【Yoshihiro Tanbara Archives】

For years,Yoshihiro Tanbara Archives Gawkerand Fox News fans wondered out loud whether anchor Shepard Smith was gay.

In a new interview with The Huffington Post, the anchor seemingly confirmed the rumors, without ever using the word "gay." Smith told HuffPothat former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes never used homophobic slurs against him or forced him to remain in the closet.

SEE ALSO: Donald Trump audio leak dominates the news... except on Fox News

"He was as nice as he could be to me. I loved him like a father," Smith told The Huffington Post.

Though Smith has appeared in Out Magazine's "Power 50" list, this is the most explicit admission he's made so far in public. In 2014, Gawkerreported that Smith wanted to come out of the closet but that Ailes told him that wouldn't go over well with the network's conservative audience.

Fox News denied the report with a joint statement by Ailes and Smith that never addressed the anchor's orientation.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Ailes has since left the network after multiple reports surfaced alleging that the chairman had sexually harassed employees. Smith said the allegations were horrifying, and that his trust felt betrayed.

"People outside this company can’t know [how painful that betrayal was]. This place has its enemies, but inside, it was very personal, and very scarring and horrifying," Smith told The Huffington Post.

Still, Smith claims he was protected from any of Ailes' abusive behavior.

"He treated me with respect, just respect,” Smith said. “I wasn’t new in the business when I came here ― I’d been doing reporting for 12 years ― but I wasn’t old in it either, and he gave me every opportunity in the world and he never asked anything of me but that we get it right, try to get it right every day. It was a very warm and loving and comfortable place," Smith said.

When President Obama came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2012, Smith simply said, "The president of the United States, now in the 21st century."

Smith was one of the few Fox News anchors to report on the Ailes allegations.

BONUS: Watch Trump lurk like a hungry ghost behind Clinton at debate

Topics LGBTQ

• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Tech
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Science
• Life

• NYT Strands hints, answers for April 23
• The title of Hillary Clinton's upcoming campaign memoir has been unveiled
• The Apple Watch Series 3 isn't playing nice with WatchOS 7 for some
• Behold South Korea's adorable new First Dog
• You won't see Elon Musk smoking weed in public again, NASA admin says
• Lmao, Twitter is going insane over the Scaramucci interview, and it's awesome
• Star Trek reveals its first openly gay character
• Google Photos gets smarter, AI
• Outdoor speaker deal: Save $20 on the Soundcore Boom 2
• 'South Park' residents will fill the stands at Sunday's Broncos game

• John Oliver gleefully weighs in on the Trump
• NYT Connections hints and answers for June 8: Tips to solve 'Connections' #728.
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for June 8: Tips to solve Connections #258
• Best headphones deal: Save $100 on Beats Solo 4
• Adobe Premiere Pro CC CPU & GPU Performance
• How to unblock Pornhub for free in Florida
• The Webb telescope found something exceedingly rare around a dying star
• NYT Strands hints, answers for June 9
• Everything announced during Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote event
• Best Bluetooth speaker deal: $99 Beats Pill at Amazon

• Sony PULSE Elite PS5 headset open
• Biden/Harris amps up Animal Crossing campaigning with new virtual swag
• Pinterest adds to ban on promotion of culturally insensitive costumes
• Dude's corny Batman pick
• How to Secure Your Android Phone and Get the Most Out of Smart Lock
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro has a 144Hz display, 5,000mAh battery
• A wealthy human just purchased Trump's drawing of, uh, whatever that thing is
• The most effective ways to support a loved one who believes in QAnon
• Why Building a Gaming PC Right Now is a Bad Idea, Part 1: Expensive DDR4 Memory
• Elon Musk: Tesla could be producing 20 million cars per year by 2030

• Skywatching is lit in May, says NASA
• Elon Musk: Tesla could be producing 20 million cars per year by 2030
• 'The Office' stars recall J.J. Abrams directing an episode of the show
• Google's 'hold for me' feature makes the digital assistant wait on your calls
• Asus VivoWatch 6 AERO measures blood pressure and ECG
• The Boy Scouts are really, really sorry about that Trump speech
• 'South Park' residents will fill the stands at Sunday's Broncos game
• 10 better things to do than subtweet a female writer on the internet
• NYT Connections hints and answers for April 26: Tips to solve 'Connections' #685.
• Fake news runs amok as Trump and Biden prepare for the first presidential debate