Olympian Gus Kenworthy has shared insights about his journey to coming out and the speculations surrounding his connection with Miley Cyrus.
The freestyle skier confessed to exchanging ‘flirty texts’ with Cyrus, but eventually decided that he no longer wanted to hide his true self. He publicly came out in 2015 on the cover of ESPN The Magazine.
In a conversation with The New Yorker, Kenworthy discussed how he related to the characters in the provocative series Heated Rivalry, particularly regarding the challenges of being a top-tier athlete while keeping his sexuality private.
Prior to his coming out, the 34-year-old British American was rumored to be involved with figure skater Gracie Gold and singer Miley Cyrus.
The rumors about Cyrus intensified after Kenworthy clinched the silver medal in men’s slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. When asked about his ‘dream date’ during the event, which coincided with Valentine’s Day, his response sparked more curiosity.
Kenworthy explained: “I remember just feeling really tormented: Do I make a joke in quotes and say, like, Jake Gyllenhaal?
“But I kind of panicked and said Miley Cyrus. Miley tweeted at me and followed me. It was surreal for a number of reasons, but I was also digging myself this deeper and deeper hole.”
Kenworthy revealed that while there was some ‘flirty texting’ between them, it led him to question if he wanted to continue living a lie about his sexuality.
During the interview, Kenworthy was also asked about his thoughts on the popular series, Heated Rivalry, inspired by Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series.
The show portrays the tale of Shane Hollander, a conflicted Canadian men’s professional hockey player, and his long-time rival, Russian athlete Ilya Rozanov, known as a ‘ladies man,’ who are secretly involved romantically.
Initially, Kenworthy dismissed the hype, finding the show entertaining but a bit ‘smutty’. However, he later found himself relating to the themes and internal struggles about sexuality depicted in the series.
He elaborated: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself reflected onscreen like that, in such a substantial way. The parallels are kind of insane.
“I also had a secret relationship, with these clandestine meetings and hookups. And Miley Cyrus was my own Rose, this famous person that I was suddenly linked to, and as much as I kind of wanted it – because that’s the person you would want to be with if you’re straight, someone successful and beautiful and talented – it’s not the same as when you’re with a guy.
“And then the Scott Hunter character – I really related to him. He wanted to be out, but really, just truly felt like he couldn’t be, because of his circumstances.”