John Barrowman ‘fired’ from US TV show for refusing to hide his sexuality

John Barrowman has claimed he was “fired” from a US TV show after refusing to hide being gay.

The Scottish-American actor, who is currently a judge on ITV’s Dancing on Ice, claimed that he was asked to keep his now-husband Scott Gill a secret while starring in the Nineties soap Central Park West.

“Midway through the first season, I was called in by the producers,” Barrowman told The Daily Mail. “They asked me if I would not talk about being gay. I was told that one of the best things that could happen would be if I was pictured collapsed in a gutter with a prostitute.”

Barrowman said he refused to capitulate to the request.

“I continued to go places with Scott and to talk about him,” the Doctor Who star added. “And then I got the script for the last two episodes. My character had been in a fire or a car crash, and the role was going to be recast. I’d been fired.”

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Barrowman played a New York lawyer in the soap opera, which ran for two seasons between 1995 and 1996 on US TV network CBS. It revolved around wealthy professionals working in the Manhattan magazine industry, and also starred Lauren Hutton, Mariel Hemingway and Raquel Welch.

The Independent has reached out to CBS/Paramount for comment, along with representatives for Central Park West creator Darren Star.

Barrowman, who would make his name as Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, recently told The Independent that the Covid-19 pandemic shares parallels to the Aids crisis, and urged people to wear masks.

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