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“Glee” star Chris Colfer revealed during an interview on “The View” (via Entertainment Weekly) that he was warned not to come out as gay as it would ruin his career just as the Fox musical comedy series was getting underway. Colfer played the openly gay high schooler Kurt Hummel on all six seasons of “Glee,” which ran from 2009 to 2015.
“I grew up in a very conservative town where being openly gay was dangerous,” Colfer said. “I remember when I got on [‘Glee’]the role was written for me, and I did not know what the role was gonna be, and so I opened the script and when I read the script for the first time was when I saw that it was an openly gay character and I was terrified.”
“When I started filming the show I had a lot of people tell me, ‘Do not come out whatever you do because it will ruin your career.’ So I hid for a little bit,” he said. “But I also told them, ‘I can’t hide it with my voice… I’m more effeminate than most people. I can’t hide it.’ And they said, ‘Don’t worry. As long as you never address it, you’ll be rewarded for it in the end.’”
Colfer remembered a fan encounter he had at a “Glee” fan event that inspired him to come out despite all the warnings against doing so. He was at a poster signing tour before the show started airing a young boy handed him an envelope when his parents weren’t looking. Inside was a note that read “thank you” and a paperclip that was the colors of the rainbow. Colfer said he knew “in that moment” that he had to come out publicly because being open about his sexuality was “more important” than any acting role.
“At the time, I was thinking, ‘Okay, yeah, if I’m an openly gay actor, yeah, I may never win a major award. I may never get to play a superhero,’” Colfer said. “But I think being a beacon of positivity and providing that comfort for people is way more important than attention.”
Colfer would end up winning awards for his portrayal of Kurt on “Glee.” He took home the 2011 Golden Globe for best supporting actor in a series and won three consecutive People’s Choice Awards for favorite comedic TV actor. Colfer was also nominated twice for the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.
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