Jonathan Knight talks about the pressure of hiding his sexuality. Image Source: People
Jonathan Knight talks about the pressure of hiding his sexuality initially.
New Kids on the Block's Jonathan Knight, who is married to Harley Rodriguez, recently opened up about the pressure of keeping sexuality hidden from the public as he appeared on a recent episode of Frosted Tips with Lance Bass.
Jonathan Knight revealed to Lance Bass and Joey Fatone that his manager was aware of his sexuality during his early days in the band and that while he had not tried to hide it, he felt he couldn't share it. Lance Bass asked him if he was asked not to talk about his sexuality, to which Jonathan said that his manager did say that and told him that if anybody found out, his career would be over and the New Kids would be over, adding that it was a lot of pressure at the time.
The singer admitted that it was a lot of pressure to put on someone who is just trying to figure out their place in the world, before going on to say that he felt stress building up over time, which turned into anxiety, and that he felt like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. On sharing how he was able to come out, Jonathan said that it was his boyfriend at the time who had sold the picture of them to the National Enquirer, but he was not ready to make an official announcement of his sexuality at all, even after the tabloids reported about it.
The New Kids on the Block singers went on to say that he was just being himself and wasn't hiding any of it, but he felt it necessary to make a statement and clear the air, noting that the overall process was horrible. According to Jonathan Knight, coming out no longer requires grand declarations or op-eds. Jonathan Knight wrote on the official blog of New Kids on the Block at the time that he has lived his entire life very openly and has never concealed the fact that he identifies as gay. He added that to be a gay public personality, one must first show up on the cover of a magazine with the caption "I am gay", and noted that if this was anticipated, he'd like to apologize for not doing so.
He now expresses gratitude for how much more tolerant and understanding individuals have become of sexual identity, noting how much smoother it is to come out already. He appreciated that there's no need for official comments or lengthy discussions about it anymore, since most people simply accept the information and move on.
Jonathan Knight also revealed to the hosts Lance Bass and Joey Fatone that he and his husband Harley Rodriguez attempted to start a family for about five years, but it just didn't seem to work out. He went on to say that as the process continues, such as currently, the day the eggs are transmitted, people are ecstatic and overjoyed. A week later, they might learn that no, they really aren't, so they are right back to square one.
Lance Bass shared during the conversation that no one comprehends the emotional experience individuals went through while trying to have children because he added that it ended up taking them nearly five years to have their children. The former NSYNC singer added that he is not certain how many times they were able to get pregnant, but they became pregnant with twins a few years ago and lost one at 3 weeks and one at six weeks. Lance Bass added that they ended up going through ten different donors and they weren't pregnant ten times but every time they picked a donor, the emotions that go through are hard to explain and noted that when it won't happen, it's just like it's so saddening.
The singer continued that he and his partner were like God, do they have to start over,' and if this hadn't happened this time, he added that he doesn't think they would have gone for it again. Lance mentioned that it was the universe saying to him that maybe they were not meant to have children and added later that they knew that they were meant to possess what they meant to have. Lance Bass and his partner Michael Turchin got married in 2014, and the couple welcomed twins Alexander and Violet via surrogate in October 2021.
Jonathan Knight and his longtime love married quietly, which they revealed to Entertainment Tonight in August. He said that everyone assumed they were married, so he never say yes or no because he didn't want to lie. After getting engaged in 2016, the couple began planning their wedding, intending to marry in 2021, but the wedding was postponed due to COVID concerns.
