With LGBTQ+ Pride Month now in full swing, Chris Colfer is reflecting on his own journey to living truthfully.
The California-born actor and author endeared himself to a generation of fans as Kurt Hummel on “Glee,” which ran from 2009 to 2015. Though his character was shown to be grappling with his queer sexuality throughout many of the musical series’ early episodes, Colfer said he was warned that revealing he was gay in real life would be detrimental to his Hollywood career.
“When I read the script for the first time is when I saw it was an openly gay character, and I was terrified,” Colfer recalled while appearing on “The View” this week. Once filming on “Glee” commenced, the actor said he “had a lot of people tell me, ‘Do not come out, whatever you do, because it will ruin your career.’ So I hid for a little bit.”
As buzz about the show began ramping up, however, Colfer understood that hiding his true self would become more of a challenge.
“I also told them, ‘I can’t hide it with my voice … I’m more effeminate than most people. I can’t hide it,’” he explained. “And they said, ‘Don’t worry. As long as you never address it, you’ll be rewarded for it in the end.’”
Colfer first publicly addressed his sexuality while appearing on “Chelsea Lately” in 2009, shortly after the premiere of “Glee” that same year. He said he made the decision to go against the advice of his handlers after a chance encounter with a young fan at an event.
“This little boy secretly slid me an envelope when his parents weren’t looking, and I opened it up and it was a little note that said, ‘Thank you,’” he said. “And there was a little paperclip chain that was the colors of the rainbow, and in that moment, I knew I have to come out.”
He went on to note: “At the time, I was thinking, ‘If I’m an openly gay actor, I may never win a major award, I may never get to play a superhero.’ But I think being a beacon of positivity and providing that comfort for people is way more important than attention.”
Over the course of its six-season run, “Glee” featured an array of LGBTQ+ characters and tackled queer issues including homophobia, transphobia, same-sex marriage and parenting. By the end of the series, Kurt Hummel had married his longtime boyfriend, Blaine Anderson (played by Darren Criss), and the couple were expecting a baby via Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), who was acting as their surrogate.
In recent years, Colfer has been heavily focused on writing. His 20th book, “Roswell Johnson Saves The World!,” was unveiled this week.
Watch Chris Colfer’s appearance on “The View” below.
