Neil Patrick Harris Discusses Coming Out Of The Closet

Neil Patrick Harris has been out as an openly gay man since 2006. That said, there hasn’t been a lot of attention given to his sexuality. Mostly because Harris has defied stereotypes, by playing the playboy turned groom-to-be Barney Stinston on the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. After coming out whether it was a conscious decision or not, Harris has played against the type that is often portrayed in the gay community.

This doesn’t mean that Neil Patrick Harris has shyed away from speaking about his sexuality, and the very troubling issues the LGBT had to overcome. Harris has spoken out about how important equal rights are, and that includes the right for all to marry.

One thing that hasn’t been in the spotlight since Neil Patrick Harris came out in 2006, is the reason he decided to announce to the world that he was gay. In a chat with HuffPost Live, Harris spoke openly about the reason behind his coming out all those years ago.

Turns out is had to do with his love of nine years, David Burtka:

“For me, I fell in love with a dude and started spending all my time with him, and therefore, you don’t want to be suppressive of that. And so as I started working more frequently, with more eyes on us, I figured that that was inevitability and the opposite would be, again, suppressive.”

Harris elaborated that he was thinking of his partner Burtka and his feelings which led him to openly announce that he was gay.

“I didn’t want to disrespect David. I didn’t want to make David feel like he didn’t exist in my life, and at the same time I didn’t want David’s identity to be the guy that’s dating me. It’s a very individual thing.”

Since coming out it seems like the media has fully embraced Neil Patrick Harris. Just last week photos of his family trick or treating hit the web and were adored by millions of people.

Are you surprised by Neil Patrick Harris’ reason for coming out of the closet in 2006?

[Image Credit: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]