The famous women in this gallery come from different backgrounds and generations. But all have something most unusual in common.
They all married gay men without knowing about their sexuality beforehand. In many (maybe even most) cases, before the men knew either.
Some of these 13 situations have been well documented.
Others? Not so much … take a look for yourself:
Liza Minnelli
Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winning performer Liza Minnelli was married to Peter Allen from 1967-1974. He later came out as gay and had a long-term relationship with Gregory Connell. Amazingly, or perhaps not coincidentally, Liza Minnelli’s mother, Judy Garland, was also married to a gay man …
Judy Garland
Academy Award winner Judy Garland was one of several women director Vincente Minnelli married … while he allegedly carried himself like an openly gay man in New York City but remained in the closet in Los Angeles. Back in the day, you could actually pull that off.
Fran Drescher
Fran Drescher was married to Peter Marc Jacobson, who created the show that made her a household name, The Nanny. They were married from 1978-99; Jacobson didn’t come out until after their divorce, but there were no hard feelings. In fact, they collaborated on a new sitcom, Happily Divorced, based on their own experiences.
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher married Bryan Lourd in 1991; they divorced when he came out as gay three years later.
Vanessa Redgrave
Actress Vanessa Redgrave was married to Oscar-winning director Tony Richardson from 1962-67 and had two daughters with her, Joely and Natasha Richardson. Tony did not come out until he was diagnosed with HIV; he died of AIDS-related complications in 1991.
Betsy Drake
Betsy Drake was an actress who appeared with Cary Grant in his movies and was the second of his four wives. It is now widely believed that the icon was actually gay, as he lived with another man, Randolph Scott, for 10 years later in life.
Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury’s first husband, actor Richard Cromwell, was gay. They were married from 1945-46; Cromwell died in 1960. Long after that, Lansbury revealed that the marriage ended because of Cromwell’s sexuality.
Carolyn Moos
Former college and women’s professional basketball player Carolyn Moos almost married her fiance, Jason Collins, until he came out as gay in 2012 while they were still engaged; Moos says she was crushed by the revelation. Collins later became the first openly gay player in the NBA.
Jackee Harry
Jackee Harry of Sister, Sister fame and her husband from 1996-2003, Elgin Charles, who later came out as gay, had a short-lived reality show Beverly Hills Fabulous, about his hair salon; they stayed close and she even appeared on the program
Charlotte Rae
Diff’rent Strokes cast member Charlotte Rae divorced her husband, John Strauss, after he came out as gay in 1976.
Danielle Fishel
Everybody’s Boy Meets World crush Danielle Fishel wasn’t actually married to NSync member Lance Bass, but they did date for over a year and she did say she was blindsided after he came out.
Phyllis Gates
Phyllis Gates’ marriage to actor Rock Hudson came to an end Gates learned that Hudson had not only had an affair while filming on location, but had it with a man. After he died, Gates wrote that she had no idea that he was gay, but his friends have claimed she knew all along.
Kelly Preston
John Travolta is still in the closet, despite a long marriage to Kelly Preston that is still intact. This has not been confirmed and will likely never be, yet is widely considered one of Hollywood’s worst kept secrets.