Neil Patrick Harris reflects on his 2006 coming out

Actor Neil Patrick Harris has reflected on the inevitability of his decision to come out publicly in 2006. Speaking on the podcast ‘Great Company with Jamie Laing’, Harris described the pressure he felt due to the rise of internet gossip blogs that targeted celebrities regarding their sexuality.

Harris noted that while he and his husband, David Burtka, were already in a relationship and known to colleagues, they had to maintain a level of privacy in public. He recalled attending film premieres where Burtka would avoid photographers to maintain the appearance of being a private couple, though Harris admitted this could make Burtka feel ‘less than’.

The decision to go public was accelerated when a publicist’s comment regarding Harris not being ‘of that persuasion’ intensified speculation. To ‘get ahead of the story’, Harris worked with his representatives to issue an authentic statement in November 2006 confirming he was gay.