VIDEOS Kordell Stewart on Porsha Stewart divorce and gay rumors

Everyone knew that Porsha Stewart’s storyline on The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 6 would center around her acrimonious split from husband Kordell Stewart, and the 31-year-old reality star hit the ground running during last week’s premiere as she blatantly insinuated that Kordell’s sexuality played a major part in their separation.

For those of you who don’t know, Kordell Stewart has been hounded by rumors calling his sexuality into question ever since his days as a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late 1990s. At that time, when his performance on the field was struggling, a rumor surfaced in Pittsburgh that he was arrested for engaging in sexual activity with a transvestite in a public park. That rumor was never substantiated, but it became such a big deal that Kordell was forced to call a special team meeting in 1997 to assure his teammates that he was not gay. During that meeting he famously stated, “I believe in Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” and also allegedly gave his teammates a heads up by saying, “You’d better not leave your girlfriends around me, because I’m out to prove a point!”

Kordell talked about the rumors and the team meeting in a 1999 Sports illustrated article, but otherwise has remained relatively silent about the issue in hopes that it would eventually just go away. But now, thanks to his future ex-wife Porsha Stewart and the power of reality television, his sexuality is back in the spotlight again. The 41-year-old father of one issued a statement back in September after the first trailer for the sixth season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta was released featuring comments from Porsha about Kordell’s sexuality:

I’m very ashamed of my wife for saying something that she knows is not true at all. The rumors have never been true. I’m not gay.

It is sad that she would target the homosexual community which often times lacks support to begin with. It is very disappointing that she will do anything and say anything for a minute of so- called fame.

She can have that life, I just want to continue to be the best single dad and father that I can for my son.

Kordell Stewart

But, after the premiere last week, Kordell obviously felt like he needed to speak out more on the subject of his sexuality as well as some of the real reasons he and Porsha Stewart split, so he appeared on the Atlanta radio station V-103’s “Ryan Cameron Morning Show” last week for a lengthy interview. Here is the interview in its entirety with some bullet-point highlights followed by a transcript of the conversation:

On being disrespected by Porsha and her not putting the family first: I ask the question, “Babe, what’s the deal? Why you coming home — what’s going on?” “What do you mean? I’m grown. I do what I want to do.” That’s a quote from Porsha, from my wife. And so when that happens, I’m kind of messed up a little bit because I ain’t never had this gangsta talk to me from my woman before, from the standpoint of you’re doing your thing, but it’s supposed to be about the household.

On being on a reality show: When I allow Bravo in the house I went against the grain of who I am, and what I represent. I’m private, and I had to compromise everything about my manhood from the standpoint of, OK, I’m gonna let these people in, let my wife do what she do and that’s it.

What about the Pittsburgh rumors? Those rumors that I got arrested for lewd acts in the park? One, I never got arrested. I don’t have a record in Pittsburgh. It went from one park to another park. I never got arrested in that state nor that city.

Does he still love Porsha? I have love in my heart for what I remember about Porsha. Remembered about Porsha. But I love her so much — where she is, she’s going to stay — not coming back over here. There’s nothing here for her to get or I want at all.

Is he gay? No. I’m a 100% man. I don’t do no homophobic, I don’t do no — none of that. There’s nothing about no dude that I see — all due respect … I promise you, on my life, in everything that I’m a part of including my son and my father, who is no longer here, that that has never happened. Nor will anything ever come up — EVER come up with no dude about me and nothing!

Kordell Stewart: For me it’s all about keeping my son’s mind in the right place through all this foolishness that’s going on. Whether it be my wife still today, on paper, running her mouth, saying the things that she’s saying, that she found out about the divorce on Twitter. To the mama being on the show — which I don’t watch the show, The Atlanta Housewives — saying that I only saw my wife one time in the hospital when we had our miscarriage.

Now when it comes to the Twitter thing—my wife had said to me many times after coming home two in the morning, three in the morning, maybe four in the morning because she’s trying to hustle like the Nenes of the world, and everybody wants to be Nene. So, my thing is, after a couple times of it happening and me not knowing because I’m at work — you know my hours, I work 2-6 — so through all that I’ll get home or whatever and my son would say, “When’s mommy coming home?” or “Did she make it home yet?” I’d say, “She’ll be home in a little bit, she’s out doing her thing.” [Kordell clears up that he is referring to Porsha] And so we’d wake up the next morning and my son would ask me, “Did mommy make it home?” I’d say, “Yeah, she’s sleeping.” So when my son asks me this these few times I have to figure out: How do I make him understand what’s going on? He doesn’t deserve to have to deal with that, when there are two parents in the home. If anything, we should be eating dinner together, finding a way to get it done, or making sure that when the kid goes to bed that you go in there and check on the kid. Kiss him goodnight. Even if it’s three in the morning, you still give him a kiss so he can feel your presence! I had to deal with that as a kid. My mom passed away at 11. My dad did it. He did it the right way.

I have custody of my kid. It’s my obligation as a dad, as a parent, to make sure that my baby is good. And I say “my” because you see where it is today. If I say “our,” the our of the other half is not doing her part to even call and check on the kid, not even being concerned about him. And so, when you have all that in place, and I ask the question, “Babe, what’s the deal? Why you coming home — what’s going on?” “What do you mean? I’m grown. I do what I want to do.” That’s a quote from Porsha, from my wife. And so when that happens, I’m kind of messed up a little bit because I ain’t never had this gangsta talk to me from my woman before, from the standpoint of you’re doing your thing, but it’s supposed to be about the household.

^ Kordell Stewart as a rookie for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1995

Because you’ve got to remember Ryan, I played the game of football for the Steelers for many years and I’ve been through my trial and error through the game of football: ups and down, rumors, all that crazy stuff. When I was done playing games I wanted to make sure when I was done the monies I made, I wanted to inject that in my family-to-be. I had a son already — Syre’s been here. Then, Porsha came on the scene. She married into the Stewart family – I didn’t marry into the Williams family. That’s her people. She married into the Stewart’s family. So when I went out my way to make sure that we were situated — we were good as if I were still playing the game because I was capable of purchasing in cash my house for my family. When you come out of your mouth and show that type of disrespect, you don’t know how much that burns me up inside. To know that I’ve always been about team concepts all my life, whether it be my family, whether it be my teammates from the age of seven all the way until I was, what, 34, 35 years old playing in the National Football League. I’m all about everybody pulling their weight, everybody doing their part. The person that actually may suffer if no one pulls their weight is the child, and so when my wife tells me that she’s doing what she wants to do, because she’s out doing what she’s doing, for whatever reason she’s choosing to do it, when I allow Bravo in the house I went against the grain of who I am, and what I represent. I’m private, and I had to compromise everything about my manhood from the standpoint of, OK, I’m gonna let these people in, let my wife do what she do and that’s it.

[The host Ryan Cameron recalls telling Porsha when she was on his show just after it was announced that she was joining The Real Housewives of Atlanta that doing the show was going to change her marriage.]

KS: It was going on before all that.

Ryan Cameron: Why is she playing this card, about questioning your sexuality? And why have you waited so long to talk about it? Did you think that it was going to go away?

KS: Well first let me respond to that. Those rumors that I got arrested for lewd acts in the park? One, I never got arrested. I don’t have a record in Pittsburgh. It went from one park to another park. I never got arrested in that state nor that city. As an African American in the game of football at that time, and how I was being scrutinized at that position, making millions of dollars, in Pittsburgh — an Italian town, you know, German, Polish. The last black quarterback that was in that city was Joe Gilliam. They ran him off with Terry Bradshaw. I wasn’t going to allow me not to not, one: make my money; keep my job, let alone indulge into a rumor that was not true about me. And so I said, as you mentioned, “Uh, it’s no big deal. It’ll fly over. It’s like barber shop talk.” Because I got the phone call at my house on a Tuesday, said, “Kordell, man, whatcha doin’?” Like I’m at home watching, at this time, it was Thomas Crowne Affair in my basement. I remember it vividly! I remember the day, on a Tuesday!

^ Although there is no record of Kordell Stewart being arrested in Pittsburgh for lewd behavior, he was arrested in Alpharetta, Georgia in 2011 and charged with driving with a suspended license and failure to appear stemming from a previous window tinting incident. (Kordell Stewart mug shot photo: Alpharetta Dept. of Public Safety)

And I’m in my basement watching the movie Thomas Crowne Affair in the basement. But I got a phone call on the house phone, not my cell phone, about maybe 9. Like “Whatchu doin’?” I’m like, “Dude, I’m watching a movie. What you doing calling me on my house phone? Why aren’t you calling me on my cell?” “Because n**ga you didn’t answer the phone!”

And so, I said, “What’s going on?” He said, “Man, I almost had to bust somebody upside the head.” Now mind you, he’s an at-home doctor, or a nurse visiting patients at that house. He walks around with a cane. He went to TSU, and he was, like, “Man, people around her are saying you got arrested.” I said, “When did I get arrested?” He said, “Yesterday.” On a Monday. Now this was after the Houston Oilers game in Three Rivers Stadium, and I’m sitting there saying to myself, “I couldn’t have gotten arrested yesterday,” I’m just trying to make sure, this is a dream, or are you being funny?

We have to watch film and we have to work out on that Monday. After that, we hang out with the boys, we go to Dave & Buster’s, Dave & Buster’s was out, then at that time, we got to Dave — play video games, we go paintball, all that kind of crazy stuff. Well Tuesday comes. I go and get me a quick workout and come home. I haven’t been to jail. Nobody have a record on me. That was a record that started just because I wasn’t playing good football at that time.

The conversation was, supposedly I got arrested for lewd acts with a transvestite in a park … That was the rumor that was started about me. And I said, “Man, whatever. Time goes on, time goes on, I’m not even consumed with it because my psyche don’t have time to deal with that man.”

RC: But she says on the show that she asked you about this.

KS: No, she never asked me. When I was dating my wife — I would say maybe two to three weeks into our relationship — we were staying over at a condo. I said I want to talk to you about something real quick if you don’t mind. I said, “You know, we’re having fun and, you know, we like each other, and we’re about to move forward in this relationship … I just want you to know there were rumors about me way back in the day.”

RC: So you brought it up?

KS: I did! Because I wanted her to know so she doesn’t get caught off guard with the foolishness and people start seeing us getting serious or whatever. She said, “Well, I heard about it. My brother kind of mentioned some stuff.” Her brother thought I was married! I mean I had all kinds of stuff about me. I married the head coach’s daughter in Colorado, and have babies for her, and I was supposedly married to my son’s mom. I never was married before I met my wife, nor were those rumors true, so when she responded to me, she was, like, “I heard. No big deal. I know a lot of guys who are gay.” I said, “No, no, no, no. That don’t have nothing to do with me. I’m telling you about a rumor that was out — that’s floating around about me, before you get caught up into this relationship and find this out from the backside, or sideswiped or whatever.”

[Ryan makes a joke about the word “backside” and the two giggle for a bit about it.]

RC: Are you gay?

KS: No.

RC: Are you gay man?

KS: No.

RC: Are you bisexual?

KS: No. I’m not on the down low.

RC: Are you gay, that’s what people want to know?

KS: No, I’m not. No.

RC: Not bisexual?

KS: No. I’m a 100% man. I don’t do no homophobic, I don’t do no — none of that. There’s nothing about no dude that I see — all due respect.

RC: You going to sue her? Because that’s slander.

KS: Because I don’t watch the show, I have to see it.

RC: I’m telling you! It’s slander!

KS: Defamation of character.

RC: Me and you have talked many times and you have always taken the high road. This is what the devil’s advocate is saying here. There is no storyline for Porsha Stewart at this point.

KS: Zero.

RC: She was the one who was married to an actual athlete, and she was the one who was married, so that gave her a “Real Housewife” title. That is now no longer going to be true. you and I have talked about this. You, even with all the foolishness before this episode aired, wanted — and I want everybody in Atlanta to listen to this part because I need you to verify this to be true — you wanted to go to counseling, you thought about reconciliation, you wanted to save your marriage. True or not true?

KS: True.

RC: Even after all of that foolishness! Why?!?

KS: When you say your vows, “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health until death do you part,” at that tim, when I did file for divorce, because I didn’t want to do this — I had no choice! When your wife look you in your face and tell you to file for divorce, and the only reason she’s not filing is because she don’t have the money?!? And she don’t have nothing to lose?!? Are you kidding me? These three plus million dollars I done put into this wedding and this house — ain’t got a momma and everybody in it? Her brother coming to the house with all his kids and my son wants to have a birthday party and you say he can’t have a birthday party because you’re uncomfortable? Are you kidding me? And when you tell me you’re uncomfortable you got all these Bravo folk walking through my house, people who I don’t know — makeup artists, all these different kind of people coming through my house and my baby, the kid who lives here in this house … You’ve got your brother, your nephew and nieces jumping off the rafters, off the rooftop into the swimming pool doing summersaults, jumping from the staircase, everything! having a good time with my son in the house! But all he wanted was a birthday party. And what you say to me and his mom, who I’m in conversations with about our kid: “He doesn’t live — this is not his house. This is my house! He just lives here. He can’t have a birthday party here.”

RC: That’s what she said to you?

KS: Bro, I had to go to the Super Bowl in New Orleans and my son’s mom texts me before I left and asked a question. “Is it OK is Syre has his birthday party at the house because he asked ‘could he?’ Or could we do it at SkyZone,” which is the jumping — the trampoline place, the foolishness. And so I said, “[inaudible] getting too old for all that.” And so, I said, “Look. I’ll talk to Porsha. I’ll have Porsha give you a call. And y’all hash it out.” Let the women take care of this for the baby. For the kid! I gotta go to work.

So, I leave, and I’m going to New Orleans for the week. I come back on Sunday. I’m coming to work on Monday. Now mind you, Porsha never called me and mentioned anything to me about this. I know nothing about the conversation because, honestly, I forgot because I figured it was handled. I come back, and I’m on my way to work and I get the text. She says, “Let me let you know,” from the mom, from my son’s mom, “let me let you know what we need for SkyZone.” I said, “How many kids are coming?” I mean, I’m just kind of following along with the text. She said, “about 15 0r 20 kids.” I said, “Hold, hold! I got to call her!” I said, “What you mean SkyZone?” I said, “Did you and Porsha talk about the house and all the damn yard? I bought all this I have to do this here!” Every once and a while. Not every week like the family coming — the in-laws coming.

OK, so the conversation was, “I’m uncomfortable.” Syre can’t have the old friends and her, meaning ???’s mom, at the house along with the new friends and their parents — and all that house. So I was like, “Hold up. Time out, time out, time out. You mean to tell me that you’re uncomfortable with ??? having his birthday party at the house, but you got Bravo, you got your momma, you got your brother, you got your grandma, you got your aunt? You’ve got ministers, you’ve got everybody coming to the house, but my son can’t have a birthday party at his own crib?” This was my question to her. I said, “Let me tell you something.” I said, “I’m going to make sure you understand what’s happening. My baby’s going to have a birthday party at his house, whether you want to deal with this or not. Because this is foolishness. For you to say this is not his house, this is your house, he just lives here? Dude, now you’re playing with my son. Now you’re playing with my kid and that’s just too much.

RC: The show airs and she makes these allegations. At the end of the day, here on November 5, do you still love Porsha?

KS: I have love in my heart for what I remember about Porsha. Remembered about Porsha. But I love her so much — where she is, she’s going to stay — not coming back over here. There’s nothing here for her to get or I want at all.

RC: So was that the final straw for her to go on this national television show in front of millions of people and make these allegations?

KS: No, that wasn’t the final straw. The final straw was every bit of three or four months before I filed. And what really was the straw that broke the camel’s back was when my son — all the foolishness I just gave you — when my son couldn’t have his birthday party at his house. And knowing that this is my son, I have custody of him.

RC: But this goes against the controlling rumors though Kordell, Because the rumors are out there that you are very controlling. We saw episodes — the whole Vegas episode where Kordell is very controlling, so how does that — that doesn’t make any sense.

KS: That episode was where my wife asked me, or mentioned to me more or less, that they were getting ready to go to L.A. and Vegas. Now mind you, I know what’s going on with the show! We’ve got an L.A. trip and a Vegas trip coming. OK, cool. I gave her some cash, let her go. She went. Let? Take the word out “let,” because there will be some women on this radio station —

Yeah, that sounded very controlling.

KS: That sounded real controlling right there, right? … But, she went and had a good time. I said, “Just text me when you get there, let me know you’re good. Call me when you get to the room or whatever.”

RC: This is what I want to do. I want to reiterate, because you talked about this yesterday and I listened to the show, never — nobody going to come out with no pictures, no video, no nothing because Prince said it, “Are you gay?”

KS: No. I promise you, on my life, in everything that I’m a part of including my son and my father, who is no longer here, that that has never happened. Nor will anything ever come up — EVER come up with no dude about me and nothing! Now, guys can come out on Twitter and say, “Kordell and I can do that!’ C’mon man, social media. People say what they want to say. But far as having someone research records of me going to jail in Pittsburgh, go ahead. It’s public record. There’s nothing hidden. Go ahead! Find out. People are going to “shhhoosh” you because I never said nothing. And they’re still going to “shhhoosh” you because I’m talking now again.