Colton Haynes Talks About Coming Out & His Father’s Suicide

In May, Teen Wolf and Arrow star Colton Haynes came out as gay publicly at age 27 after hiding his sexuality since the first grade. Coming out can be scary for many people for a variety of reasons, but for him, there was a particular memory that made it hard. When Haynes's father committed suicide, he told Out, he was told it was because of his sexuality, which was known to his friends and family. "And no one will ever really know the truth," he said. "But my brother and my mom went to pick up my dad’s stuff, and the only picture on his fridge was my eighth-grade graduation picture." This is one of the reasons he hid his sexuality until this year. He was also afraid being open about who he was would hurt his career, he said. After Haynes came out in an Entertainment Weekly interview, actor Noah Galvin said the way he came out was "fucking pussy bullshit." Haynes responded to this accusation: "I think just having enough nerve and guts to come out in any way is a lot. It was really an emotional thing for me. And for that to be discredited by someone who has never met me was upsetting. He has no idea what I've been through." Now that we do know some of his struggles, his bravery is even more evident.