Singer Tevin Campbell has shared that he is gay during a recent interview. He’s faced speculation about his sexuality for many years, and previously described himself as someone who was a bit of a “freak”.
The Grammy winning singer is best known for his early 90’s RnB hits including Can We Talk and Get Ready.
“I’m not gay, but there are a lot of different things that I do like, sexually,” Campbell said when asked about his sexuality decades ago. “Being in the business, you are introduced to a lot of different things. I’m not gay but I’m a freak and I think a lot of people know what a freak is.”
Speaking to the People magazine podcast People Every Day, Campbell said it was difficult to come out as a gay artist when his career was at it’s peak, and he is filled with admiration for queer artists today including Lil Nas X and Frank Ocean.
“When I came out to my family and friends, about 19 or 20, that was it for me,” Campbell said. “And then I went on the road of discovering myself. I didn’t know who I was.”
Campbell said he hoped society would eventually reach a point where celebrities coming out was not a big deal.
“When we can get to the place in society where somebody can just say, ‘Yeah, I’m gay,’” Campbell said. “Every person in the world isn’t straight. Get over it! When you get to a point in your life where you love yourself so much and you don’t give a damn what people say or think about you, that feels so good.”
“What makes me happiest right now is how far I’ve come in life. You know, there are a lot of child stars that don’t make it. But a lot of us do, and the fact that I’ve embraced me.”
Tevin Campbell first came to prominence as a teenager when in 1989 when he performed on the Quincy Jones album Back on the Block. His platinum selling debut album T.E.V.I.N was released in 1991 and he went on to have greater success with his 1993 follow-up I’m Ready.
As an actor he appeared alongside Prince in Graffiti Bridge, and also appeared on television programs including The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Moesha. His career stalled after he arrested in 1999 for soliciting a lewd act from an uncover police officer.
OIP Staff
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