Hollywood Reporter: Merv Griff Was Gay - Towleroad Gay News

Contents:

• MERV GRIFF REPORTEDLY LED SECRET GAY LIFE SPE A WIFE & SON - MAN CLAIMED ENTERTAER FELL LOVE WH HIM
• GAY HISTORY: MERV GRIFF’S BODYGUARD OF LI
• 11 HISTORIL FIGUR YOU DIDN’T KNOW WERE GAY
• MERV GRIFF WAS GAY AND EVERYONE IS FREAKG OUT
• WHERE IS MERV GRIFF TODAY? NET WORTH, WIFE, GAY. STILL ALIVE?
• HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: MERV GRIFF WAS GAY
• WHO WAS MERV GRIFF, WAS HE GAY, WHAT WAS HIS NET WORTH, HOW DID HE DIE?

MERV GRIFF REPORTEDLY LED SECRET GAY LIFE SPE A WIFE & SON - MAN CLAIMED ENTERTAER FELL LOVE WH HIM

”But how tremendoly sad is that a man of Merv’s renown, of his gregar nature and social xtery, would feel pelled to endure such a stealthy double life even as the gay muny’s clout, and s levels of acceptance and equaly, rose steadily om the ash of a powerful msage Griff might have sent had he squired his male panns around town rather than Eva Gabor, his longtime good iend and platonic public pal. Image the amount of good Merv uld have done as a well-rpected, hugely succsful, beloved and uncloseted gay man embodyg a posive image. Around the office, Merv’s beg gay was unrstood but rarely discsed (and certaly never wh him).

We knew nothg of his relatnships bee he guard his privacy fiercely, and we didn’t ’s secret gay life was wily known throughout showbiz culture, if not the wir Ameri.

GAY HISTORY: MERV GRIFF’S BODYGUARD OF LI

Then aga, Merv rved his niche the entertament world at a time when beg gay wasn’t OK, when disclosure was unthkable and the allegatn alone uld ep-six one’s you’re Griff, why would you thk a judgmental culture would be any more tolerant as you grew to middle and old age? Even the pal of entertament -- a bs where homosexualy isn’t exactly a rare phenomenon -- ’s still spoken of hhed ton or, more often, not at all. " | Photo: Getty ImagGRIFFIN'S SEXUALITY AND DEATHMerv Griff was reportedly gay, and his sexualy was a well-known secret Hollywood.

His fear of g out was ascribed to the possible effect on his reer when people did not accept homosexualy Hollywood. Merv Griff was gay. We n refer to sually nversatn, but the mastream media somehow remas trapped the Dark Ag when to labelg a person as gay.

11 HISTORIL FIGUR YOU DIDN’T KNOW WERE GAY

” But how tremendoly sad is that a man of Merv’s renown, of his gregar nature and social xtery, would feel pelled to endure such a stealthy double life even as the gay muny’s clout, and s levels of acceptance and equaly, rose steadily om the ash of ignorance. Around the office, Merv’s beg gay was unrstood but rarely discsed.

Merv’s secret gay life was wily known throughout showbiz culture, if not the wir Ameri. Then aga, Merv rved his niche the entertament world at a time when beg gay wasn’t OK, when disclosure was unthkable and the allegatn alone uld ep-six one’s reer.

MERV GRIFF WAS GAY AND EVERYONE IS FREAKG OUT

Even the pal of entertament — a bs where homosexualy isn’t exactly a rare phenomenon — ’s still spoken of hhed ton or, more often, not at all. It has been alleged that legendary TV producer and the game show host of "The Merv Griff Show, " Merv Griff led a "secret gay life" while he was alive. When asked about his sexualy, Griff never nfirmed nor nied mors about him beg gay; his -stars and staff members have purported this to be te.

Terr's su alleged:"Commencg 1978 and ntug through the parti' bs relatnship, the Defendant, Merv Griff, ma ongog explic homosexual advanc towards [Terr].

After the lawsus were dismissed, a plethora of gay men loted New York started to wear T-shirts wh the slogan: "I didn't sleep wh Merv" prted on them. The nstant allegatns and outgs about Merv's sexualy ed him to steer entirely clear of the gay muny and rea om supportg gay rights iativ.

WHERE IS MERV GRIFF TODAY? NET WORTH, WIFE, GAY. STILL ALIVE?

Though the public at large believed that Griff would e the pany of Gabor to "ver up" or "hi" his homosexualy, Eva's sister, Zsa Zsa, believed otherwise:"Eva is gog to marry Merv Griff.

Many people who have explicly mented on his "closeted liftyle" have stated that the TV host kept his sexual inty hidn bee of the homophobic nature of the tim he was livg . As a rult, Griff would do his bt to keep his life private, but his staff and workers reported to know about his secret inty: "Around the office, Merv's beg gay was unrstood but rarely discsed. "Griff beg gay was a wily known tth Hollywood that did not need to be mentned bee of the "privacy laws" that protect such rmatn om beg outed.

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: MERV GRIFF WAS GAY

This is juxtaposned wh the non-judgment that wh someone sayg they have a wife and children stead of beg hont about their sexual orientatn, which is what Griff Forsythe, Vanna Whe, Laff Py Jr., Willie Shoemaker, Merv Griff, Gary Stevens and Walter Matth at the celebratn for the fiftieth anniversary of the Hollywood Park race track Los Angel 1988 | Source: Getty ImagUsg the pany of his longtime iend Gabor, Griff avoid beg asked directly about his sexualy; however, he remaed known as a "closeted gay talk show host.

Acrdg to Bowers, Griff told him about a gas statn that doubled as a sort of brothel for gay men where "you would go to get trouble. Many ntue to speculate whether their marriage was ed to flect mors that the TV productn mogul was gay. Sger Luther Vandross, wrer San Sontag and film director Ismail Merchant had all been acrd the privilege of “ng” by the prs, however open a secret their homosexualy had been while they were alive.

Nil nisi bonum appears to be the le for edors, and notg that a ceased famo person was gay certaly seems to unt as speakg evil.

WHO WAS MERV GRIFF, WAS HE GAY, WHAT WAS HIS NET WORTH, HOW DID HE DIE?

Still, the lawsus brought out to the open, if briefly, what had long been known Hollywood: namely, that the divorced father of one, and highly visible public rt of Eva Gabor, was also gay.

The New York gay magaze Outweek troduced the practice of outg closeted public figur, mostly policians and show bs celebri who were unwillg to enlist the e of fightg AIDS.