Joanna Johnson Gay? 'Bold and Beautiful' Actress Criticized for Coming Out Now (VIDEO)
"Bold and the Beautiful" star Joanna Johnson has asserted that her on-film lesbian role was actually inspired by her real life.
Joanna Johnson, who plays Karen Spencer on the "Bold and Beautiful" has revealed that the idea for her character to come out on the show was inspired by her real life. Johnson told TV Guide that she has been married to an L.A. club promoter for the past four years.
"I'm married to Michelle Agnew and we have two beautiful children, Julian, who is five, and Harlow, who is two," Johnson revealed.
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"Bold and Beautiful" is a daytime soap opera that has been airing on CBS since 1987. In the show Karen Spencer, played by Johnson, also comes out and admits that she is lesbian and marries Dani. Both women then raise a daughter together.
According to Johnson, the dual revelation is no coincidence.
"I guess that's why I'm ready to open up. It feels weird and wrong to play this revelation about Karen's life and not talk about my own," Johnson told TV Guide.
Johnson admitted that the intimacy that develops between daytime characters and movie actresses is far different, which intimidated her about coming out in the first place.
"There's a greater intimacy between the viewers and the characters. They think you are your character. And that creates a lot of fear, fear of rejection," Johnson admitted.
The soap opera star also claimed that there were very few openly gay celebrities at the time when she first began acting on the show.
"When I realized I was gay in my early twenties we didn't have role models like Ellen," Johnson said. "I was so worried I wouldn't be employable as an actress if people knew I was a lesbian."
Some criticized the actress' timing, suggesting that she was coming out now because it was the "cool thing to do."
"Oh geez .... now all of a sudden everyone will be claiming to be gay because 'super cool' Obama supports it," Felicity suggested on the Daily Mail blog.
"And more will continue to do so," Canopy added.
