Entertainment
Published January 6, 2024, 9:54 p.m. ET
Barry Manilow spoke about keeping his sexuality secret because he feared coming out would jeopardize his career.
During a recent interview with , the 80-year-old singer, who revealed he is gay in 2017, shared that he found it difficult to hide his sexual orientation for years.
“I didn’t want my career to end. I love it. I'm grateful for that. But it was a burden to keep it secret,” Manilow said. “I was always worried.
“At every interview they will ask me whether I am gay or not.” By the way, no one has ever done that. They never asked me the $64 question.”
The Grammy winner recalled an exchange with Clive Davis in the 1980s in which the record producer noted that music legend Elton John's career was damaged after he revealed his sexual orientation.
“He said, 'You know, Elton John came out as bisexual. No artist should ever do that. “It will hurt your career,” Manilow told the outlet.
John, 76, came out as bisexual in a 1976 interview with Rolling Stone at the age of 29. The “Bennie and the Jets” singer was a global rock star at the time. When he was 45 in 1992, John said in another interview with Rolling Stone that he was “pretty comfortable being gay.”
Barry Manilow said he struggled with hiding his sexuality for years. Getty Images
Davis, 91, revealed he was bisexual in his 2013 memoir “The Soundtrack of My Life.” The five-time Grammy winner, who was previously married to Janet Adelburg and Helen Cohen, wrote that he has had relationships with men since the late 1970s.
However, Davis told he couldn't recall the conversation Manilow recalled.
“We were never there,” Davis told the outlet. “If I could have analyzed the implications, I would have said it was a risky venture for one's career. But we never talked about whether he should come out because he never told me he was gay.”
Garry Kief and Barry Manilow attend a Grammy gala in 2016. Getty Images
Manilow met his husband, Garry Kief, in 1978 and the two married in April 2014. The singer was previously married to his high school sweetheart, Susan Diexler. The two tied the knot in 1964, but their marriage was annulled a year later.
The singer explained his decision to hide his sexuality in an interview with People magazine in 2017, where he revealed for the first time that he was gay.
During the interview, Manilow discussed his long-standing romance with Kief. In 2015, reports first surfaced about his sexuality and his marriage to Kief, which he described as “a blessing and a curse.” He told People that he kept his sexuality a secret for fear of letting his fans down.
Manilow said he was afraid of letting his fans down. Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
“I thought I would disappoint them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything,” Manilow explained.
However, Manilow shared that his fans supported him when he came out.
“When they found out Garry and I were together they were so happy. The reaction has been so beautiful – strangers saying, 'Great for you!' I'm just so grateful for that,” he said.
The New York native told People that he knew he had met the right person when he first started dating Kief.
“I knew this was it,” Manilow remembers. “I was one of the lucky ones. Before that I was pretty lonely.”
The singer said fans supported him when he came out. Getty Images for Celebrity Fight Night
Manilow said he always wanted to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.
“I’m so private. I always have been,” he said.
During an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times in 2017, Manilow revealed that he is the stepfather of Kirsten Kief, 47, Kief's daughter from a previous marriage.
“We have a daughter, Garry's biological daughter Kirsten, and we've raised her together all these years,” the “Copacabana” singer said. “Kirsten has proven herself to be one of the most beautiful and smartest women you will ever meet.”
Manilow will attend a Clive Davis ribbon cutting at NYU in 2022. Getty Images
In an interview with People in October, Manilow shared his joy at becoming a grandfather for the first time after Kirsten adopted a baby girl.
“Garry’s daughter Kirsten adopted a little girl, so I’m a grandfather now,” he said. “I have never thought about having a baby or anything to do with it [being] a father or something.
“I'm watching this little girl – she's 2½ years old – grow up and learn. This is a completely new experience for me and I’m really enjoying it.”
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