Preloading

Why Child Star Danny Pintauro Was Forced to Come Out Publicly

Season 5 Episode 510
Aired on 09/26/2015 | CC tv-14
In 1997, five years after the hit '80s sitcom Who's the Boss? went off the air, Daniel Pintauro, the young star who played Jonathan Bower, made headlines when he came out as a gay man. Daniel, who was an undergraduate at Stanford University at the time, says a reporter for the National Enquirer contacted him and said the paper was going to run the story, whether or not he cooperated.

At the time, Daniel reached out to his sitcom mom, actress Judith Light, for advice, and she counseled him to tell his story. "It was the best thing. 'They can't misquote you,' she said, 'And as long as you give really responsible and mature answers, it can't be a bad article,'" Daniel tells Oprah.

While he may not have been ready to come out, Daniel says he felt good after sharing his truth. "Believe it or not, the National Enquirer actually did a really fantastic, heartwarming article about it," he says. "I was shocked."



Watch more from Daniel Pintauro on Oprah: Where Are They Now?, airing Saturday nights at 10/9c on OWN.