Jonathan Knight recently revealed that during his time as a member of New Kids on the Block, he was pressured to hide his sexuality from the public. Knight is married to his longtime partner Harley Rodriguez. The couple started dating in 2008 and by 2016 were engaged to each other.
The artist was part of the 90s boy band NKOTB along with Jordan Knight, Danny Wood, Donnie Wahlberg, and Joey McIntyre. Knight was the first to leave the group in 1994, and a few weeks later, it officially disbanded and reunited in 2008.
Read on to learn more.
Jonathan Knight Was Pressured To Hide His Sexuality
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Although Knight is enjoying domestic bliss with his partner Rodriguez, it wasn’t always that way. Artists participated in recent episodes Frosted Tips podcast with Lance Bass, where he describes his experiences during the early years of his band. He said, “My manager knows I’m gay.”
Knight went on to explain that his manager told him not to tell anyone about his sexuality because it could mean the death of his fledgling career. “He pulled me aside and said, ‘If anyone knows, your career is over. The New Kids’ career is over. My career is over,’” said the artist Page Six. “It’s just an enormous amount of pressure.”
Knight continued, “In retrospect, that was a lot of pressure to put on someone who was just trying to figure out the world for himself. As time goes on, the pressure builds and builds and builds.”
Jonathan Knight Has Never Made an Official Announcement About His Sexuality
Instagram/Harley Knight-Rodriguez
Knight revealed that the pressure was so overwhelming for him that he constantly battled anxiety and felt like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. When he finally came out as a gay man, it was years later and not by choice. The artist revealed that her ex-boyfriend, without her consent, had sold their photos to a news platform.
She recalled, “It was my boyfriend who sold our picture to the National Enquirer.” Despite tabloid reports, Knight has not made any official statements about his sexuality and has simply moved on with his life.
“I do not want. I’m just living my life… it’s not something I hide,” said the former NKOTB member. “But then it was like, ‘No, you have to make a statement. You have to clear the air.’ And the whole process was horrible.”
Jonathan Knight Married To Harley Rodriguez
Instagram/Harley Knight-Rodriguez
After years together, Knight and her longtime boyfriend Rodriguez tied the knot in a secret ceremony. The artist revealed the news in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. During the conversation, Knight was asked about the wedding band on her finger, after which she confirmed her new marital status.
She said, “But everyone just assumed we were married, so I never said yes, or no because I didn’t want to lie.” The ceremony was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, and according to their Instagram bio, the couple took each other’s last names.
Knight and Rodriguez initially got engaged in 2016 after eight years together. They were reportedly in Africa on a family vacation when Knight popped the question. During the episode Sirius’ The Jenny McCarthy Showthe singer said, We’re in Africa, our parents are there – our mother is there – and I just thought it was time to pop the question and make it official.”
“We’re on the Zambezi River – right above Victoria Falls,” he continued. “We took a raft dinner at night, just the four of us on the river; there is like a hippopotamus in the background. It is a supermoon. It’s really beautiful; it’s very romantic.”
He Was Raped By His Ex-Girlfriend On National Television
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In 2011, Knight’s ex-girlfriend and fellow singer beat him up on national television. Tiffany was invited on a Bravo episode of “Watch What Happens: Live” where she revealed that Knight is gay.
The singer ignorantly claimed that Knight became gay after their time together, but while they were dating, they had a lot of fun and did “facials” together. When asked if she had met any of the NKOTB members, the artist said, “The quiet one, the shy one.”
He continued per Billboard, “[Jonathan Knight] became gay later. I didn’t do it. I have a problem with that. I think maybe I do. Looking back now, when we were dating, he was so much fun. We used to do facials together. He was very easy to talk to.”
The singer received a lot of backlash online for what she said on “WWHL,” but luckily get some support from her ex, Knight himself, who told her not to “lose sleep” over what she shared on the show.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
