to do.
Awesome. Go Wenty.
I heard the gay rumor about him about a year ago, but he’s not someone I ever followed, so my reaction was ‘meh.’ But I guess it was true.
This is random and contributes nothing to the story. I have been re-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix. I was watching the last few episodes of season 2 yesterday and saw him in Go Fish, his first tv credit. He is such a hottie that I start IMDBing and go down this Internet rabbit hole. As soon as I crawl out of the hole, news breaks about his coming out. There you go…my random, pointless story.
Your opening line can basically be applied to all of my comments.
LOL! I’m glad I’m not alone. 😉
What a classy guy- good for him!
Fact- He also wrote the Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman starrer and Chan-Wook Park directed film ‘Stoker’. Talented man.
Yup, I saw Stoker on the plane– it was incredible. I read that he wrote a prequel for it too, focusing on Uncle Charlie. He’s also shopping around another script and was hired by Oprah’s production company (I think) to adapt another. He’s an amazing writer.
That’s great for him! Writing can be very lucritive and has a much longer career length than being in front of the camera. I have never seen his acting skills, but based on this letter alone you can tell he is good with words.
I heard about the movie, but I didn’t know he wrote. Based on comments here, it seems worth checking out!
Speaking of actors with surprising hidden (not really) talents who showed up in Buffy: Danny Strong aka ‘Jonathan’ is a very well regarded screenwriter in between his acting gigs.
His latest screenplay is THE BUTLER which is out right now, starring Oprah etc.
I thought it was common knowledge he was gay – I heard about it at least 3-4 years ago. However, I had NO idea he was British, or that he was 41 – he looks great for his age – heck, any age!
I agree, him being 41 and British is more schocking to me than him being gay! I used to have such a crush on him in prison break and I thiught he looked 20-ish in that. He has some amazing genes.
I don’t think he really is British or identifies as a Brit, his parents are both American, he grew up in the US, and his natural accent in American, he just happened to be born in the UK… not that i’ve read any bio stuff about him before…. *looks around and whistles*
He is so fine, not surprised he’s gay though, like the other commenters I remember hearing the rumours for so long, but I can’t believe he is 41!! Anyhoo, age and sexual orientation aside, my biscuit still pines for him, it is probably time for me to watch some old prison break.
Poor mama Keats. She’s so in love with him. How are they supposed to ride off together into the sunset now?
I don’t think it was any big secret, but it still takes courage to put yourself and your personal life out there, especially in the face of hate and intolerance happening in Russia.
He looks amazing. Seems to have stopped aging about 15 years ago!
I’m confused – is he Russian? Does he live in Russia? How is it courageous to come out in the USA in light of a stupid law adopted in Russia? By the way, if you watch Russian TV, you’d be hard pressured to find a local TV personality, who is not LBGT…So, it’s not all white an black there.
Russian ancestry as in great grandfather.As for Russian TV personalities have they stated they are LGBT publicly.Everday I see footage of LGBT being attacked .Yesterday a trans womam being pummeled by a group of men
They stated publicly that they live with partners.
Well, the other day the footage from Moscow was that two migrant workers attacked a young girl on her way to work at a night club. That girl turned out to be trans and instead raped them in return. As a result, everybody is in detainment and two policemen applied for psychological support. No kidding, so it’s tons of crazy stuff happening there.
As Alexander Litvinenko taught us, you don’t have to be living in Russia to be poisoned with polonium by the Russian government.
It IS brave to stand up to a country that has severely punished those it deems “enemies” in the past.
Him coming out isn’t shocking at all. The shocking part to me is how many people saw this as a surprise. I’ve been saying he was gay since his days on prison break. Thats like being surprised when Clay Aiken or Jim Parsons came out.
Good for him though. Always a good thing when you can see someone be themselves.
OMG!!…He’s 41?! 😉
The media still covers these stories like the actor did a People magazine “I’m gay!” cover, instead of treating it like a non-story like he did and focusing on what’s important ( shaming the hell out of Russia for these gross laws). Ellen came out in 1997, it’s not a big deal anymore, grow up American media.
On one hand, no, coming out shouldn’t make headlines, because being gay is no big deal.
On the other hand, when so many queer youths are struggling with accepting their sexualities and dealing with bullies and harassment, they absolutely NEED to have high-profile people to look up to to let them know that you can be successful and be gay. Gay rumours about celebrities demonize and scandalize homosexuality, as if it’s something to be ashamed of. And it shouldn’t be.
So it’s not a black and white thing.
Speaking of gay celebs, Raven Symone came out as a lesbian about 2 weeks ago. I don’t think there was a post on CB about that.
Nina, I agree with you.
I see your point @Nina, however the sensationalist way in which these stories are covered just seems an effort to continue the “otherness” rather than acceptance of gays and lesbians. The story should be reported, but the media is still treating it like it’s the circus that….
Oh wait I just realized I was looking for intelligence and thoughtfulness from the American media. LOL, what was I thinking!? Moving on. 🙂
Raven Symone got alot of internet hate when she came out by the way.
It was shocking because sites that usually have a calvary swinging to defend gay male celebrities were fillef with racist homophobic comments. The calvary just didnt show.
Theres been paradigm shift on male sexuality that doesnt seem to correspond to female homosexuality. Infact just going by fictitious characters on TV you would think lesbians dont exist (except for on Game of Thrones where straight women sleep with straight women for the visual pleasure of their men).
Its a tragedy in the making because lesbians are just as vulnerable as gay men, sometimes more so, see so-called Conversion Rape. Lets not forget our sisters, ladies.
True, Mia. 🙂 But I feel as though the huge cover stories (a la Ellen) are for the most part a thing of the past. Seems as though Wentworth wasn’t looking to make some huge statement, just stating a fact in passing.
And Sara, the flak Raven got was dreadful! I’m quite surprised that CB didn’t post about all of the heinous tweets about ruined childhoods following her coming out on Twitter. Revolting. 🙁
Oh Went! good for him though. I am a bit crushed, had and still have the biggest crush on him.
Anyway his parents are both American, he was born in England but raised in the U.S since he was a year old. As for him looking younger he just proves the saying ‘black doesn’t crack’ 😀
Can I get technical for a minute? Wentworth IS American. His parents are American. He was just born in England because his father was studying at Oxford at the time. He does hold dual citizenship, but he didn’t exactly grow up there and does not have an English accent. The dude’s American. He grew up in New York.
EDIT: I see the poster above beat me to this! 🙂
BTW, his pedigree is amazing.
I guess this means that my dream of marrying Wentworth Miller will not be coming true…very sad. Did you know that he is also part Jamaican?? He is
I knew!
I knew!
*waves rag in the air and pours out a shot of wrey & nephews*
I knew he was Gay and I thought everyone knew he was biracial.When he was in The Human Stain,playing a man passing as White he talked about being biracial.Also why is most of the male celebs who have come out recently goodlooking,Wentworth,Matt Bomer,WWE
wrestler Darron Young,Frank Ocean ,Matt Dallas from Kyle XY,etc.Where are the ugly Gay celebs ? Who is the Gay Flavor Flave or Bobcat Goldwaith
Bobcat Goldthwait is on your ugly list? I had such a crush on him when I was young.
I think he is a coward. He should have arrived in St. Petersburg, and came out at the press-conference and express his solidarity with a local LGBT community or something like that. Otherwise, it just looks like he got scared or something.
so, the title of this story should be: Wentworth Miller comes out as gay, too scared to attend Russian film festival.
Now, you’re asking him too much. Lol
Well, if he wants to make news, he has to work for it 🙂
Oh and if he is attacked or killed in Russia even better for the cause,right?
Have you ever heard of any American actor being killed and/or attacked in Russia?
So he should come out in a country that openly beats members of the gay community and be possibly thrown in prison for being himself. Yeah total coward. What was he thinking??
Boycotting countries and events that have unethical policies is not a new thing, he didn’t invent that type of action. It seems a bit harsh to call him a coward, he is simply refusing to be complicit in promoting a Russian event. Good for him!
Well if he is attacked by homophobic thugs he will be a hero not a coward, right? so book a flight,Wenty
Good for him for standing up for the gay comunnity. What Russia is doing it’s simply atrocious and almost unbelievable for such a thing to be happening on our time.
Wentworth being gay is not news, but Wentworth existing is!
Damn I’ve missed him! He’s hot and smart, which of course makes him even hotter. I wish we saw more of him. Does anyone remember him in Human Stain with Kidman and Hopkins? He was really good.
Someone give him a good role in a good show, please?
Christ! I thought the man would be in his late 20s by now. He really is looking amazing for his age.
British you say, eh!
geez my dream of marrying Michael Scofield is over:(
Teehee! I just love how everyone is SHOCKED at his age, but the reaction to his orientation is “who cares?” or “uh, yeah, we know.” This is the kind of society I want to live in :^)
Yes! My sentiments exactly. *internet hug*
Good for him!
I remember him from that one episode of Buffy. Good for him for being strong enough to come out!
41? That is a surprise.
Good for him for taking a stand. I thought it was pretty well known that he was gay. He’s never hidden it I think, just never made a public declaration. Nor should he have to but if you’re going to ‘come out’ this is the way to go.
It isn’t true: he released interviews saying that he wanted a wife and children. Not that it matters now,lol, it’s just to state the facts.
He gave an interview saying that he cant stop gay rumors but he is straight. He even said that the rumors are created by gay men who want to fantasize about him (Perez had just outed him so people assumed he was dissing Perez).
This guy was never out or halfway out of the closet. He even had a pretend girlfriend for years. Her name is Amy something.
@Lauli and Shawna. That’s disappointing that he lied about it. I’m not in his shoes though and gay acceptance still has a long way to go (not just in Russia) despite all of the progress that has been made, so back then he might have felt enormous pressure to pretend to be straight. Or maybe he was fooling himself?
I dunno. It’s a complex issue. I still give him props for the stance he’s making today.
While I hadn’t heard anything one way or the other about him (I never watched Prison Break and I can’t stand Perez) I have seen Wentworth in a few interviews and I cannot say that I am shocked. Slightly saddened that I will only be able to look from afar but not shocked.
The 41 thing though????!!! Holy crap! I never would have guessed in a million years!
Brave of him to come out, didn’t know that he had a gf recently. As I said in another blog, it won’t be easy for closeted actors who are heavily marketed as sex symbols and seen as fantasy boyfriends/husbands to come out. Their images would take a hit. They would lose a big chunk of female fans. And if they don’t have significant talent, it’s the end of a career.
But if they don’t have talent what’s the point of being an actor? Maybe it’s better they go modelling.
Very handsome. And he could easily pass for a twenty-something year old guy. Anyways, good for him!!!
Great that he finally came out, but Jesus, those public denials all those years ago make him look like an ass.
I don’t know why the lying pisses me off so much, but it does. Be who you are people.
I don’t care one way or another that he is gay. I didn’t know he was and am surprised that he adamantly denied it for so long and then just comes out in a letter. Good for him though. I’m sure he had his reasons for keeping it in the closet…
NOW that all being said, imagine – just imagine – if gay couples could produce babies of their own DNA? You cannot tell me that he and Matt Bomer would not make amazingly beautiful babies!! 🙂
I was thinking the same thing. Weston and Matt Bomer should totally get together. They are both gorgeous.
I think Matt’s husband and kids might have something to say about that!
He isn’t British just born there. I was a huge fan of prison break and when I looked up how old he was I was surprised to see he was in his late 30s! I had thought he was in his late 20s. I also suspected he was part black before I read up on him. Don’t know why but he has an interesting look and looks a bit exotic. And I am not too surprised about him coming out Perez Hilton had been very vocal about him back in the day. He was in an acapella group when he was at Princeton (so he is very smart too) and no it doesn’t mean all men who are in the performing arts are gay, but a lot of them are. In retrospect people will say it was a clue.
Now I know why T-bag wanted to do him.
Bummer! Who’s next? I call Askars. His recent stunt with Ellen seemed a bit contrived.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
But I love him…………. DAMN IT!!!
Just want to say…
We’re sorry.
We’re SO sorry.
We hate them too.
Signed,
Russian-Americans Whose Faces Hurt From Cringing
Love him! He was so hot on Prison Break! He or his people actually sent me a signed script of an episode from the show a couple of years ago.
He is 41?
Ok…the secret he kept was not the fact that he is gay(everybody knew that)…
His secret is the location of the fountain of youth!
He’s 41? Insane. He looks maybe 25.
Am I The only person who didn’t know this? And people still read Perez? Thats not what posters said on the Lady Gaga thread. Never watched Prison Break and he isnt in the tabloids.
Am I The only person who didn’t know this? Never watched Prison Break and he isnt in the tabloids.
Yeah, everybody knew he was gay. I’ve known for years. He never hid it, he just never came out publicly I guess.
Publicly, he said that he wanted a wife and kids, so the fact that he wasn’t hiding his sexual orientation is questionable.
I am from Russia, and I love Went Miller!
Oh wow, good for you Went! I step away from the internet for a few days and so much good gossip! I always knew it, I fancy him far too much for him to be straight! What a beautiful man, so proud of him.