On the one year anniversary of his father's death, well-known radio host Fez Whatley came out gay on air, according to the Huffington Post. Whatley is one half of the daily radio program, the Ron & Fez Show on SiriusXM, and he has been playing a flamboyant gay character on the air for over two decades, but, he told told Interrobang, that at some point he realized it was more than just a character.
"Working with my friend Ron Bennington, we created an on-air persona for me," explained Whatley. "His name was Fez Whatley. Fez was eccentric, over the top, flamboyant and most of all, gay. Really gay. Fez took down celebrities, talked gossip, lampooned women, and did it all with a wicked gay tongue. I could say it was the part I was born to play, but back then I didn't realize how true that was."
Whatley told Interrobang that fans of the show would often ask if he was really gay, to which he'd reply, "'Yes, 6 to 10am weekdays,' the hours our show was on. That was my little joke just to make sure everyone knew that there was a straight guy behind the feather boa and sequined jacket." But when he realized three years ago that he wasn't just playing a character, he was devastated, his realization that he was everything that he "had joked about." His depression led to treatment, stage fright, anger, and an inability to play the character on radio or public events. He came out to his co-host but didn't tell the public.
Then on February 24, Whatley came out live on the air and on Interrobang, telling his fans that there are too many issues facing the LGBT community, and too many great comedians (like Wanda Sykes, Todd Glass, and Mo Rocca) who are out, for him to remain "an angry closet case." He said, " I can't be a part of 'It's gets better' until I make sure things are going to get better for me. And that's what I intend on doing."
