How Neil Patrick Harris came out to himself
Appearing in a production of Rent was a "cathartic" moment, and helped Harris "put to rest" some of his "weird personal concerns."
Neil Patrick Harris was very slow to accept his homosexuality, says Emily Nussbaum in New York. Two decades ago, when he was the celebrated teenage star of the TV series Doogie Howser, M.D., Harris tried to ignore his attraction to men. “There were gay adults in L.A., and that kind of made me panic a bit. That was kind of the elephant in the room: some sort of horrible inevitability. And I tried many different angles to head in a different direction. Dating different girls, being the funny, witty guy at the party, to avoid being the sexual being.” Then, when he was 25, he appeared in a production of Rent. It inspired him. “This gypsy world of people who are just so appreciative of each other’s individuality! Where some people are supergay or are straight and have a wife but they’re okay with gay men giving them foot massages.” He saw kindred spirits in the audience, too. “You can see young couples, old-guy couples, clutching each other, openly sobbing. It’s very cathartic. And it certainly put to rest my weird personal concerns.” So after some soul-searching, Harris slowly came out to friends, associates, and finally his parents. He came out publicly in 2006—when he was 33. “I was a late bloomer.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump rolls out tariffs on virtually all imports
Speed Read On "Liberation Day," Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to America and higher reciprocal tariffs for some 60 other countries
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published