Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s coming out story is super embarrassing

Modern Family‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson actually had to come out three times to his father, but the first one was a doozy. On Aisha Tyler’s podcast Jesse related the cringeworthy details of the first time his sexuality was revealed to his family.

“Well, I was caught stealing gay porn when I was 14. So, I always considered that my coming-out,” he admitted. “It was so humiliating. I had been stealing porn for a while. I had quite a little collection. And I would bring it into the house, and then I’d get nervous, so I’d hide it under the mattress, or I’d hide it behind a shed in the backyard. And then it would get rained on, and I’d have to go get the barbecue tongs.”

The porn under his shirt set off sensors, and he “had to go back to the woman who asked me if I had anything in my backpack – she was giving me the benefit of the doubt. I couldn’t be like, ‘some porn fell inside my pants’ – I lifted up my shirt and I had tears in my eyes. She took me to the back room and they brought my dad in, showed him the nature of the material that I was stealing. It was really, really humiliating.”

Afterwards, he had a brief talk with his dad, but since he was only 14, the issue was basically voided. Later he came out to his dad in earnest, and who had to be told three times. When he was 21, Jesse was baffled when he dad asked if he had a girlfriend. He was like, “Dad! You know I’m gay!” Thankfully now his dad accepts his son’s sexuality.