Colman Domingo received immediate support from his family upon him coming out in his 20s.
The Michael actor, who identifies as gay, shared his coming-out story in the latest issue of Men’s Health. Domingo, 56, has been married to producer and writer Raúl Domingo since 2014.
The first family member to learn of Domingo’s sexual preference in the early 90s was the actor’s older brother, Derek, when the two went to a strip club.
“I told him that I was gay. He looked at me and was just like, ‘What?’ He just couldn’t believe it,” Domingo told Men’s Health. “Eventually, he said, ‘I don’t care, man. I love you anyway.’ And he just hugged me. Then he said, ‘Have you told anyone else?’ I said, no. He said, ‘Alright, this stays between you and me.’”
Domingo’s older sister, Averie, called the actor two days later and shared that she apparently “pissed off” about not being notified first.
I said, “‘Look, yes, it was really hard for me to tell him.’” She said, “No, no, no. Why didn’t you tell me first?’ She was pissed off because she didn’t get the information first,” Domingo explained.
Last to know was Domingo’s late mother and stepfather, Edith and Clarence Bowles. Domingo’s mother accepted the news and promised to keep the information private, but her son’s sexual orientation was eventually discovered by Bowles.
“‘You’re a good boy and there’s nothing you can tell me that would make me stop loving you,’” Domingo recalled Bowles telling him during a phone call.
Domingo wouldn’t meet his now-husband until 2005, when they initially crossed paths at a Walgreens before the actor found Raúl on Craigslist days later through a “Missed Connections” ad. Watch Domingo recount the encounter on a 2024 episode of The Graham Norton Show below.
