It’s been nearly six months since former rising star gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum found himself at the center of one of the biggest political scandals of the year. In a swift fall from grace, Gillum made national headlines when he was found nude, heavily intoxicated, and in the company of Travis Dyson – a naked, muscular, known Miami-based, male escort who was unconscious in the bathroom from a drug overdose.
Salacious photos were leaked of the luxury hotel room where the melee occurred, and the images were graphic. The suite depicted a night of debauchery with stained sheets, drug paraphernalia, a blood pressure pump, pills, and a seemingly unconscious Gillum on the floor, fully exposed.
Gillum’s sexual identity was immediately a speculation topic as additional photos surfaced of him and the escort on a boat together in Miami. Gillum initially claimed he was in town for a colleague’s wedding. However, he seemed to abandoned that claim when the escort told the press that he was unaware of any wedding.
Well, thanks to a new sit-down, national interview with the fabulous Tamron Hall, there is no longer a need to speculate as Gillum, seated in the interview alongside his wife R. Jai Gillum, revealed and confirmed his bisexuality.
“I don’t identify as gay,” Gillum said, “but I do identify as bisexual. And that is something I have never shared publicly before.”
When I first covered this story for Instinct Magzine, I recall having a conversation with my friend, celebrity gossip guru, Rob Shuter of The Naughty But Nice podcast. Shuter is a veteran publicist with a client list that includes Jlo, PDiddy, and Jessica Simpson, to name a few. We discussed Gillum and raised the question, “Can he survive this and get his political career back on track?” We both agreed it’s possible, but it can only happen if Gillum is fully transparent about what went down. Truth is the key to surviving a scandal.
The trailer for the interview with Andrew and R. Jai Gillum that aired today on “Tamron Hall”
This interview with Tamron Hall seems to be a step in the right direction regarding living his truth. Still, when it comes to his relationship with Dyson and the extent of Gillum’s drinking or possible substance abuse, the story is a bit murky. He claims he touched no drugs and only consumed copious amounts of alcohol that fateful night in Miami. He also claims that he has no sexual relationship with his friend Dyson, who he reportedly met in Miami just a few months before the incident.
If you’ve seen any of the nude pics and sex videos of the extremely hot Dyson online or checked out his (now disabled) profile at Rentmen.com, it’s hard to imagine why Gillum himself was in that room with Dyson, buck-ass naked, for any other reason than, well…
But, hey, if Gillum claims ‘they’re just friends,” then, who am I to argue. I mean, duh, what married guy doesn’t hang out naked, getting drunk with another naked man in a swanky Miami hotel room?
Seriously, it’s no small admission for Gillum to announce that he has been keeping his bisexuality a secret. He’s to be commended for coming out, and I can’t help but wonder if there is a correlation between his alcohol, alleged substance abuse, and the many years of hiding his true self from the public. We all know being closeted can manifest into psychological distress. Compile Gillum’s sexual identity conflicts with what he claims was depression after his close call- Florida Gubernatorial loss to Ron DeSantis. It’s a recipe for disaster – an addict “acting out” as a coping mechanism.
Andrew Gillum is a brilliant political mind, and I believe he still has a great career ahead in politics, to what degree is yet to be determined. I can’t stress enough that his sexuality in no way negates his abilities to lead, but leaders must lead with truth and integrity to be successful. And that means to own your sh*t and be your authentic self always. Gillum is making strides to do that.
As for his bisexuality admission this morning, I didn’t see the actual show. I’m unclear if his wife was aware, if they had an arrangement, or was the Miami incident how she found out? I’ll have to watch Hall’s interview once it posts to the show’s YouTube channel to find out the answer to that.
In the meantime, currently Andrew Gillum is in treatment for alcohol addiction and I wish him well as he moves forward with his life. Everybody loves a good comeback story and if anyone can achieve it, Gillum can.
