Exclusive

Matt Bomer Comes Out as Gay: "So Proud of Him," Says White Collar Costar

Tim DeKay opens up about actor's decision to thank his partner during awards show gala

By Marc Malkin Feb 17, 2012 1:08 AMTags
E! Placeholder Image

White Collar star Matt Bomer came out as gay just as his friends believed he would—quietly and with remarkable grace.

And they definitely have his back...

"I love him, love him, love him, and I am so proud of him," Bomer's costar Tim DeKay told me at USA Network and The Moth's storytelling event at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. "He's just a fantastic individual and I thought he did it in a very classy, elegant and eloquent way."

The blue-eyed hunkster confirmed he was gay on Saturday by simply thanking his partner, Hollywood publicist Simon Halls, and their three children, while accepting an award in Palm Springs.

DeKay believes Bomer's big step will help countless people who may be struggling with their sexuality. "I can't imagine how many guys or gals were out there going, 'If he could do it, I could do it,' " Dekay said.

Fellow Collar costar Tiffani Thieesen also gushed, "I adore Matt. I adore his family. I think he's beautiful and I think his family is beautiful."

The storytelling event featured five people, including The Help's Octavia Spencer and Oscar-winning writer Dustin Lance Black, alone on stage for ten minutes telling personal stories of how they overcame prejudice.

Bomer introduced the night's program after racing across town from the Glee set, where he's been shooting an upcoming guest spot.

"When somebody gets up in front of everybody and tells us their experience, it reminds of us our humanity," he said. "When somebody who might be outside your comfort zone, be it because of their religion, their race, their sexual preference [or] their handicap gets up and says their story and their experience in front of you, a little bit of ignorance melts away in all of us and we realize we are all basically the same."