25 Years of Gay Issues on The Oprah Show
Photo: George Burns/Harpo Studios
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Jodie told Charlie to sit down and revealed the truth. "I said, 'I have fallen in love with a woman, Kristine.' And he said, 'I'm happy for you,'" Jodie says. "I said, 'Okay.' I mean, I was so nervous, I didn't even know what type of reaction he was going to have."
As they continued to talk, Charlie shared his own secret. "I told her that I was also attracted to men, and that it was something that I wanted to explore," he says.
Charlie says he had suspected that he might be gay for some time. "But I had never talked about [being gay] with anyone," he says. "I was confused because I also had feelings for Jodie. It just confused me more than anything, and so it took me a long time to accept that."
Today, both Jodie and Charlie are in new relationships—Jodie is with Kristine, and Charlie is with Michael.
Their daughters are now aged 7 and 4. "Their transition has been what would be expected of any children who are going through a divorce," Jodie says. "We try to give them the language to understand what's happening. 'Mommy fell in love with Christine, and daddy fell in love with Michael. And how lucky are you to have so many special people in your life?'"
As they continued to talk, Charlie shared his own secret. "I told her that I was also attracted to men, and that it was something that I wanted to explore," he says.
Charlie says he had suspected that he might be gay for some time. "But I had never talked about [being gay] with anyone," he says. "I was confused because I also had feelings for Jodie. It just confused me more than anything, and so it took me a long time to accept that."
Today, both Jodie and Charlie are in new relationships—Jodie is with Kristine, and Charlie is with Michael.
Their daughters are now aged 7 and 4. "Their transition has been what would be expected of any children who are going through a divorce," Jodie says. "We try to give them the language to understand what's happening. 'Mommy fell in love with Christine, and daddy fell in love with Michael. And how lucky are you to have so many special people in your life?'"
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