Last year, Tevin Campbell quote-tweeted a post that said, “My mom keeps telling me Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, and Tevin Campbell were gay,” adding the phrase “Tevin is” along with a rainbow flag and a sunglasses emoji, according to Out magazine. But then Campbell deleted the tweet, which led to some confusion. Now the R&B icon is ready to talk about it all on his terms. Campbell’s sexuality had been a topic of discussion in the past, leading him to previously deny being gay, reportedly telling the former publication Sister 2 Sister, “I’m not gay, but there’s a lot of different things that I do like sexually,” and “Being in the business, you are introduced to a lot of different things. I’m not gay, but I’m a freak, and I think a lot of people know what a freak is.” The rumors began in part due to Campbell’s 1999 arrest for soliciting “lewd acts” from an undercover policeman. Now Campbell has officially come out on the People Every Day podcast.
Campbell partially attributes his newfound readiness to come out to his time starring as Seaweed Stubbs in Hairspray on Broadway and in Australia. “That was a change in my life. That was a great time in my life. I grew up a lot,” said Campbell on the podcast. “LGBTQ+ people that were living normal lives, that had partners, I had never seen that. That was pleasing to me. And they were great people!
“Every person in the world isn’t straight,” he correctly pointed out. “Get over it!”
