September 9, 2016
Renee Zellweger Denies Ex-Husband Kenny Chesney Gay Rumors
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
In a new interview with The Advocate Thursday, Renee Zellweger denied gay rumors surrounding her ex-husband Kenny Chesney.
Back in 2005, the "Bridget Jones" actress filed for divorce from the country star just four months after they tied the knot. In her annulment, she cited "fraud" as a reason for the split, which sparked rumors that Chesney may be gay. When asked about those rumors, Zellweger said it "made me sad."
"I forgot about that. It's a pretty big thing to forget, isn't it? That made me sad," she told the publication. "It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences. Of course, there's the bigger-picture problem of why anyone had to make up a story at all."
Us Weekly reports that when Zellweger filed for her annulment in September 2005, she made a statement clarifying the term "fraud," saying it was "simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny's character."
When asked if she felt like she needed to fend the musical at the time, Zellweger told The Advocate she "said all I needed o say on that subject."
"I'm an old-fashioned gal who doesn't feel it's appropriate to hang out your laundry on the lawn. I feel you devalue yourself as a human being when you share very personal things with a bajillion strangers who are making fun of you," she added. "I just don't see that there's any dignity in that. But sometimes it is difficult to just let something be what it is, especially when it's unnecessary ugliness. Once you've said your piece, shouldn't that be enough? And why is the ugliness that's perpetuated in the media so attractive to people?"
Us Weekly points out Chesney has defended himself against the rumors. In 2007, he spoke with Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes" and said: "It's not true. Period. Maybe I should have come out and said, 'No, I'm not [gay],' but I didn't want to draw any more attention to it. I didn't have to prove to anybody that I wasn't [gay]. I didn't feel like I really did."
