Already have an account?
Get back to the

Joel McHale Addresses Gay Rumors: “I Take It as a Compliment”

1366310857_joel hale article
Joel McHale Addresses Gay Rumors: "I Take It as a Compliment"

Joel McHale has been happily married to Sarah Williams since 1996, but that hasn't stopped the Community actor from amassing a legion of gay fans. In fact, the father of two says he finds it "flattering" when people assume he's homosexual.

"I always find it really weird when guys flip out over someone thinking they might be gay. If a guy gets offended by that, there's something's wrong with him," McHale tells The Advocate. "I take it as a compliment."

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity LGBT allies

McHale — who jokes that he has crushes on Brian Williams, Kobe Bryant and Chaz Bono — says he was often hit on by other men when he was starting out in Hollywood. "Much like in Say Anything, guys usually stand outside my house with a boombox over their head blasting the Indigo Girls," he quips. "Actually, guys sometimes will tweet me, 'I'm in L.A. Staying at such-and-such hotel. What do you think?' Of course, it all depends on the quality of the hotel."

Related: PHOTOS: Hollywood's out and proud celebs

He continues, "Back when I had just moved to L.A., before I was on any show, I was meeting a friend at a bar connected to this restaurant we went to. When I got there, I was the only one in the bar. While I was messing with my phone, I didn't notice the whole bar fill up with men. Guys kept coming up, asking, 'What's going on, man?' I figured they'd seen the commercials I was in. Then I realized that these men were coming on to me because I was alone in a gay bar."

Related: PHOTOS: Joel McHale and other stars party with Us Weekly

Because Community has struggled in the ratings (and was shelved for several months before returning in early 2013), McHale tells The Advocate he's especially grateful to the quirky comedy's many gay viewers. "Community needs all the help it can get, so thank God for our gay fans. Our young gay fans especially are the loudest and most Internet-savvy," the 41-year-old Soup host explains. "That also speaks to the quality of our show, which I think is highly intelligent."

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!