Why Barry Manilow Hid His Sexuality For Nearly Four Decades
At 73, icon Barry Manilow is opening up for the first time about coming out, finding love, and his turbulent career in a People magazine exclusive.
“I’m so private. I always have been,” Barry said in his Palm Springs home with his manager husband Garry Kief.
Reflecting back on his first love, music, he also had to explain his second love, high school sweetheart Susan Deixler: “I was in love with Susan,” said Barry. “I just was not ready for marriage. I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats — I was too young. I wasn’t ready to settle down.”
In 1971, Barry accompanied a young Bette Midler at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse for which later made Bette a staple in the LGBT community in New York City. He also produced her first two albums.
After garnering success with his pop-rock ballad “Mandy,” he later recorded “Looks Like We Made It,” “Copacabana” and “Can’t Smile Without You.” In 1978, he mat Garry, a then TV executive and Houston native.
Pictured: Barry Manilow, Garry Kief – Credit: FameFlynet, Inc
“I knew that this was it,” said Barry. “I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that. He’s the smartest person I’ve ever met in my life — and a great guy, too.”
Longtime friend Suzanne Somers chimed in: “There’s Barry Manilow the performer, and then there’s the Barry ‘machine.’ It takes enormous savvy and know-how to book and market complicated arena tours, choreograph promotion, direct the entire team and make it look effortless, and that part is Garry’s domain. A major career takes two. Between them, there is enormous comfort and trust.”
After Garry saw Barry in concert, Barry recalled that he “got into the car with him, and [the fans] were rocking the car. [Garry] was like, ‘I can’t handle this. It’s not for me.’ I’m glad he stayed.”
39 years later, they’re still together. Throughout that time, they kept their relationship secret. At one point, he even stopped out with a once-rumored love interest Linda Allen during the relationship to help stifle rumors.
The two were married in April 2014, but even then, Barry was admittedly hesitant to discuss their relationship publically.
“I thought I would be disappointing [fans] if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything,” Manilow said. “When they found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy. The reaction was so beautiful — strangers commenting, ‘Great for you!’ I’m just so grateful for it.”
Read the interview at People magazine.