Jonathan Knight, NKOTB’s CEO, Says That He was Told Not To Come Out Or His Career Would be ‘Over’: “So Much Pressure”
Jonathan Knight He is reflecting upon the many ways he felt “pressured” to keep his closet closed at the height of the crisis. New Kids on the Block fame.
The 54-year-old singer opened up about being a gay young star on the Frosted Tips with Lance Bass Podcast, and claimed that his manager told him that revealing his sexuality could have a negative effect on his career.
“CBS [Records] Never [told me not to say anything, but] “My manager actually did,” he said. “He pulled me aside and he was like, ‘If anybody finds out, then your career is over, the New Kids career is over… Sony’s gonna lose money.’ It was a lot of pressure, and it’s hard to imagine how much that would put on someone who is trying to understand the world.
Knight was an original member of the Boston-bred group, which also includes Jordan, and rose to fame in late 1980s. Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg Danny Wood.
Prior to the group’s split in 1994 — they have since reunited — Knight told Bass that he rarely hooked up with people on the road, and remembered being “so afraid… like what if somebody sees?”
“My manager knew that I was gay. He would always be able to have another gay kid around. So, a few I hooked-up with,” he said.
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Ethan Miller/Getty Jonathan Knight
Knight said that keeping his sexuality a secret made him prone to anxiety — but all was blown open in 2009, when he was outed by a former boyfriend who sold photos of the pair to the National Enquirer.
According to the star, he was only out to his bandmates at the time but not to the rest. He had just started dating Harley Rodriguez. he has since married.
“I didn’t want to” [come out]. I was simply living my life. My siblings and brothers didn’t say, “Hey mom, dad, we’re straight.” He stated that it was not something he was hiding. “It was Harley and I. “It was normal for us to kiss in public, and it was all that it was. It was then like, “No, you must make a statement. You have to publically clear the air.”
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Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Jonathan Knight in 1990
Knight said the process of coming out publicly was “horrible,” and that he looked to Bass’s journey as a blueprint — but not necessarily one he wanted to follow. The former *NSYNC star came out on the cover of PEOPLE 2006.
Lance said that he had looked at Lance’s work and was impressed by the fact that he stated that he felt like he needed to be on the cover.
Knight stated that he still appreciates how the industry has become more welcoming of gay stars and that people accepting awards will often say thank you to your significant other “and nobody flinches.”
Knight and Rodriguez were married in 2016.