The recent cover story in The Hollywood Reporter featuring Andy Cohen, the host of Watch What Happens Live, has sparked widespread conversation. While the interview covered serious allegations surrounding the Real Housewives franchise, a seemingly minor question about Cohen’s friendship with musician John Mayer ignited the most intense reaction. This query, posed by Co-Editor in Chief Maer Roshan, delved into the nature of the bond between the openly gay Cohen and the straight rock star Mayer, a relationship frequently discussed in both tabloid and mainstream media, often prompting speculation about John Mayer being gay.
Roshan articulated the public’s apparent skepticism: “Your friendship with Mayer has been the subject of intense speculation. People seem dubious that a straight rock star can have a close, platonic relationship with a gay TV personality.”
Cohen’s response was straightforward and dismissive of the rumors surrounding John Mayer Gay identity: “Let them speculate. I honestly love John Mayer, and he loves me. But because we are so affectionate to each other, people don’t know what box to put that in. They assume we are sleeping with each other, which we are most definitely not.”
This brief exchange in a lengthy interview rapidly gained traction, becoming a viral snippet covered by numerous news outlets ranging from CNN to the Daily Mail and Yahoo News. Perhaps more surprisingly, the question and the ensuing buzz reached John Mayer himself, prompting him to pen a response to THR, which the publication decided to print in its entirety.
John Mayer’s Thoughtful Rebuttal to “John Mayer Gay” Speculation
Mayer’s email directly addressed Roshan’s line of questioning about the public’s perception of his friendship with Andy Cohen and the persistent John Mayer gay rumors. He began by acknowledging the premise, quoting Roshan: “your friendship with Mayer has been a subject of intense speculation. People seem dubious that a straight rock star can have a close platonic relationship with a gay TV personality.”
However, Mayer immediately challenged this premise as “specious.” He offered two key points to counter the idea that such friendships are inherently unbelievable or automatically sexualized.
Firstly, Mayer highlighted the historical context: “First, there is a long and storied history of ‘rock stars’ (not mocking, just won’t refer to myself as one) befriending gay icons and artists.” He suggests that the public should be aware of and acknowledge this history of supportive and platonic relationships within the entertainment industry, implicitly pushing back against the novelty or supposed oddity of his friendship with Cohen.
Secondly, and more fundamentally, Mayer argued that doubting the platonic nature of his friendship with Cohen is an underestimation of the public’s understanding of diversity: “Second, I think that to suggest that people are dubious of a friendship like mine and Andy’s is to undermine the public’s ability to accept and understand diversity in all facets of culture, be it in art or in real life. I’d like to think they’re sophisticated enough to see a relationship like ours without assuming it must include a sexual component. That turns the concept of being gay into an ignorantly two-dimensional one, which I know you know it’s not. I don’t question that at all.”
Mayer passionately defends the idea that society is capable of recognizing and accepting non-sexual affection and close bonds between individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He criticizes the assumption that any close relationship between a gay man and a straight man must be romantic or sexual, labeling it as a “shallow” and “ignorantly two-dimensional” view of gay identity.
He concluded his email by firmly stating his disapproval of the premise itself and the need to even address such speculation around whether or not John Mayer is gay: “Quite simply, if someone is dubious of a platonic relationship between a straight man and a gay man, I don’t think that shallow a view deserves clarification by anyone with self respect, be it Andy or your publication. Reinforcing the idea that any gay/straight relationship needs qualification that it’s not sexual devoids everyone involved of their dignity.”
Conclusion: Platonic Love and Challenging Assumptions about John Mayer
John Mayer’s response to The Hollywood Reporter‘s inquiry regarding his friendship with Andy Cohen offers a powerful statement about platonic love and the damaging nature of societal assumptions. While the question about their relationship and the underlying “John Mayer gay” rumors may have been intended to be a lighthearted aside in a larger interview, it inadvertently tapped into deeper societal biases. Mayer’s articulate and respectful rebuttal serves to challenge these biases, advocating for a more nuanced and accepting understanding of relationships in the public eye, and firmly pushing back against simplistic assumptions about sexuality and friendship.
