For the first time, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith has publicly acknowledged that he is gay—and it happened during National Coming Out Month.
Smith did it while speaking about Fox News head Roger Ailes, who was ousted in a major sexual-harassment scandal. Responding to reports that Ailes had stopped Smith from coming out publicly years ago, Smith told The Huffington Post, “That’s not true. He was as nice as he could be to me. I loved him like a father.”
Smith was also asked if Ailes had openly used anti-gay slurs; he replied, “No, never. He treated me with respect, just respect.”
Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, recalled becoming aware of Smith’s sexual orientation when the journalist hit on him at a gay bar in New York City in 2004. “I didn’t immediately out him because he wasn’t actively courting media attention at the time,” Naff writes in a new column, “Shep Smith comes out—11 years after I outed him,” in the publication.
“After 14 years at the Blade, it remains one of the most popular stories I’ve written, which is unfortunate. I’d much prefer that privileged celebrities come out on their own and help inspire the next generation,” Naff added. The column is at www.washingtonblade.com/2016/10/17/shep-smith-comes-11-years-outed/.