Reed was married in the past, but he wasn’t when the series aired. Not only was Reed single, he likely cruised the wide open Southern California gay scene at some point and was witnessed by members of the series production who were also gay. Wouldn't have been a little difficult to keep that secret under wraps.
shareHe was still closeted and very protective of his secret when the series was on the air. Supposedly Florence Henderson figured it out but kept it secret. Barry Williams says he had suspected but wasn't confirmed until years later.
sharePeople back then frequently didn't know that "gay" was and you could be extremely feminine and people would invent an excuse as to why. Many people were shocked to learn the musician Liberace was gay.
However, he had the stereotypical lisp, flamboyant dress, etc of a campy gay male. I remember seeing him on TV and asking what is up with that guy because I sensed his demeanor was odd and creepy. My relatives told me, "He's an artist" or something like that. I was an artist and found that a bad excuse.
People didn't want to believe others were homosexual well after it became a popular media subject in the 70s.
Why do American male homosexuals lisp? And why can't many of them hide it even if it's for their profession like acting? Reed doesn't have it but the guy that recently played Spock did.
shareRobert Reed was a closeted gay man. Florence Henderson noticed early on that he appeared uncomfortable acting romantically with her, and he admitted the truth to her privately. They worked around it, rehearsing kissing and hugging scenes off-camera, so they would look more natural when it came time to film them. The entire cast kept Reed's sexual orientation a secret until after his death.
shareDecent looking, successful dude yet didn't really date much. Loved musical theater. I'm guessing they had their suspicions.
shareit probably was an open secret but considering that homosexuality was considered a mental illness when the show began and illegal in several places/there was no formal job protection, Reed had reason to be quiet.
Williams wrote in his autobiography that as much as Reed and Schwartz argued re the series, he always stuck up for the kids and even treated them to a vacation--even when they probably were not deserving of it.
It probably taught the kids an important 'lesson' re treating people fairly regardless of who they really were.