WWE superstar Darren Young made major headlines today after coming out of the closet as a gay man during an impromptu interview with TMZ.
Young was at LAX airport waiting in the baggage claim area Wednesday when a TMZ camera man came up and asked him if thought an openly gay wrestler could succeed in WWE, and laughing, Darren said:
“Absolutely. Look at me. I’m a WWE superstar and to be honest with you, I’ll tell you right now, I’m gay. And I’m happy. I’m very happy.”
Just with that one statement, Young became the first WWE wrestler to come out of the closet (while actively competing), which completely floored the man behind the camera, who hilariously fumbled through the rest of the nearly 3-minute interview.
“I guess if you want to call it ‘coming out,’ I really don’t know what to say it is,” he said. “I’m just letting you know that I’m happy with who I am, I’m comfortable with myself, and I’m happy to be living the dream.”
He added, “Some people might not like it. Some people will like it, but I’m here to please myself. I’m here to be happy.”
[TMZ]
The WWE released a statement to The Huffington Post saying they’re proud of Young for coming out:
“WWE is proud of Darren Young for being open about his sexuality, and we will continue to support him as a WWE Superstar … Today, in fact, Darren will be participating in one of our Be A Star anti-bullying rallies in Los Angeles to teach children how to create positive environments for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation.”
