During a guest appearance on HBO’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, the 80-year-old Copacabana singer said he didn’t think it was important to announce his sexuality during the earlier decades of his career.
Manilow came out in 2017, almost three years after he married his husband and manager Garry Kief in a private ceremony. The couple have been together for 45 years now, though they’ve kept much of their relationship away from the public eye.
When he came out to People magazine in 2017, Manilow — whose real name is Barry Pincus — worried he’d be “disappointing” some of his fans by revealing his sexuality. Instead, Manilow, who was 73 at the time, said the reaction from his fanbase was “beautiful.”
Despite his current feelings of nonchalance about his own coming out, Manilow said announcing his sexuality as his career was booming would have been a bad idea.
“Now being gay is no big deal,” he explained. “Back in the ’70s it would have killed a career.”
Regardless, the usually very private Manilow said he thinks “everybody knew that Garry and I were a couple all those years.”
“Really, Garry and I’ve been together for so long,” he said. “It just never dawned on me that we’re going to come out. But when we got married, it was a big deal, so we did.”
Manilow credited Kief for saving his life. He said he is thankful he had Kief to support him as his music career was taking off, despite keeping their relationship under wraps.
“As my career exploded, it was just crazy. And, you know, going back to an empty hotel room, you can get into a lot of trouble if you’re alone night after night after night,” Manilow explained. “But I met Garry right around when it was exploding. And I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had somebody to cry with or to celebrate with.”
Manilow said he did not wish an isolated hotel room for any young people.
“It was pretty lonely until I met Garry. And then it was fun,” he smiled.
Kief is not Manilow’s first spouse. In 1964, Manilow married his high school sweetheart, Susan Deixler. They were married for one year.
Manilow told CNN’s Wallace he “really did love” Deixler, but added “the gay thing was pretty, pretty strong. I couldn’t deny it.”
The singer said he knew he was gay before marrying Deixler, but their marriage ended because Manilow couldn’t be the committed husband his then-wife needed. He revealed that his sexuality was not the reason his marriage failed.
“We had a very nice marriage, it was great, but I was away every night making music, as a young musician would be,” Manilow described. “It wasn’t good for me, and it wasn’t good for her.”
“I couldn’t be the proper husband,” he continued. “I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats. I wasn’t ready to settle down.”
Brooklyn-born Manilow skyrocketed to international fame in 1974 after his release of the ever-popular pop-rock ballad Mandy. He became one of the biggest-selling musicians of all time. Prior to his success as a singer-songwriter, Manilow was behind a number of famous commercial jingles for brands like State Farm and Band-Aid — a gig that he has said helped him create catchy hooks for his own hit songs.
Barbra Streisand Says She ‘Can’t Live In This Country’ If This Happens
The well-known singer and performer Barbra Streisand reiterated her intention to leave the country in the event that Donald Trump wins the presidency once more.
The vocal Democrat, who actively supported Hillary Clinton in 2016, voiced her distaste for living in the nation under Trump’s presidency in an interview with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show.”
When Colbert questioned Streisand about where she may go if she were to leave, she casually said, “Probably England, I like England.”
This statement is reminiscent to one she made prior to the 2016 election, in which she declared she would think about moving to Canada or another nation in the event that Trump won.
Like a number of other celebrities, Streisand chose to stay in the United States after the 2016 election, despite her prior promise to depart in the event that Trump was elected president.
Several celebrities, including Amy Schumer, Bryan Cranston, and Cher, made comparable vows yet continued to reside in the nation following Trump’s election.
Trump has frequently been criticised by Streisand, who has dubbed him the “Liar in Chief” and the “Groper in Chief.” She has called Trump “so stupid” and “so ill-informed,” expressing her profound regret in his “heartbreaking” election triumph in 2016.
With “Walls,” her album from 2018, Streisand persisted in her criticism of Trump.
The sharp lyrics of the song “Don’t Lie to Me” questioned the falsification of facts and the worldwide fallout from such activities.
Barbra Streisand described Trump’s presidency in 2021 as “four years in a black hole,” highlighting the toll that disinformation has on people, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She emphasised the need of honesty and called on leaders to be open and honest, saying, “Tell people the truth; they can deal with it.”
Streisand’s public discourse on politics and societal concerns is shaped by her uncompromising candour.
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