Australia’s Got Talent contestant Jack Vidgen came out at as gay at the age of 19 in May 2019, as he was planning his comeback on talent series, The Voice.
He now stars in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and on last night’s episode, he had a powerful discussion with footy star Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico about the pressures surrounding being gay and coming out.
During the chat, the 23-year-old singer revealed that he knows “10 to 12 gay footy players” who are in the closet because it is too “daunting” to come out with the culture of toxic masculinity in football.
“I probably know about 10 or 12 footy players that are gay but they wouldn’t come out,” Jack said.
Could this be Dippers new catch phrase? #ImACelebrityAU pic.twitter.com/tplNkJxUTo
— #ImACelebrityAU (@ImACelebrityAU) January 10, 2021
“It’s a very masculine industry and you also have a really high profile so it would be extremely daunting not knowing, are you going to lose your career, lose your friends, lose your colleagues, what are people going to think of you,” Jack Vidgen added.
“It would be a really hard thing to go through in that industry.”
He also discussed his coming out to Dipper, stating that he “probably would have been ready” to come out sooner if he wasn’t thrown into the spotlight at such a young age.
“I feel like I probably would have been ready to come out earlier. But probably because, just everything that happened and being known and in the public… and also [Australia’s Got Talent],” he said.
Jack Vidgen said he had a girlfriend from age 17 to 19, that was more of a “glorified friendship”, and felt ready to come out as gay when he started seeing his ex again.
When asked by Dipper how it felt to come out, he said: “Oh it was incredible. [It was] one of the most incredible feelings of my life.”
We’re so glad you get to be your true self Jack – thanks for sharing your story #ImACelebrityAU pic.twitter.com/dpV74Fcnlo
— #ImACelebrityAU (@ImACelebrityAU) January 10, 2021
He concluded, “Love is love… but hearing other people accept it and say, ‘That’s so normal. That’s so okay’.”
He later said the discussion with Dipper was “a beautiful moment.” Bless.
I’m A Celeb continues tonight on Ten at 7:30pm. Get caught up on last night’s ep via TenPlay.
