Highlights
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas remained calm and composed while Jay Leno questioned him about his sexuality on The Tonight Show.
- Thomas laughed off Leno’s continuous inquiries and clarified that he wasn’t bothered by rumors about his personal life.
- Fans admired Thomas for his reaction and felt that Leno’s questions were intrusive and inappropriate. Thomas later decided to step away from fame to focus on other aspects of his life.
When Jay Leno questioned Jonathan Taylor Thomas about his sexuality during their interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Thomas kept cool while he answered Leno’s questions about his personal life.
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Jay Leno interviewed numerous celebrities while hosting The Tonight Show. He has a massive net worth, yet Leno has managed to live below his means. During 1998, Jonathan Taylor Thomas appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. While there, the host pressed the celeb about his sexuality.
Jay Leno Questioned Jonathan Taylor Thomas About Rumors Surrounding His Personal Life
In the late nineties and early 2000s, Jonathan Taylor Thomas had a flourishing career that showed no signs of slowing down. The celebrity had a starring role on Home Improvement, and also starred in several profitable movies before he vanished from Hollywood.
When Jonathan Taylor Thomas appeared, the host asked intimate questions about the celeb’s private life. Leno continued to question the star about his sexuality, although Thomas had already answered.
Thomas answered the intimate questions with a smile, and laughed it off as Leno continuously brought up the rumors about his personal life. The host asked Thomas about gossip that had circulated about the Wild America actor. “When a rumor starts, it spreads like wildfire.” Leno said.
He continued, “Like, about two years ago, people went, ‘Jay, he’s gay. Jonathan Taylor Thomas is gay. My friend knows a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy…’” Leno added, “It (the rumor) would pop up. Did it just drive you nuts?” Thomas responded that he wasn’t too concerned with any stories that he wasn’t straight.
“Well, you know, I mean, pretty much in Hollywood you’re not anyone until it’s rumored that you’re gay, so, you know, I wasn’t that upset about it,” he told the host. “And not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Leno added. “And not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Thomas agreed. He added, “But they’re rumors, and you should always be kind of careful with that internet stuff.”
Jonathan Taylor Thomas Cleared Up The “Rumours” About His Sexuality
Questioning Thomas about his sexuality (which he wasn’t there to discuss anyway), the Tom and Huck star kept his cool, and maintained a calm demeanor as he replied to the host’s intrusive questions and comments.
After clearing things up about the rumors that had circulated about Thomas’ private life, Leno continued to question the Man of the House actor directly about his sexuality. “Are you gay?” The host asked Thomas, “No, no, no,” Thomas responded with a laugh. He kept cool, giving a laugh instead of worrying about what others thought.
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And even though Thomas had answered Leno, the host continued to badger his guest about his sexuality. “You know, it’s fine. You know if you wanna come out, it’s fine,” Leno continued. The I’ll Be Home for Christmas actor kept cool, responding by laughing off Leno’s comments.
Other stars have responded differently when asked certain personal questions in recent years. Tom Hardy absolutely slammed a reporter for asking him degrading questions about his sexuality.
Fans Praised Jonathan Taylor Thomas For His Reaction During An Awkward Moment With Jay Leno
Several fans who watched the clip felt Leno’s inquiry into Thomas’ personal life was intrusive. One user commented, “What an awfully horrible and inappropriate thing to ask on television. This show would be canceled if that happened today.” Another wrote, “Jay Leno really put Jonathan on the spot when he asked that question. How embarrassing – Poor J.T.T.!”
Others remarked Thomas’ sexuality didn’t matter anyway, and expressed adoration for the star. “Aw I miss him come back to acting…” wrote one fan. “I love him! So much JTT!!” another commented.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was an in-demand star, and many thought he would continue acting. However, Thomas had other plans, and decided to step away from fame to focus on other things in his life, like his education.
The Lion King actor spoke with People in 2013 about how he’d wanted to take a break from the spotlight even though he was a household name.
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About taking a break from his acting career to focus on other things, he said, “I’d been going nonstop since I was eight years old. I wanted to go to school, to travel, to have a bit of a break. To sit in a big library among books and students, that was pretty cool.”
He continued, “I never took the fame too seriously. It was a great period in my life, but it doesn’t define me.”
Source: NewsFinale
