Jim Nabors marries his longtime boyfriend

Shazam.

http%3A//blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/2013/01/jim_nabors_marr.php

Even my severely attenuated gaydar pinged like mad when he was in Gomer Pyle, USMC!
LuciferTheLightBringer
He had to wait for Andy to kick the bucket?
What would seargent Carter say? Or aunt Bea?
38 years and he kept denying he was gay? Oh well better late than never; not that I ever had any doubt. I wonder why he thought he had to stay in the closet? It was not like he was a sex symbol or anything.
Anonymous
I have a huge issue with this. Hiding. Then all of a sudden he wants to have all the benefits of marriage and doesn't want to do do squat for marriage equality. He's said he doesn't want to be vocal about SS Marriage. You can't have your cake and eat it too without some sort of payment. Yep, he's old. But this is a golden opportunity to advocate for gays and lesbians and he hits the deck as a coward.
He was obviously for gays in the military as far back as 1964!
I hope he and Don Rickles will be very very happy.
Nabors has no plan to get involved in the gay marriage debate. "I'm not a debater. And everybody has their own opinion about this and actually I'm not an activist so I've never gotten involved in any of this," Nabors said. Cowardly turd. He doesnt want to do any work, just enjoy the benefits.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/20805642/exclusive-actor-jim-nabors-marries-his-longtime-male-partner
He is an old man, from a time WAY before Stonewall. His life experiences have been totally different from anything you younger gays can fathom. Yes, even those who would be considered "eldergays." Nabors was trying to forge a career in show business decades before there was such a THING as being out. It would have ended his career. The whole Hudson marriage thing did enough damage, as it was, at least as far as the "whispers." Yes, gay rights have come a long long way but people who were shaped from generations of self hate, the closet, FEAR and life decisions based upon the fact that being gay was considered an illness and an abomination and the worst possible thing one could be get a free pass from me. Why eviscerate him?
A lot of us grew up with fear, hate, and misinformation, but still came out and were proud and became gay advocates--largely BECAUSE of what we were put through. If he's going to get married and talk about it, wold it kill him to also say he's in favor of gay marriage???
Anyone who has a problem with this, from ANY angle, needs to recognize it's their own problem, no one else's.
I agree to a point with R9. Except that he hasn't been forging a career for the last 25 years. His extreme wealth with farms and land in Maui have afforded him a lavish lifestyle. A lifestyle not hinging on his entertainment career. Those last 25 years could have been productive toward justice for our gay and lesbian community. Yet he chose to squander the time by cowering in the closet.
That's rather a sweeping and ignorant statement. Anyone who objects to a gay, married public figure who won't say anything in favor of gay marriage has a problem? Yeah, they want equal rights and their problem is they have to deal with morons like you who defend wimpasses.
Because of course there are no younger gays who are reaping the benefits of marriage without having worked hard to get the rights.
But the point is, he has and had the opportunity for far many more years than many young gays and lesbians have had available to them. And he CHOSE to do nothing. To not enter the debate when he could have many times and did nothing yet reaps the benefits. That's the issue. Think of the years, the many years of missed opportunity. That's the problem.
"Oh dear! He's queer?"
Aunt%20Bea
Same for straights, r14. I guess they're all "cowards."
They got married in Seattle, Washington. His home and assets are in Hawaii. What's the benefit?
Thanks, R9. You said it well. R10. R12. I'll just take a guess and say that you are younger than Jim Nabors. Yes, many of us grew up with fear, hate and misinformation, but since we're younger than Nabors, we have had a lot more moral support with friends and society in general than Nabors had during his younger years. And it doesn't much matter that Nabors hasn't been forging a career for the past 25 years. Sometimes the insecurities with which we grew up don't always go away. It's like a fat person--even when they're no longer fat--they think they're fat. Take someone like George Takei of 'Star Trek.' He never came out until relatively recently. Why didn't he come out years ago? Because he didn't or couldn't for any number of reasons. And yet he is basically asking us to accept him now. Take Jodie Foster for example--she's much younger than Jim Nabors and George Takei--and we still can't figure out whether she actually came out at the Golden Globes two weeks ago. Should people come out? Yes. But depending on their age, place in life and personal insecurities, some people have a tough time of it. Jim Nabors grew up in an era when the closet was one of the only choices. Old people just don't turn on a dime. And some people aren't political and don't debate. Some just quietly live their lives even if they're a famous actor from yesteryear. I have less tolerance for younger people who won't come out, but Jim Nabors and George Takei? I don't know; I just have to give them a bit of a break given the era in which they grew up and where they were in life at the time.
Damn! Not a single DLer has posted this yet, so I will: CONGRATULATIONS, JIM!
Good%20manners%20are%20so%20rare%20nowadays
He doesn't owe you anything.
I have a distinct feeling that some of you don't have a lot of friends.
Did he ever come out or is this the first time he's announced he has any kind of partner? Looks like he's got him self a younger man. He's 82 and the guy is 64 and he said they've been together 38 years. It's interesting the different ways people are coming out now. Just getting married like Nabors or announcing engagements like Matt Dallas or committing domestic abuse against your ex like Kwame Harris did. The era of the magazine article announcing you're gay may be on its way out.
He just got gay married and announced it to the world. Does he really need to make a separate announcement that he favors gay marriage? Give the geezer a little slack.
Anomynous%20
Jim Nabors is not gay, I don't believe it!
Cheryl
I am not a public figure, so it certainly should not matter to anyone, but I am NEVER going to do the so-called "coming out" number. Nor am I ever going to be so-called "gay", and I will never be engaged in so-called "gay marriage". I am a homosexual because that is a personality trait which I did not choose, and can not change. It does not mean that I have any obligation to let you people stamp me out into a cookie-cutter "gay". I am just a man who happens to be homosexual. (period)
R26. You don't have to shout it from the rooftop. That's okay. But what's your apparent aversion to the word "gay?" The tone of your comment appears to say "homosexual" with such disdain. You seem rather ashamed that you were born with this "personality trait which you did not choose."
George Takei is out - he doesn't hide his partner at all. The whole idea of big, public I'M GAY announcements is absurd.
R27, I don't know if I am ashamed of it, but I for damn sure don't like it any. Do you think that I should pretend that I do? I did everything that I could think of to become heterosexual, but as you probably know, there seems to be no way to change same-sex attraction to opposite-sex attraction. R26
Jim Nabors deserves all the happiness in the world. All of you who think he could have emerged from the closet unscathed at any time during the last 40 years need to think about the reaction of millions of delusional, homophobic fans who would have sent him death threats and hate mail. Think about his friends in Hollywood who never would have spoken to him again, nor would have risked being seen with him. Why do you think he fled to Hawaii? Even now, if you live in fly-over country, you will find plenty of morons who would just as soon beat a gay man to death as shake hands with him. Most of you young people don't even remember what the world was like when Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet in 1997. She was scared to death to admit she was gay. While she was welcomed into the reasonably gay-friendly cocoon of Los Angeles, she also received verbal abuse from popular conservative figures like Jerry Falwell, who referred to her as "Ellen DeGenerate." So don't you dare to deny Nabors the right to live a peaceful life. My God, some of you activists are as bad as the homophobes. Congratulate him or leave him alone.
Anonymous
I agree with R24.
Larry King got married at a pretty advanced age, and he didn't become a heterosexual activist.
I think Jim also grew up in a religious Alabama family. That would be hell now -imagine being a gay kid in the old days. Cut him a break.
[bold]Jim and Stan Make a Porno[/bold] Stan: "Do you want this ass? Do you want it? Take that ass! Give it to me! Give it to me like Gomer, Daddy!" Jim: [bold]"Damp under there...Could be spiders." [/bold] Stan: "Hold up! Wait! My hole has to get used to it! You're so...ugh...girthsome!" Jim: [bold]"Surprise, surprise, surprise!"[/bold]
He's been gay like forever. I've never liked him though because of the way he sang.
I'm all for outing people - Kevin Spacey, Luke Evans and company - but Jim is an old man, let him be.
I seriously thought he was dead.
So funny to me. My grandmother, who loved Hollywood gossip, told me Nabors was gay but she loved his voice. (He apparently sang, too. She had vinyl albums of his.) She also told me about the guy played Ironside/Perry Mason. He was iA Place in the Sun with Elizabeth Taylor as the prosecutor. Point being, even back then, many people who didn't work in the industry were aware who was gay. I have no clue how she knew.Rona Barrett? Did they out people back then? [quote]Cowardly turd. He doesnt want to do any work, just enjoy the benefits. Sorry, but I must agree. I had to Google to find who this is. He was apparently rumored to have an affair with Rock Hudson. Evidently not true but when Hudson came out, that would have been a perfect time for him, as well. Hudson had been playing a romantic interest for Krystle, on Dynasty. Nabors well. After all, u
[quote] , but I for damn sure don't like it any. You're a redneck aren't you? Grease fires for r32 as well please.
Don't ever try to edit your response via cut and paste, on a phone. Too tired and needing sleep.
R38
So did I r37, still being alive might be a bigger shock to most people than his coming out.
Every gay celebrity I can think of said when they came out that they didn't want to be an activist for gay rights. Why would they say that? Is it because gay activists and the gay public are not forceful and loud enough? I think so. Does anyone remember when Jim Nabors went on The O'Reilly Factor a few years ago. Bill O'Reilly poked fun of him. I think it was because he knew he was gay. It irriated me. The interview was apart of a series on old celebrites. He didn't treat any of the other celebrites like that.
congrats to Jim! Cool guy you STILL are!
Glad he finally came out. And congratulations boys. Any pictures of the ex-firefighter husband from 38 years ago!
Oh, Andy.
Aunt Bea.
R38, when did Rock Hudson come out? Answer that question and maybe you'll start understanding why Nabors didn't either. Maybe compassion rather than self righteousness is in order. Congratulations to the newlyweds.
I thought he married Rock Hudson years ago!! :)
R41, Another vote for shocked he's alive. Congrats to him.
R5, it's "eat your cake and have it, too."
Why can't you eat your cake and have it too? What the point of holding cake, if you can't eat it?
Always%20wanted%20to%20ask%20that
[quote] They got married in Seattle, Washington. His home and assets are in Hawaii. What's the benefit? The benefit is that same-sex marriage is LEGAL in Washington state. It is not in Hawai'i. They are, however, considered lawful civil unions there.
Jim Nabors - the one person who's been in the closet longer than Jodie Foster.
Ah, I just looked this up...the concept is once you eat the cake, you no longer have it.
R26, please seek therapy. You are a deeply unhappy person. I wish you health and happiness, and you sure as hell ain't happy now.
Congratulations, Jim and Stan! And I don't know why some DLers think they have a right to demand activism from anyone, if the same people who are demanding it are also attacking anyone who joins the GLBT community too late, too awkwardly, or not in the exact, precise way they wish they would.
R5/49/50/53, on last week's 30 Rock, Jack corrected Liz when she said she was chomping at the bits. Horses, he pointed out, champ, not chomp, at bits.
R55 I don't think they demand activism, just honesty. It's different.
If Gomer had just let me 'fix him'.
Lou%20Ann%20Poovie
But nowdays the act of coming out and just have your picture taken and published is considered gay activism. The whole gay visibility has become such a huge activism issue.
It's nice to see that Rock's widow was able to finally find love again. There's hope for us all.
Doris Day
"I'll beat the gay out of him if I get my hands on him!"
Sgt.%20Carter%2C%20USMC
Wishing them many more years together! I'm saddened that it took 20 posts before anyone congratulated this couple. Some of you are just as bad as those you admonish: full of self-righteousness and anger; live your life as you see fit and respect others to do the same.
Nabors is a gentle guy. Quite timid and private. Bashing him for not being over the top and loud, is unfair and stupid. He is who he is and deserves fairer treatment. Not all of us are protesters, Nabors always contributed to our causes, that was all he was comfortable doing. Hell, he virtually gave up his career for privacy.
No one is bashing him. He's an old man and things were different then but nowadays those who lie about being gay are not private but dishonest.
Don't ask, don't tell...ABOUT ANYTHING! Hey Reply 26, have you sought therapy to see why you're so bitter about being gay?
R26 is a troll
[quote]It's interesting the different ways people are coming out now. Just getting married like Nabors or announcing engagements like Matt Dallas or committing domestic abuse against your ex like Kwame Harris did. or on your website!
Ricky%20Martin
[quote]I think Jim also grew up in a religious Alabama family. Just what I was gonna post. He came of age in a rural part of the state, when the Klan still held sway. Of course Helen Keller could've seen it coming, and of course it would've been nice if he had come out with pride, but I just can't hold it against him. He seems like a nice man and I wish him happiness.
Congrats to him. I don't get attacking people for coming out "too late." He didn't have to come out AT ALL, and neither did Richard Chamberlain, George Takei, and the other eldergay celebs. They could have taken their "secret" to the grave, but they chose to be honest. I'm surprised he came out at all, given his fundie, religious background.
He had a liver transplant about 10 years ago. I think he had Hep C. It's a miracle he's still alive and doing so well. Then again, Larry Kramer had the same procedure.
I can't believe the number of people here at work who are shocked he is gay. Both young and old. They thought it was just a goofy character. These people only believe what they want to believe.
They look like twins! Congratulations, boys!
Isn't Nabors worth a lot of money?
R71 They deserve it. These are the people who think that our gay gossip is just wishful thinking.
He came from a different time. I'm happy the guy lived long enough to see this. Better late than never.
Actions do speak louder than words. Nabors may not want to enter into a "debate" (as quoted in the Hawaii newspaper where this item originated). However, by marrying his partner and announcing in a public interview that he did this so that his partner would get his financial and property rights is making a public statement of his position on "gay marriage". He comes from a much earlier generation and perhaps doesn't feel comfortable being political or confrontation - it is not his style.
If R26 is not a troll, he is a self-loathing mess. Wow.
[quote]Isn't Nabors worth a lot of money? Yes, he is. If I'm not mistaken at one point he owned a very profitable macadamia plantation in Hawaii. He may still own it. Anyway, congrats to him and his husband. I don't judge him for not coming out publicly before now. As others have said, he grew up in a time and place that made it very dangerous to be gay. I don't think he ever tried to create a facade of straightness. I'm just happy for him that he feels comfortable at this point to marry the man he's been with for so long.
Rock Hudson is rolling in his grave.
Linda Evans
So much for the denails huh Nabors? Douche comes out at 82. *claps*
From his wikipedia bio: "He attended the University of Alabama, where he began acting in skits. While at Alabama he became a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity." Think he got any fratboy dick when he was in college?
What's new? Another celeb who waits until their fame is long gone and no one cares before they finally come out. Same old story.
Add me to those who didn't realize that he was still with us. I think it's cool that he had the chance to marry his partner. But I also think that in exercising a right that was achieved through activism, you might want to just say even though I am not an activist, I appreciate those that are who made this possible.
He could have spoken just a quick word in support of Baehr v. Lewin whereby Hawaii denied marriage licenses to SS couples in 1993. He said nothing. He could have spoken out against a 1998 constitutional amendment granting the Hawaii State Legislature the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples, which it later did by passing a law that banned same-sex marriage. He said nothing. Even second class legislation for civil unions from his "beloved" Hawaii as vetoed by Republican Gov Linda Lingle. He kept silent. Just because he's old is no excuse. Think of the invaluable help he could have provided and didn't. He kept silent.
Doesn't he still get money from old re-runs of Gomer Pyle? That's why he kept silent all these years.
R85. If so, I doubt that his contract included a cause canceling his residuals if he came out. Sheesh.
Are you sure they are still rerunning Gomer Pyle r85? It's not exactly a timeless classic, it's no "I Love Lucy." I doubt it's had a syndication run in quite a while. And no, sitcom stars in those days only got paid for the first 6 repeats. Sitcom stars from the olden days burnt through whatever little they were paid long ago, no matter how big a hit it was in syndication. He does apparently have money from other sources though, as other posters have indicated.
R66, he's also yet another "gay is a small part of who I am" type who hypocritically makes such declarations on a gay website. If you're so "not gay", what the fuck are you doing here?
You guys need to be kinder. R26 may be a troll or he may not be. Seriously, have some compassion: I love the pointless bitchery as much as anyone else but I can't imagine coming out and accepting oneself is easy if you have hang ups of any kind; everyone's path is different and I hope those that are like R26 on DL and in real life are eventually able to accept and love themselves.
I like to think that I paved the way for this. You're WELCOME.
Jodie%20F.
When John Travolta does this exact same shit and finally comes out and marries a man, will he be excused too?
r91, Nabors didn't marry a woman or go to great lengths to create a heterosexual facade. He didn't sue blogs or papers for writing that he's gay, either.
R91 Obviously not.
Actually, by getting married when it's still not legal all over *IS* a brave act.
a large part of his fan base were/is old ladies who love his singing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DoqJ2jYumJJo
[quote]He does apparently have money from other sources though, as other posters have indicated. Nabors made WAY more money as a singer than he ever did as a TV comedian. Hard to believe, but he has sold millions of records over the years. His vocal act, with a little comedy thrown in, was perfect fodder for any type of resort/casino that needed a showroom headliner. He played lucrative live gigs on and off for decades. He bought pineapple farms too.
The Onion's Spin on this: Screwball Jim Nabors Goofs Up Again By Marrying Man SEATTLE—In just the latest of his bumbling misadventures, dimwitted Andy Griffith Show actor Jim Nabors, 82, reportedly found out today that he goofed up again after inadvertently marrying another man in a Seattle ceremony. “Aw, now, I didn’t mean to go and get myself hitched to a fella!” said the lovable but slow-witted Nabors, who in a series of humorous blunders managed to get mixed up in a legal gay marriage ceremony with local man Stan Cadwallader before a Washington state judge. “Heck, I mean, a fella and another fella? I don’t figure that much because, see, if he’s a man, and I’m a man...then...then....well, golly, I can’t make heads nor tails of this mess!” At press time, a red-faced Nabors reported being even more confused after being kissed by Cadwallader.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/screwball-jim-nabors-goofs-up-again-by-marrying-ma%2C31095/
^ Cute
[quote]But I also think that in exercising a right that was achieved through activism, you might want to just say even though I am not an activist, I appreciate those that are who made this possible. I agree with this, but it seems like living in the era where celebrities do come out has spawned a whole Mrs. Kravitz gossip industry that cares about every detail about HOW they come out. [quote]Doesn't he still get money from old re-runs of Gomer Pyle? That's why he kept silent all these years. I think it's more likely he knew his fan base was older people - who else bought his records after 1970? Same thing with Johnny Mathis.
"I don't know if I am ashamed of it..." I know. You have shame issues.
I had hear a rumor when I was in LA in the early 80s that Jim Nabors had married Rock Hudson in a marriage ceremony. Was that some bitchiness cattiness to out those two, especially Rock Hudson? I mean Nabors made Paul Lynde and Liberace look butch! He was one of those stars where it was so obvious that one would be shocked if he were straight.
It does not surprise me that Jim Nabors stayed in the closet for so long. He is from a generation that normally keeps a gay sex life private, even in liberal Hollywood. Lily Tomlin is another good example. She knew what side her bread was buttered on. If she would have come out in 1969 or early 70's her career would have been over after Laugh-In. No tours, movies, television specials, or Broadway. She came out in recent years because her career is just about over.
Professor Moriarty
This one is hard for me. Yes, the guy is very very old, with engrained hatred. But, I have met people his age that seem sharp as a tack and politically active. It's not easy for older people to change, but it is not imposable. Sometimes we give old folk TOO much of a pass. If they were nasty when they were young, usually just more so later on. A lot of the older generation were taught not to speak about politics. But times have changed. I am sure he doesn't use a dial phone anymore so surly you could cum up to speed at least just a little bit.
How old are you, [R103]? In your 20s? How many years ago did you come out? How many people have you influenced in your short life?
Disgusted
Hmmmmm, I see three types of gays here. The really old ones. They get a pass I guess because being gay was illegal and a physiological disorder when they were young. The middle gays, They grew up with it was legal and not crazy, but keep it in the closet society. The young gays, Almost not discrimination, cans serve openly in the military, marriage on it's way, majority population acceptance. Seems to me we need to redefine what elder gay is. I know, I know, everyone over 30. But seriously, there are huge differences here. In the straight world they would be called middle aged. Any ideas?
By influence do you mean how many people took my name and used it as a joke, as in "you are such a gomer" R104.