Barry Manilow has spoken about keeping his sexuality a secret due to his fears that revealing it could jeopardize his career.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 80-year-old singer, who revealed he was gay in 2017, said he struggled to hide his sexual orientation for years.
“I didn't want my career to disappear. I love it. I'm grateful for it. But it was a burden to keep it quiet,” Manilow said. “I was always worried.
Barry Manilow admitted hiding his sexuality was a “burden” and he was “always worried”. (Martin Schoeller/NBC via Getty Images)
“Every interview, 'They're going to ask me if I'm gay or not.' Besides, no one has ever done it. They never asked me the $64 question.
The Grammy Award winner recalled an exchange he said he had with Clive Davis in the 1980s, during which the record producer noted that music legend Elton John's career was damaged after he revealed his orientation sexual.
“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.
Manilow came out as gay in 2017 and married his longtime partner Garry Kief in 2014. (Steve Granitz/WireImage)
John, 76, came out as bisexual at the age of 29 in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1976. The “Bennie and the Jets” singer was a global rock star at the time. When he was 45 in 1992, John said he was “pretty comfortable being gay” during another interview with Rolling Stone.
Davis, 91, revealed he was bisexual in his 2013 memoir, “The Soundtrack of My Life.” The five-time Grammy Award winner, who was previously married to Janet Adelburg and Helen Cohen, wrote that he had been in relationships with men since the late 1970s.
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However, Davis told The Hollywood Reporter that he didn't remember having the conversation that Manilow remembered.
“We never went there,” Davis told the outlet. “If it had been brought up, to analyze what the impact would be, I would have said it was a risky proposition for a career. But we never had a conversation about whether he should do his coming out because he never told me he was gay.”
The singer recalled a conversation he had with Clive Davis about Elton John's career after he came out. (Bruce Glikas/WireImage)
Manilow met her 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 married in 1964, but their marriage was annulled a year later.
The singer explained his decision to hide one's sexuality in a 2017 interview with People magazine in which he revealed he was gay for the first time.
During the interview, Manilow opened up about his longtime relationship with Kief. In 2015, reports surfaced of his sexuality and marriage to Kief, which he described as “a blessing and a curse.” He told People that he hid his sexuality for fear of disappointing his fans.
“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 were supportive during his release.
Manilow and Kief began dating in 1978. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“When they found out Garry and I were together, they were so happy. The reaction was so lovely: strangers commenting, 'Great for you!' I’m so grateful,” he said.
The New York native told People that he knew he met the right person when he started dating Kief.
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“I knew that was it,” Manilow recalled. “I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that.”
Manilow said he always wanted to keep his private life out of the spotlight.
“I'm so private. I always have been,” he said.
Manilow worried his revelation would disappoint his fans, but said their reaction was “beautiful.” (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
In a 2017 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Manilow explained that he was the stepfather of Kirsten Kief, 47, Kief's daughter from a previous marriage.
“We have a daughter, Garry's biological daughter, Kirsten, and we raised her together all these years,” the singer of “Copacabana” said. “Kirsten has proven to be one of the most beautiful and intelligent women you will ever meet.”
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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 and so I'm now a grandfather,” he said. “I never thought about having a baby or having anything to do with being a father or any of that.
“I'm watching this little girl – she's 2 and a half years old – growing and learning. It's a whole new experience for me and I'm really enjoying it.”