Thomas William Selleck, mostly known as Tom Selleck, is one of the veteran actors of Hollywood. His role as Thomas Magnum in the series Magnum P.I. made him a bonafide superstar and America’s Heartthrob.
In their twilight, most actors think of the legacy they are leaving behind, but Tom Selleck still has to confront a rumor of him being homosexual that’s been going on for years. Due to his private personal life, many tabloids started the story of Tom Selleck being a closeted gay during the 1980s.
This Hollywood veteran has responded multiple times to the allegations against his sexuality, but there is still confusion about it. Let’s explore the sexual orientation of Tom Selleck and identify whether he is gay or all of its hearsay.
Table of Contents
Who is Tom Selleck?
Many youngsters might be unfamiliar with Tom Selleck, but he is one of the veteran Hollywood actors who has appeared in various movies and tv series. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1945 as the middle child of Robert Dean Selleck and Martha Selleck.
Being 6 feet 4 inches tall, he considered becoming a basketball player before joining the military in 1967 after getting a drafting notice for the Vietnam war. But his true calling was not sports, not military; it was acting.
As a college senior, his first tv appearance was in 1965 on The Dating Game. That role was quite successful and opened the door for tv commercials, including products like Pepsi. He appeared in minor roles in different movies and tv series before his big breakthrough in 1980 as the lead actor in the tv series Magnum, P.I. and achieved success.
Selleck became one of the most prominent actors in Hollywood from his portrayal of Thomas Magnum, the protagonist of the tv series. He won the Emmy Award in 1984 for the category of outstanding lead actor in a drama series. His fame skyrocketed, and he was in contention of playing the role of Indiana Jones, but due to some scheduling issues, he had to step down from that.
With his newfound stardom, he landed prominent roles as an actor and producer in various movies and Tv shows. Currently, he is working on the tv series Blue Bloods, which started in 2010.
Is Tom Selleck Gay? His Response to the Rumor
Throughout his career, Tom Selleck has been accused of being homosexual multiple times. He has always disregarded that accusation and claimed to be straight, which caused a new controversy about him being homophobic.
We are going to get to the bottom of the iceberg of whether Tom Selleck is gay or all of it is hearsay. In order to understand this predicament, we need to identify the origin of this claim, his response to it, and his relationship status. By analyzing these components, we can come to a decision about his sexuality.
The Origin of the Rumor
The rumor about Tom Selleck being gay started during the 1980s without any evidence about the claim. But all of these were mere gossip at first, and the actor didn’t pay attention to it. Things quickly escalated when Globe, a supermarket tabloid, published an article insinuating Tom Selleck was gay in 1991.
That created enmity between the tabloid and Tom Selleck. The situation worsened further when a group of gay activists named Outpost placed placards containing pictures of various celebrities, including Tom Selleck, all around New York City, claiming them to be Gay.
It was published in the July 2 issue of the Globe tabloid titled, ” ‘Gay’ Star Stops Traffic”, which included Tom Selleck’s name in the article.
Tom Selleck vs. The Globe
Tom Selleck was furious with his name on the news and sued the tabloid magazine. He claimed the article insinuated him to be gay without proof, tarnishing his reputation and harming his loved ones.
It was headlined in many contemporary newspapers and garnered a lot of attention. He proclaimed that he is proud of his sexual preferences, as all people should, and that is heterosexual.
In addition, he also pointed out his marriage and the daughter he has with his wife, alongside the son he adopted legally from his previous marriage. There is a rumor that he also wanted to sue the outpost group but could not accomplish that due to their anonymity.
The case was settled outside of court, and the Globe publicly apologized to Tom Selleck.
Role in the Movie In & Out
You might think that would end every discussion, but you are in for a surprise! The rumor started circulating again when Tom Selleck starred in the movie In & Out, where he played the character of a closeted reporter and had a kiss scene with a fellow male actor.
Due to this scene, Selleck fans around the glove started to wonder whether all those rumors were true. Everyone quickly found the answer as it was a comedy movie. To create a comic scene about the story of him being gay, Selleck played that scene.
Not only this scene showcased his sense of humor, but it also debunked the rumor of him being homophobic.
Relationship Status and Children
To further prove the point of his sexuality, we can look at his relationship status at this moment. Tom Selleck is one of the most private men and barely shares information about his family publicly. But it’s widely known that he married twice; his first marriage was with American actress and model Jacqueline Ray in 1971. For eleven years, they were married together, and Selleck has officially adopted her son Kevin Shepard.
In 1987, he married his then-girlfriend Jillie mack, and they are still married. They were blessed by a girl named Hannah in 1988, a token of their marriage and love for one another.
After gathering the whole information, we can easily deduce that Tom Selleck is not gay. Whenever he talks about his family, he speaks with care and devotion that can’t be fabricated with ease.
Net Worth of Tom Selleck in 2024
Tom Selleck has been an active actor for more than 40 years, so it comes as no surprise that he has accumulated a decent amount of wealth working in front of the camera and being the producer of many movies and tv series. He has an estimated net worth of $45 million in 2024.
In his later age, Tom Selleck might receive a lower amount of salary for his role in the Blue Blood tv series, but it’s more than most tv actors. Selleck gets $200,000 per episode for his role in the series, and it’s been going on for 13 seasons with 269 episodes in total. He might not appear in every episode, but you can guess how much money he made from this series.
Mannum, P.I., his most famous and celebrated work, earned him a lot of bucks as well. In order to appear on that show, Tom Selleck would get $500,000 per episode in the 1980s, which is more than 1 million dollars in the current inflated economy.
Aside from these two, he has appeared in numerous movies, tv-series, and commercials, which helped to increase his bank balance.
In addition, Selleck purchased some prime real estate, like an 1800 square feet condo in Los Angeles, and turned the interior into a victorian period palace. He had another house in Hawaii which he sold in 2001 for around 2.5 million dollars.
Spending 5 million dollars in 1988, he bought a ranch in Ventura, California. Even though he works on his ranch as an exercise routine, it contains all types of luxury features, including a heliport, tennis court, swimming pool, and golf course.
Facts and Trivia about Tom Selleck: Height, Weight, Zodiac Sign and More!
Over the years, Tom Selleck has inspired thousands of people and achieved a position few can reach. But a lot of generic information, like his birthday, height, and zodiac signs, is not well known. The table below will help to learn more about this Hollywood veteran.
| Name | Thomas William Selleck |
| Date of Birth | January 29, 1945 |
| Sex | Male |
| Hometown | Detroit, Michigan |
| Height | 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) |
| weight | 194 lbs (88 kg) |
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Partners/ Spouses | Jacqueline Ray (m. 1971- d. 1982), Jillie Mack (m. 1987- Present ) |
| Children | Kevin Shepard (Adopted), Hannah |
| Net Worth | $45 Million |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Occupation | Actor, Producer |
| Years Active | 1965 – Present |
Concluding Statement
We have reached the concluding part of our article and I hope it has resolved the doubts and confusion about Tom Selleck’s sexual orientation. We can debunk the theory that he is gay with ease from his current marriage with his wife Jillie Mack for almost 36 years and the daughter they have from that marriage.
Not just this one, Selleck was previously married to actress Jacqueline Ray before they parted ways in 1982 after staying together for 11 years.
Various Tabloids like the Globe are the reason behind the widely spread rumor of him being a homosexual. By proving them wrong for all of these years, he is still a happily married man.
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