Neil Patrick Harris discusses pressure to come out in 2006

Actor Neil Patrick Harris recently discussed the pressures that led to his decision to come out as gay in 2006. Speaking on the ‘Great Company with Jamie Laing’ podcast, Harris explained that he felt compelled to address his sexuality to get ahead of gossip bloggers who were targeting him.

Harris noted that while he and his husband, David Burtka, were already a couple, the era of internet gossip blogs created a fear of being a target for salacious speculation. He recalled instances at movie premieres where he would walk the red carpet while Burtka had to walk around the other side of photographers to avoid attention.

The decision to go public was motivated by a desire to prevent Burtka from feeling ‘less than’ and to stop rumors fueled by a publicist’s comment that he was ‘not of that persuasion.’ Harris stated he wanted to control his own narrative rather than reacting to invasive tabloid inquiries.