The Tragic Reason Barry Manilow Kept His Relationship Secret For So Many Years

Barry Manilow has been entertaining audiences for more than five decades — admit it, you always sing along to "Copacabana" at weddings — and his legacy is destined to live on. Most recently, Manilow realized his Broadway dreams when his original musical, "Harmony," had a short run in New York. It's hard to believe this beloved performer would ever worry about being abandoned by his fans and the music industry. Yet, for many years Manilow hid the truth about his sexuality to save his reputation and his career.

Today, the LGBTQ community has allies, and openly living as queer is less stigmatized. Back in the 70s, however, when "Mandy" and "I Write the Songs" were topping the charts, it was unheard of for an artist to come out. Even the popular pianist Liberace, whose flamboyance was part of his appeal, denied being gay, though his close friends knew. So it was with Manilow. Deeply private by nature, he kept quiet about his love life so as not to interfere with his success or his relationship with his fans. "Now, being gay is no big deal, but back in the 70s it would have killed a career. The public was not ready for anybody to come out," he told CNN's Chris Wallace in 2023 (via The Guardian). In fact, many Fanilows suspected the truth, but were respectful enough not to make it public for fear their favorite singer would fall victim to cancel culture.

Barry Manilow was assumed to identify as cis for years, and his previous marriage seemed to confirm it. In high school, Manilow dated classmate Susan Weixler, and the two wed shortly after graduation. The union lasted only a year, but sexuality had nothing to do with their split: "I just was not ready for marriage," Manilow admitted to People, explaining he rushed into a commitment before he'd had a chance to "[sow] my wild oats." After the split, the singer focused on his burgeoning career and lived as a singleton until 1978, when he met TV executive Garry Kief. It was an instant attraction. "I knew that this was it," Manilow told the outlet. "Garry didn't know what I did, even though I had all these records out. He was a guy, and I was a guy, so we could just deal with each other like two normal people, not like a superstar and a person."

In 2014 they finally married, exchanging vows before a small group of 50 guests at their California estate. The late Suzanne Somers was their honor attendant, and Manilow's personal assistant Marc Hulett got an online ordination so he could officiate. 

In 2017, Manilow publicly confirmed his sexuality, which was pretty much known by this point. "Honestly, Chris, it was a non-event," he later told Chris Wallace (via Entertainment Weekly). "And when we came out ... I think everybody knew that Garry and I were a couple all those years."