Nick Jonas identifies as a ‘heterosexual male’: ‘I have nothing to prove’
Nick Jonas covers the new issue of Complex, and it’s a surprisingly wide-ranging and interesting interview. I’m old, so I remember when the Jonas Brothers were a thing and when they pandered to the promise-ring churchy crowd, so it’s fascinating to see how Nick Jonas grew up to be the guy openly discussing his sex life in a magazine. Not only that, but Nick discusses the gay rumors and he manages to both shoot down the rumors respectfully and come across as a very tolerant/accepting LGBT ally. The headline most sites are going with is the bit about Kate Hudson, who Nick has been hooking up with on-and-off for months now. But I think the gay-rumor stuff is much more interesting. You can read the full piece here, and here are some highlights:
How he feels after his split from Olivia Culpo: “It was first excitement to have freedom to be whoever I wanted to be, be my own person. Then the feeling of being disheartened by what’s out there. Then getting into crazy artist mode and throwing it all out, the good, bad, and ugly. Then meeting people, making a real effort to open up and be free as a person. I’ve met some people that are amazing. And my current situation is that I’m very much single, but I’m trying to be as open to people who can inspire me in some way.”
Whether he’s having sex with Kate Hudson: “Umm. You know, it’s interesting. You’re allowed to ask me whatever the f–k you want and I’ll answer it, or not…Kate’s incredible. We had an unbelievable connection as two humans who just admire things about each other, and see something in each other that’s beautiful. Out of my best effort to respect her and her privacy, I’m not going to say if we had sex or not. But we did have a beautiful connection. Even now I have so much admiration and respect. She’s amazing.”
He’s used Tinder & social media to find dates: “Slide right in there sometimes, and then you’ll text the person and finally meet the person. It’s like online dating. Even that freaks me the f–k out. I’m like, should it be a group? Just the person? It’s scary.”
He identifies as straight, but he’s fine playing gay characters: “It’s funny. I play a gay character on a TV show. Whether it’s me or the character, at the end of the day it’s still my body, it’s still telling the story. It’s the character and his journey, but it’s my body, my lips, my hands.”
Whether he panders to gay audiences: “There’s always going to be negativity toward anything that is a positive effort toward change. As a heterosexual male, [I am] open and comfortable about loving my fan base, gay or straight, because to me there is no difference, it is my fan base. Your sexual preference does not matter to me and it shouldn’t matter to anybody. I thought [the criticism] was kind of dumb, considering I play this gay character on a gritty show. There’s a gay sex scene. I kissed a man.”
He’s into acceptance & being an LGBT ally: “The goal is acceptance on all levels. That should be the focus. I’ve gone to normal clubs, straight clubs, and I’ve gone to gay clubs, to party with my friends and fans. There’s no difference. I have nothing to prove. I’m very comfortable in my own skin and I’m thankful to have as many close gay friends as I have, people who have been so supportive in my life, and have always been there for me.”
I think he comes across really well here? I mean, there are always going to be people who swear up and down that he’s really secretly gay and his whole career is some kind of massive gay-bait (seriously, people say that), but I believe him in this interview, and at this point, if he was gay, he would just come out, wouldn’t he? Face it, people: he’s just a straight guy who is fine with hanging out in gay clubs. He loves and respects his gay fans and his goal is to be a supportive ally. Isn’t that what we should want from straight allies?
Complex also asked him about his “type” and he name-checked Emilia Clarke (oooooh, I wouldn’t mind that), Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence. Apparently, he’s also a huge Shania Twain fan. Bless him.
Photos courtesy of Complex, WENN.
