‘Walking Dead’ Star Norman Reedus Not Afraid To Be Gay

Many Walking Dead fans lost their minds on Twitter when the first gay male characters were introduced this season, expressing disgust and outrage at their kiss. But Norman Reedus told Conan O’Brien Tuesday night that if Daryl Dixon had been gay, as rumors once suggested, he would have fully embraced that Walking Dead story.

“I had a talk with [Walking Dead TV series creator] Frank Darrabont early, early on about ‘Would you do it?’ and I was like, ‘Hell yeah, let’s do it.’ If that was the story they gave me, I would rock that story. I’m not afraid of it.”

Rumors had circulated many months ago that the Daryl Dixon character might be gay, explaining the absence of any romantic hookups on The Walking Dead. Reedus confirmed that there was some substance to the rumors, as he had discussed it with Walking Dead comic creator and Executive Producer Robert Kirkman.

“There was I think an interviewer that went to Robert Kirkman and he said, ‘I know you guys cross-reference some things from the comic book, and there’s a character named Jesus who’s a real badass in the comic book. Is Daryl taking that over? Is he going to be gay?’ Kirkman said, ‘I don’t know. We’ve talked about it.’ “

Many Walking Dead fans chimed in after the infamous gay kiss, with some commenting that they didn’t want gay characters on the show. But Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson) are not the first gay characters on The Walking Dead. Have Walking Dead fans forgotten that Tara (Alanna Masterson) is gay, losing her post-apocalyptic girlfriend in the battle with The Governor? No one kicked up too much fuss with that storyline.

As some Walking Dead fans pointed out, the show is full of zombies eating people, people eating people, people killing people, but some Walking Dead fans get upset over two characters kissing? Did Walking Dead fans simply have a problem with gay men on the show or gay characters kissing? And would they have objected so strongly if Daryl Dixon had turned out to be gay?

What will it take for The Walking Dead fans to get over all the “gay controversies?” Maybe if series icon Norman Reedus can deal with it, so can they.

Reedus also talked to Conan about how fans reacted at conventions while the gay rumors were going around, and at least one group of fans couldn’t care less about the sexuality of Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead.

“I would go to these conventions, and you’d have these little kids — ‘Man, I don’t care what’s going on, you’re awesome!’ And then you’d have guys my age, or a bit older be like, ‘Uuuhhhhhhh.’ And then you’d have women, they were like, ‘You’d better not be!’ “

C’mon guys, get on board and let Walking Dead characters be as diverse in fiction as they are in reality.

[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]