Call it the anti-news flash.
The former “American Idol” runner-up is coming out of the closet appearing on the cover of the latest issue of People magazine holding his newborn son with the headline: “Yes, I’m Gay.”
Yes, we know.
Is Aiken’s revelation really front-page news? Seriously, was there any indication that the multiplatinum recording artist and Broadway star wasn’t gay? Is it really as big a “secret” as People makes it out to be? And who really cares anyway?
The new issue doesn’t hit newsstands until Friday, but People posted a “sneak peek” of their interview with Aiken on their website this morning.
Some of the “startling revelations” made public include Aiken’s reason for coming out:
Apparently, now that he is a father to 6-week-old son Parker Foster Aiken (with whom he conceived via in vitro fertilization with his best friend, music producer Jaymes Foster) the singer wanted to come clean about his sexuality. Aiken tells the magazine that he made a promise to himself when Parker was in utero; that he would publicly acknowledge that he was gay once his son was born.
“It was the first decision I made as a father,” the 29-year-old “Spamalot” star tells the magazine. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”
Aiken also revealed how he broke the news of his sexuality to his own mother. According to Aiken, he told his mother about four years ago shortly before his younger brother was deployed to Iraq. The Broadway actor says he burst into tears and “it just came out.”
Aiken says his mother was stunned by the news, though her support for her son has never wavered. However, Aiken admits, “She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she’s come a long way.”
The singer says now that his mother has gotten used to him being gay he is now turning his attention to how Claymates will take the news. Aiken tells People that he expects the news may overwhelm some of his fans.
Some how I doubt that.
Aiken also told the magazine that he hopes his fans “know that I’ve never intended to lie to anybody at all. … But if they leave, I don’t want them to leave hating me.”
As for his new role as a dad Aiken says he is looking forward to being a positive role model in his son’s life.
Are you surprised by Aiken’s announcement?