"And The Truth Shall Set You Free..."

Jesse Tyler Ferguson Came Out to His Parents After He Got Caught Stealing Gay Porn

People.com
Jess Cagle
March 07, 2018

Like many a plot twist on his show Modern Family, Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s real-life coming out story is equal parts embarrassing and hilarious.

The actor, 42, remembers that as a freshman in high school, he got caught by security at a bookstore in his hometown of Albuquerque, N.M. attempting to shoplift gay porn.

 “My mom and dad saw the nature of the material I was stealing, and that’s how I came out,” he says. “I find it funny now, but at the time it was incredibly traumatizing. Ironically, my father still had a hard time catching up. I snuck some straight porn in there too, so that threw him off just enough.”

His father eventually caught on. “I’m now married [to Justin Mikita], and my father, who had such a hard time accepting my sexuality, danced at my wedding very happily,” says Ferguson.



PEOPLE and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, along with GLSEN, the non-profit that fights to make schools safe for all kids, invited individuals from all walks of life to share real-life coming out stories. COMING OUT STORIES (produced by Ryan Buxton) can be seen at people.com/comingoutstories.

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