Tevin Campbell has said he’s finally comfortable in coming out publicly as a gay man.
Fans have long speculated about the “Can We Talk” singer’s sexuality, but ever since his inception as an artist in the late ’80s he’s kept his private life out of the public eye.
However, earlier this year, Campbell fueled the longtime speculation by tweeting (and later deleting) the phrase “Tevin is…” followed by a rainbow flag emoji.
Now, speaking on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast, Campbell has confirmed that he identifies as a gay man and explained why he didn’t do it sooner.
“What makes me happiest right now is how far I’ve come in life,” he said. “You know, there are a lot of child stars that don’t make it. But a lot of us do … and the fact that I’ve embraced me.”
Campbell explained that it wasn’t so much that he concealed his sexuality from those around him, he just felt it wasn’t accepted to be gay in the music industry early on in his career.
“I didn’t hide anything about me. I didn’t try to act a certain way or anything,” he said. “You just couldn’t be [gay] back then.”
In 2005, Tevin Campbell starred as Seaweed J. Stubbs in the Broadway musical Hairspray; it was during this time he felt like he’d truly found himself.
“Being around people who were like me, LGBTQ+ people that were living normal lives and had partners. I had never seen that,” he said. “That was a great time in my life.”
The singer also heaped praise on the likes of Frank Ocean and Lil Nas X, who have found huge success in music while also being openly queer.
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“It wasn’t like that in the ’90s, but I’m glad I get to see it. I’m glad that’s changing,” Campbell said. “There are a lot of kids, especially young Black boys that need to see representation. They’re not being taught to love themselves because of who they are.”
Tevin Campbell released his platinum-selling debut, T.E.V.I.N., in 1991 and followed it up with 1993’s I’m Ready, which produced the No. 1 single “Can We Talk.” That album went on to be certified double-platinum by the RIAA.
Throughout the ’90s, the young musical prodigy remained a mainstay on the R&B charts. His 1999 self-titled LP was his last full-length project.
We already knew that. The Brat also
Exactly, we didn’t care then , we still supported your music then,
Nobody knew or even speculated that he was gay until he had that incident. So that’s a lie. Teenage girls in the early 90s used to be like that’s my husband. So GFOH with that everybody knew and supported him shit.
Lies. Everyone knew by the way he walked in stage to get that award
I just watched an old Fresh Prince episode yesterday where Ashley was fawning over him. In what world did you live in where everybody knew he was gay? Dude’s whole marketing campaign was that he was the mature young teenager who girls were crazy about. None of that shit is happening if they thought he was gay. All that shit came to a halt when he got caught picking up men. It’s ignorant to act like that didn’t happen because you have 25 years of 20:20 hindsight now.
That’s what they were TRYING to market him as, but most people had been speculating about his sexuality for years to the point Tevin had to deny it several times before this year. So clearly many people knew.
Happy for him.
C’mon Tevin…what about the sistas???
I THOUGHT THIS WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE. COOL THO, WHATEVER.
Who gaf?? Guys always want some type of parade for coming out like who gives a s*** you guys have nothing else going on in your life so you must use this for attention
Old News, lol… Diddy is nect
Luther Vandross was all the way gay and everybody knew it and embraced him. Tevin just fucked up because he was marketed as a teen heartthrob instead of them going the Michael Jackson lane. That would have worked fine for him. Plus, you’re doing deviant shit like picking up male prostitutes. That’s a bad look for anybody, even if you’re a straight man. Look at what’s happening with Deshaun Watson as we speak.
bring the 90s back dont no one care you like catchin nut to the face, no one needs to announce it i dont go to gay clubs or sites could yall stop infiltrating the straight ones
Tevin you late , we all knew you was gay .
Everyone talking about “no one cares why is he announcing it,” and yet these are the same commenters who will comment homophobic stuff and start ranting about a “gay agenda” if a rapper so happens to look at a pink shirt ?. Lmao there’s a reason why people in his generation stayed in the closet, and that’s cuz their careers would be absolutely dead if that ever came out. Even now there’s a marked level of diff in support between straight and gay performers