CNN’s Chris Wallace Asks Barry Manilow ‘Why It Took So Long’ For Him To Come Out As Gay

Tommy ChristopherNov 12th, 2023, 10:40 am

CNN anchor Chris Wallace asked music legend Barry Manilow “why it took so long” for him to come out as gay — as well as about his earlier marriage to a high school sweetheart.

Wallace interviewed Manilow for this week’s edition of his Max series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace on a variety of topics related to the superstar’s lengthy career and personal life.

In one exchange, Wallace quizzed Manilow about his early marriage, what it was like to keep his sexuality from the public, and his eventual decision to come out:

WALLACE: Okay. I’m sorry. You’re, the Manilow was your mother’s maiden name. You married your high school sweetheart. You were married for about a year. That’s not how you ended up. So how did, how did Barry Pincus married to a woman evolve?

MANILOW: Music did it. We had a very nice marriage. It was great. But I was away every night making music as a young musician would be and it just, it wasn’t good for me and it wasn’t good for her. I couldn’t be the proper husband. I was just away making music with with a band. I wrote a off off Broadway musical called the Drunkard. And I was having a ball. I just couldn’t be a husband.

WALLACE: Was there also an issue of your identity that you were struggling with at that point?

MANILOW: You mean being gay?

WALLACE: Well, at that point, did you know you were gay?

MANILOW: Yeah. Oh, we all do when we’re five years old or something. But, but I was I was very happy being married. And I really did love her. But the gay thing was, was pretty, pretty strong. It was strong. I couldn’t, I couldn’t deny it.

WALLACE: In 1978, you met Garry Kief, who became your manager and is now your husband. I understand everyone’s coming out story is different. But you didn’t officially announce all this until 2017. And I wonder why it took so long.

MANILOW: I think it was a non-event for me. Really, Garry, and I’ve been together for so long. You know, it just never dawned on me it’s ever going to come out. But when we got married, it was a big deal. So we did, you know, Gary, actually kind of saved my, my life because as my career exploded, as I said, it was crazy. It was just crazy. And you know, going back to an empty hotel room, you can get into a lot of trouble if you, you know, if you’re alone night after night after night. But I made, I met Gary right around when it was exploding. And I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had somebody to cry with or to celebrate with. And I wish that young people that they don’t have to go back to those hotel rooms by themselves because you get yourself in trouble. I never did. But it was pretty lonely until I met Gary. And then it was fun.

WALLACE: Was there any point at which you were reluctant to, quote come out because you wondered how your audience would receive it?

MANILOW: Well, in the 70s, you know, you didn’t. It wasn’t the same as it is today. Now being gay is no big deal. But back in the 70s, it would have killed a career. And Clive kind of told me that in his own way, don’t do that. Not yet. I mean, didn’t help me and try it. And his career went into the tubes for a while until he came back. So the public was not ready for anybody to come out. And, and frankly, it was just too personal. I just didn’t want to talk about my personal life anyway. I never did that. I was happy talking about music. But talking about my personal life was just kind of creepy to me. So I never did.

WALLACE: I’m sure this was true for a lot of people in the 70s and 80s, and 90s, but was that hard to kind of have to hide who you were?

MANILOW: I never thought about it. Honestly, Chris, it was a non-event. And when we came out, it was it was – I think everybody knew that Gary and I were a couple all those years.