‘I nearly married a famous gay actor before he came out.’ – Jane Fonda
Grace and Frankie star, Jane Fonda has revealed she had real-life experience of her partner coming out as gay.
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin – who previously appeared together in the cult classic, 9 to 5 – star in new Netflix comedy ‘Grace and Frankie’ as two women left abandoned when their husbands declare their love for each other.
Speaking to PrideSource, the star opened up about her own similar life experience. She said: “When I was young, I was the female that gay guys wanted to try to become heterosexual with. A very famous actor who’s gay – and I will not name names – asked me to marry him. I was very flattered, but I said, ‘Why?’ This was 1964.
“And I mean, he wasn’t the only one. It’s very interesting. And I lived for two years with a guy who was trying to become heterosexual. I’m intimately acquainted with that.”
The veteran actress also spoke about her gay rights hero, Harvey Milk, with whom she was close friends before his assassination.
Sharing her favourite memory, she said: “Campaigning with Harvey Milk in the Castro District in San Francisco for Prop 6. He was the most joyous. He was like Allen Ginsberg.
“He was always smiling and laughing, and he was beloved and he was funny. The most lovable person. I was so happy when I was with him.
“And it was just so much fun going into those gay bars with him – oh my god!”
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33 Comments
Chris
May 13, 04:35Times are changing still, even in Nigeria , some women are knowingly marrying , well, i say bi dudes,
going by a lot of newly weds or about to wed celebrities and non celebrities. As i said sometimes ago,
some men would give their girlfriends choices by telling them but such women were happy to do ‘for better
and for worse’ with them Love goes beyond sexing a person sometimes. Hmmm
Max
May 13, 04:55Bi is the safe word used in Nigeria for that purpose @Chris. Only sensible women know when their suitor is lying.
Other ones will just shove it and sweep it under the rug.. After all, all they want is the Mrs prefix..
Chris
May 13, 05:07Some ladies are really desperate, they dont care, some of them care but they
dont know how to function in such relationships. Some women have weighed
out their options are they are happy to stay with the bi/gay dude.
as i said earlier, Love is more than sexing.
pinkpanthertb
May 13, 05:08Kenny Badmus and ex-wife springs to mind when you think about what lengths some women could go to get married.
Chris
May 13, 05:39Kenny Badmus previous situation might be a good example.
Madam thought she could handle the situation. hmm
Dennis Macaulay
May 13, 05:07Everybody is a victim of the situation. The girl who has family pressure mounted on her that she doesnt think straight and the gay man who cannot be true to himself.
Its a vicious cycle that swallows both of them
kacee
May 13, 05:54@chris I know its more than sexing, but I don’t think Nigerian women have that patience of sticking to the marriage for a long time.
Chris
May 13, 06:46kacee, a lot of Nigerian women dont have the patience to stick it out in marriage in this 21st, nothing most times to do with sexuality. If you find your soulmate and you’re ready to invest in them emotionally you can have a ball.
kendigin
May 13, 06:09I think you guys are mixing it up bcos as far as I know, kenny’s wife wanted to stay married, whether gay or not. Its kenny that wanted out.
I love that guy she. He fine as hell!
Mandy
May 13, 05:34HABA, Jane Fonda! Why did you not name names?! Why leave the gist half told like that, ehn? Mscheeewwww! All these women that can like to hoard gist sef.
Arya Stark
May 13, 06:23” the gay man who cannot be true to himself.” @ Dennis Macaulay true to yourself huh???? Sometimes u say it as though it were that easy! Does being true to yourself involve being a happily single man {minus the flings with dudes, I’ve come to realise its hard to find one who’s willing to stay till d death part thingy}…
Does being true to yourself invlove never having kids or raise them in the normal daddy•mummy way? And having to look back regreting?
Does being true to yourself involve having to come out to your family and freinds damning all consequences?
I really don’t think so. I do believe that this are the mistakes that one needs to make and make amends though it would be smarter as well to learn from other people though!
pinkpanthertb
May 13, 06:27Being true to oneself varies with individuals. That’s what I wish people would understand. not every choices are what everyone wants to make. Marriage. Career. Children. Coming out. Relationships. These make up different definitions of truth for an average gay man.
Dennis Macaulay
May 13, 06:44Bless you PP
Chris
May 13, 06:50@ Arya S, hmm, your questions stirs up alot of issues,
aint easy answering them.
kendigin
May 13, 06:26Ladies and gentle-girls, after much digging and dirt uncovering I am pleased to announce that the person Jane is referring to is most likely ALAIN DELON.
Both somewhat dated in the 50s. And I guess the reason she refused to name him is cos he is still in the closet and largely homophobic. As at 2013, Delon stated that being gay is against nature and gay guys should not be allowed to adopt. He is French Swiss
pinkpanthertb
May 13, 06:28But she says he is out of the closet now.
Peak
May 13, 06:40Abeg where is the HOD of KD’s research department when u need him? Leave green tea 1st come answer us Biko! we need answers before we are misled.
pinkpanthertb
May 13, 06:46LOL! @before we are misled.
Deola, come and provide us with answers joor!
Chris
May 13, 06:52lool, today the HOD is in romance with mint tea not green
Deola
May 13, 07:32Lol. I have never heard of Alain Delon before. I Did a quick search on him and Kendigin is right, they did date after meeting on the set of their movie Joy House.
They would later have a falling out and he went on to get married and had 5 kids.
I dont think this is who Fonda was referring to though. The actor she speaks of isnt in the closet. Alain has been married since ’64 and lives with his wife in Chatou.
Then again Kendigin could be right and he is the one Fonda refers to. I doubt it tho.
pinkpanthertb
May 13, 07:37We didn’t say you should come here and postulate. We said you should go out there and research out the dude’s identity. Good gawd, man!
Deola
May 13, 07:55Lmao. Pinky dakun fimisile.
Arya Stark
May 13, 06:43@ Pinky I think that’s just it ” Being true to oneself varies with individuals.” Not every one can handle being “out of the closet” and not every one can stand being “in the closet”
kendigin
May 13, 07:05Ehen see them lazy asses. Always quick to carry pitch fork. At least I made an effort to look na
pinkpanthertb
May 13, 07:12Dennis, part of what arya is saying is that, some gay men getting married is a choice they make as part of being true to themselves, not because they were pressured into it. So whether bachelorhood or marriage, or anything else in between, these choices can actually be what the individual wants.
Chris
May 13, 07:20@Pp, thanks for helping a bit here, i still need more unravelling of Arya S, questions though.
Sinnex
May 13, 08:49Am I to be worried that my younger sister has more gay friends on facebook than I do? I was checking some guys out and then discovered that she was a mutual friend to most of them. I don’t know if she knows that they are gay. All I know is that I always crush on her boyfriends.
Kenny
May 13, 09:55And yet you’re still a virgin? I’m shocked!!!
Max
May 13, 10:14You’re a tangled mess @Sinnex.. What you need is an all expense paid trip to dickland in rainbow district for at least a week.
That’ll do a lot of good for your thirst.
Arya Stark
May 13, 10:57@Chris there’s definately a lot to issues to be stirred up and calmed or else a lot of us would get lost and never be found @ pinky bless you darl I think u got a bit what I was trying to say! Thank you @ Dennis M…..hmmm I don’t think this platform would be enough to ask and explain a lot of things! However how can u explain that getting married could be something so terrible? I’m not saying u said that getting married is a terrible thing, but if the gay don’t make the mistake of getting married and seeing it dint work for them how would they know it won’t have worked for them?????????
I still don’t agree that being true self is as easy as people who have been out preach? Lemme share an experience……..my elder sister has seen a lot to things that told her I’m gay” or how could/would u explain a text msg from a named contact Mark saying ” I’ve seen him he’s got a small dick and I can fuck it anytime”. After reading that all she said was hmmm what the meaning of this????? To cut the whole story short we were both mute about it…..we still as close as ever but I know that if I do tell her I’m gay a LOT would change!!!!! As much as I crave for her to know I think being Mum about it is just d best for everyone. A Question to Pinky and Everyone else! If you had the opportunity to out of the closet, would u do it? Have I strayed from the topic? *Runsawayonsixinchesheels*
Chuck
May 13, 11:32Arya, the way you figure out that something isn’t for you is : observation and introspection. You know what marrige entails by asking the person you want to marry what they expect. You comapre that with what you want. If they can’t coexist then marriage isn’t for you. You don’t need to get hit by a truck to avoid getting hit by trucks, same with marriage.
If your true self is important to you you will let it out. If I came out and my career would not be affected I would do it immediately.
There’s also a difference between wanting to come out but recognizing that it’s not the right moment or space and thinking that coming out is unnecessary/wrong, which is what the religion addicts here argue.
P.S. – getting married to a woman under false pretences is very disrespectful to that person. If they catch you they should cut your balls and report you so you go to jail.
Gad
May 13, 18:38Through all ages, there has been men and women who remained unmarried. The circumstances of life differs. It has nothing to do with sexuality. I still can’t comprehend why anyone will go into a sham marriage. Imagine having to put up with an unwanted guest for a week talk more of having to wake up daily besides someone you have no feelings for. Well, I know their are foolish people but is their population that much?
Jeova Sanctus Unus
May 13, 19:06Ekwusigo L.G.A.