Jonathan Groff on life in the closet: ‘I did the stupidest things’

Jonathan Groff has discussed what it was like for him to be in the closet and dating in his early 20s.

The Looking actor, who came out at the age of 23 during an LGBT rally, has recalled a time when he attended the Tony Awards as a nominee and made his partner sit at the back of the audience so people wouldn’t know they were together.

“I didn’t bring him as my date,” Groff said while accepting an award from the Point Foundation on Monday night. “Even though I was performing eight times a week in a show about the importance of self-expression and the danger of sexual repression, I kept my relationship with my ‘roommate’ a secret.”

He said that he went to “great lengths” to hide his sexuality from his colleagues at the time, which meant his boyfriend was constantly left out.

He continued: “I was still very scared and insecure about being gay. I did the stupidest things. And I went to great lengths to keep my cast and crew from asking me about my ‘roommate.’ For example, I never had him come to the theatre, and I never invited him out after the show.”

“Opening night was tricky because he was there, but I worked it out, so all the pictures that night were group shots, and I’m not even standing next to him,” he added.

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