Gawker: thomas roberts

Newsrooms On Gay Men: They're Fun! To A Point

Richard — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:51:00 EDT

Out 'n proud former CNN anchor and current Insider (shudder) correspondent Thomas Roberts spoke to The Advocate this month about gay dudes doing the news. Apparently there are quite a few of them running around, the obvious silver fox in the room being just one of many. And, out or not, they tend to do OK, as long as they're not looking for an evening anchor gig. A talent agent named Mendes Napoli spoke with the magazine as well, saying: "You can be a morning anchor, a weekend anchor, an afternoon anchor, a reporter — they love gay reporters now because they're so animated, they're not stiff. But a primary male anchor who's gay? It's an issue." Huh. "Animated"? What does that mean?? Are there weathermen doing Gloria Estefan routines and picking out snappy outfits for ladies? I should be watching this! Or, is "animated" how one would describe watching nighttime newsman Anderson Cooper trying to button himself up? It's all kind of unclear, but it's good to know that the gays are providing some entertainment value in those dusty old newsrooms. After the jump, just for the heck of it, Roberts on those (NSFW) nude Manhunt photos.

"I never put inappropriate pictures of myself on a public website. For me it was really hurtful, for Patrick and I it was terribly painful, and I'm sure anyone reading this will realize that what happened was something that we needed to deal with on a personal level. And we've dealt with it — we've closed the book on that issue and moved on."

Gossips Nail T.V. Hottie As Manhunting Sex Lurker!

Choire — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:20:23 EDT

In a strange reversal, today Page Six published the answers to a blogger's blind item. And not only does Page Six say that former CNN gay hottie Thomas Roberts is the hot anchor with the nudie sex-seeking Manhunt profile (that's SFW, just shirtless shots), but they describe it as "another embarrassment" for tabloid T.V. show "The Insider" and compare it to "Insider" host Pat O'Brien's sex-partying hard-drinkin' rehab scandal. We are not so scandalized. Near as we can tell, Page Six's Paula Froelich is still a regular correspondent for "The Insider"—(or did they sever ties last Fall? That would make more sense)—despite Page Six's description of it as "a tabloid show known best for its round-the-clock coverage of Anna Nicole Smith's death and featuring carnival-like freaks during sweeps week." But we're loving the new Moral Police outlook for fall over at Page Six! It's so extremely unlikely!

CNN Anchor Out Twice In Same Week

abalk2 — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 11:15:12 EDT

We at Gawker would like to offer our applause to CNN anchor Thomas Roberts, who "acknowledged that he is gay while speaking at the annual convention for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association in Miami last weekend." Roberts, reports blog Beantown Cuban, told the audience "how he's proud of his partner and how he has gradually come out at work over the years."

Unfortunately, this was followed by a Reuters report that "a shuffling of desk chairs at CNN for budgetary reasons will mean the cancellation of the 4-6 p.m. newscast coanchored by Roberts. He and his coanchor, Kathleen Kennedy, are reportedly being reassigned."

We're sure the two things are completely unrelated, but just in case, any other closeted CNN anchors may want to hold off with their own announcements for a bit. If, you know, there are any other closeted CNN anchors out there.

Out in the Sunshine [Beantown Cuban]
Anchor of CNN's Headline News comes out [Advocate]