In 2002 I was at a bar called Hell in the Meatpacking District of New York City, which is where I met Shepard Smith. At the time, Shep was just coming to terms with his sexuality, and we spent a good deal of time talking about what it means for him to be a gay man. I’m not the first to report this.
Shep showed some interest in me–we were introduced via a mutual friend, an actor named Mark–but all we had was conversation. I thought he was a nice guy. I snapped photos of him and his female friend with the handkerchief on her head, whose name I have long forgotten. I sent him those photos.
But as I watch Fox News, and the diatribes they air and the complete reaming of reality that they undertake daily that only serves to incite the worst in Americans, I wonder: Shep – do you ever feel like you are selling yourself out completely just for your career? When you said “it gets frightening sometimes” did you really mean it? Your career is so developed that you could now hop to another network. Why don’t you? Why do you stay at a network that appeals to the worst in American society, and practices one of the most debased forms of infotainment?
At the time you and I met you at Hell, Shep, I was seeing someone and made that clear in our conversation; I would never have cheated. But through the years, as I watch what Fox News does, I wonder if you and I had started to date–do you date, or do you just have one-night stands?–whether I would be okay with who you work for and what you do every night. I don’t have an answer.
I imagine, Shep, that your career is fulfilling, but I also suspect that you go home every night and wonder what you are doing, and whether getting your face plastered all over the Rockefeller Center subway station and across America is worth it that you have found nobody with whom to build a life. You are alone, and you are probably frustrated that your personal life is in the crapper because you have sold yourself out.
You’ve already made your name, Shep. You just haven’t done anything with it beyond what every talking head does. You could start by coming out, and exploring a side of who you are more openly so that you are no longer terrified that it will endanger your working life. It won’t, and you’ve already banked your financial security.
Update: Why did I write this post?
Wikipedia photos to be deleted
NYC Wedding March – September 26, 2010
Joaquin Phoenix is a poser
Flushing Meadow Corona Park skate park
East Village Park and Williamsburg Bridge photos
100 People I Photographed for the Creative Commons
Pakistan flood devastation statistics
Cordoba House / Ground Zero mosque protest photos
The void in my blogging (and some photos)
Rihanna video with Eminem about Chris Brown?
shep he is such a hipocrite he once told me he love me and im a girl then he said to me he wants guys instead. its sarahs fault he was dating her and she turned him off to girls becuse she was a loser
“do it for yourself”
You, sir, are full of it. If you actually cared about him, you wouldn’t be posting on a public website violating his privacy like this. How could you possibly feel you have the right to post about his private life? It’s one thing to encourage someone privately to come out, but going about it like this is careless and rude.
And how do you know whether he is happy or not with his private life?
Oh and why is any of this any of your business or anyone else’s business who reads this page??
I don’t get people like you. I only understand to a certain extent, because I’m not straight and I have my struggles with it. But violating someone else’s privacy like this isn’t justifiable.
Shepard is like black woman posing for an Aunt Jemima ad. Except Shep actually does it.
I have a friend in Australia who I have watched in a similar situation. We studied in a musical theatre workshop together, and took the same dance classes.
He was a researcher for one of the leading morning breakfast television shows at the time. And now, some years later, I see him as a “journalist” on one of those 30 min “current affairs as entertainment” tabloid shows that have if no baring on the truth whatsoever.
I look at him and wonder if he feels that he has sold out, and what I would say to him if we ever crossed paths again. The Australian media industry is tiny in comparison to the U.S. and jobs are few and far between.
But still I wonder what I would have done in his shoes? Because I have lost quite a lot of personal respect for the guy.
I used to like Shepard but lately have wondered how he looks at himself in the mirror. Maybe he just stares at his face and thinks, “Shep you are a pretty boy” but somewhere inside him he has to wonder about his own value system. He claims Fox is fair and balanced, this is laughable from someone who works along side Glen Beck, O Reilly, John Gibson, Sean Hannity. Fox is the biggest spewer of hate and lies in the world. But Shep makes $8 million a year, that’s enough to put one’s morals and values aside for I guess. So Sad.
Terri in Temeculah
PS: Ronda, you misunderstand the author’s message. He isn’t claiming to “care abut him.” He is asking Shep to consider working for an organization which wouldn’t contradict his beliefs. He is saying Shep seems to be a decent guy and Fox is a cess pool. Meaning Shep is better than Fox. And Ronda, this is an odd place for you to suddenly “come out” but good for you. If you are facing a conflict over your sexuality, don’t get pissy about it. Love Ya, Terri
R, If you read the post carefully, I think you’d see that this post hasn’t violated Shep’s privacy…he’s already been “outed”. Plus, as a public figure he has a lower expectation of privacy. You can’t be famous, walk into a place like Hell (hee hee, I like that name) and expect that no one’s going to talk about it.
I guess Shep is just “doing a job”. Sometimes I have to do stuff at work I don’t always “believe in” but it’s part of what I do.
to R: It is no secret that Shep is gay. You’d have to be living under a rock not to know that.
Moving on to Dave’s criticism of him working at Fox, I used to watch him on a regular basis. IMO he has not drank the Fox kool-aid. He appears to be a pretty objective reporter. He doesn’t have guests on who yell at each other. He comes across as a moderate, to me anyway.
Interesting post, Dave.
I’m only assuming for argument’s sake that these encounters with Shep have been true. I hesitate to believe anything that is just being posted on a blog. That being said…
Samantha, his privacy has been violated before so that justifies doing it again? And just because he’s on TV that makes it okay? I think those are lame excuses. How do you know that previous “outing” is even true? Who cares whether it’s Shep or a non-public figure? If this was a about some random dude I’ve never seen before, I’d be saying the same thing.
Eleanor, I don’t care if he actually is gay or just perceived to be. That’s not the point. It’s been clear to me that Shep doesn’t want to make these sorts of things public information as he has never mentioned it during an interview, his shows, or anything else. I’m saying his privacy should be respected.
Professionally Shepard has sold his soul to the devil for $8 million a year. Sexually I don’t think he’s gay. I think he is like Jack Nicholson, Hugh Hefner, Keith Olbermann, James Woods, and the other aging flabby rich celebrity males who seek the company of buxom silicone botox babes just barely out of their teens as trophy girlfriends. It never occurs to them that these beautiful but brainless little girlies spread em not because they are turned on by them, but for how these old farts can advance their situation. David Letterman- wow.. who have thunk it, it rich celebrity who chose the company of a real woman. One he can build a relationship and a family with rather then a Barbie doll arm dressing. In Shep’s case, it’s sad because it seems like there is a conscience in there somewhere. He just sold it to the highest bidder. CBS would buy it back for you Shep.
I’m not sure I am buying this encounter at the gay bar. Something about it doesn’t make sense. You say that Shepard was there with a girl and that you took pictures of the two of them together that night. Why would he go to a gay bar with a young lady? What was she doing the whole time he was discussing with you what it means to be a gay man? Why would he take a girl there while he is expressing interest in you? Perhaps she wasn’t his date, perhaps she was his sister. But I don’t think a man would need to bring his sister into a gay bar while he tries to come on to a man. Perhaps it was a female coworker who was offering him some moral support while he tentatively explored his homosexual tendencies. Maybe it was his mother… you see David, something about this story is not ringing true.
I don’t care if Shepard is gay or straight. The only time it would even occur to me to ponder the question would be if he were to ask me out and express romantic interest in me personally. Unless somebody wants to date me, I don’t see the need to wonder about their sexual orientation. Whether he is gay or straight, he is a good reporter. But that brings me to the other part of this conversation. Shepard is a decent guy and you can tell that he wants to report in a fair and balanced manner. The fact that he works for Fox is really a shame. I think it has made him something of a joke. His fellow Foxers view him as a joke because he is not a screaming right wing fact changing radical hater like O’Reilly, Beck & Hannity. The public sees him as a joke because he is just another possession of Rupert Murdoch and his evil empire. It is apparent that Roger Ailes does allow Shep to express his own viewpoints occasionally, and that is nice. But at the end of the day, Shepard is just another one of Rupert Murdoch’s minions. For example: when all the other reporters on every other TV station in the country were expressing outrage at Rupert Murdoch’s cartoon depicting President Obama as an Ape, where was Shepard doing one of his tirades? Had it been Senator Dodd that published that cartoon, Shep would have been all over it. But he never even mentioned it. At the end of the day, he is a bought and paid for Rupert Murdoch tool. I think if Shepard had gone to work for a respectable network, he could have been one of the greats… a young Dan Rather perhaps. David on this point I agree with you, I think his career is established enough that he could make a move. He is still young enough that he could repair his image and become the fair and balanced, respected reporter that he was meant to be.
Whoever is impersonating me can’t even spell Temecula right. Time to up your dosage, gal.
Temeculah. Look it up. Do a google search if necessary.
If it’s the one in CA, then Temecula is the correct spelling.
Eleanor, don’t mind the fool. That person goes around blogs that mention Shep and uses names other than her/his own to instigate trouble… or something… I’m not quite sure what the point of it is anymore. It’s been going on for a loooong time now, usually as MaryTSR, but I guess she decided to mess with my friend Terri for whatever reason. That person has used my name before as well.
I can’t believe you can rake Shep over the coals for being a journalist on a conservative News Station b/c that appears so ‘hypocrital’ and yet you date Brian Reyes. There’s hardly anything MORE hypocritical than a gay man acting like he wants women to look sexy in clothes. Oh please!
Um…. Ronda. What ever La-La land you are in… the other innocent people here don’t need to be dragged into it. Take your meds hon. To get back to reality and to the topic at hand, Shepard seems very homophobic to me. I wonder if it’s a cover up of sorts. Remember when that Miss America got into trouble with Donald Trump, For about 2 weeks Shep continually showed clips of her strutting in her bikini, and he hooted and hollard like a frat boy at his first girlie show. Kind of has me wondering if it’s all an act since these gay encounters are becoming a regular occurance.
Terri in Temecula
Can’t I read any posts or blogs about Shepard Smith without this moron showing up? She posts insane comments using several names of other people everywhere Shepard Smith is mentioned online. She posted under two names here! Everyone knows it’s her and not the real people, and people I’ve talked to through Facebook are getting really irritated.
She sounds just like this crazy lady who called herself nikki on Shepard Smith sites back when I used to read them.
Hey crazy lady,knock it off. You are wasting the time of bloggers, posters and readers.
I forgot to say this to the crazy lady. Why don’t you make normal responses to the topic being blogged about? I came here to read David Shankbone’s article and readers’ input, not your childish shenanigans.
Twitter: davidshankbone
says:
Sue is correct. The following four people who have commented on this thread are the same person:
Terri Jones (the one being called fake)
Nancy
Paul
Mary TSR
To the rest of the people who commented on this post, I just returned on a red eye flight from Israel where I was spending night and day photographing the country for Wikipedia, so the blog has gone neglected. I am usually more interactive on here. I will follow this post up with why I wrote it, and I am going to try to find some of those 7 year old photos. I will even answer some of the things Fake Terri/Nancy/Paul/Mary wrote.
Welcome back, Dave. I think except for THE FAKE PERSON WITH FOUR NAMES that we all behaved pretty well while you were gone.
And thanks R. I’ve never been to any Shep sites so I didn’t know about that person.
Perfect! David, maybe could also clarify with them that I (please note my e-mail) am NOT the same (ip address?) as the above poster who has posted recently on here.
And for the record folks, it HAS NOT been me posting all over the internet posing as any of you other people. And for those who observe, are you crazy? How dare any of you continue with these horrible accusations that I run around the internet making fun of ANYONE OVER and OVER. If anyone should be mad here, it should be me. Defamation of character sound familiar much folks? Good grief let it rest blaming me for this $hit. Could you people grow the F up already? To the person who posed as four people here – come forward and state you are not “nikki” so that these strange folks could stop saying it’s me!!! GIMME A BREAK!! I’M NOT THAT immature. Do you people have any idea the numbers on the internet? To say it’s me is beyond insane at this point. Truth be told whoever you people are saying it’s me owe me an HUGE apology. I’m kinda tired of this crap.
Your welcome, Eleanor. The person used to harass a Shepard Smith fan board I posted on for years, so unfortunately I know this freak all to well. That board was closed last year because of this freak. I’m sure it’s the same freak that abused the Shepard Smith Wiki page and went around lying that Shep was engaged. Among doing many other things.
Maybe you could all take this somewhere else? That was my whole point. I don’t want to read this wherever I go. It’s very rude to the blog and site owners. I don’t even want to comment on this topic now because of all this.
Maybe you could not make ugly accusations about me. I have seen this garbage posted online for years. Don’t start playing innocent all of a sudden, Sue. While you claim you don’t want to post here because of it, why don’t you re read your two post above. You participated in hurling accusations worse than anyone I have seen online with the name dropping. I have never stepped in and said one word before until the name dropping and “crazy lady” started. YOU, Sue, are guilty yourself. As for the rest of you who insist on freaking out all the time with the ignorant garbage online, you know my email addy. Stop blowing your crap all over online everywhere, and drop me an email (you know the email) with your instead of yapping all over the internet with your lame, bizarre, immature games.
The saddest part about it is most of you people do this as Shepard Smith fans. I don’t even watch Fox News, but on rare occasions.
Sue, I hate to say this but you are the reason I posted at all.
Here is what you said:
“She posts insane comments using several names of other people everywhere Shepard Smith is mentioned online. She posted under two names here! Everyone knows it’s her and not the real people, and people I’ve talked to through Facebook are getting really irritated.
She sounds just like this crazy lady who called herself nikki on Shepard Smith sites back when I used to read them.
Hey crazy lady,knock it off. You are wasting the time of bloggers, posters and readers.
#
Sue says:
March 29th, 2009
7:27 am
I forgot to say this to the crazy lady. Why don’t you make normal responses to the topic being blogged about? I came here to read David Shankbone’s article and readers’ input, not your childish shenanigans.”
Looks like you said a for here on the subject for someone who just wants to post on the topic.
And to answer the question to the poster here who posed as four different people (WHO I AM BLAMED FOR BEING ON THIS SITE???)about a woman being seen with a gay: there is a specific term for that – it’s called a fag hag”. Just for the record – this is a response to the specific question asked in general about women who are spotted with gays – not Shepard smith himself.
I don’t even know who you are, so how can I mail you? All I said is this person reminded me of someone who was nuts and posted under different names on the same place in the past. If you never did that, why would you assume it was you?
I’m done with this, as I am sure the blogger is.
The person you said it reminded you of that is “nuts” (that would be the “nikki” you speak of) is me!
I feel I have every right to defend myself here, Sue, since you are the person who dropped the name. I was directing the comment to some of the people who DO know my email address.
BTW, Can I call you NUTS here too?
NO, YOU OR ANY OF YOU MAY NOT SLANDER MY NAME ANYWHERE.
Twitter: davidshankbone
says:
I’m not annoyed by the bickering (this *is* this Internet) but it does distract from the larger issues that deserve attention: Outing public figures; my motivations and reasoning for doing so in this case; why it matters or doesn’t; and the sources where people get their infotainment, and where the responsibility lies in the information propagated, and by whom (from sources to reporters to talking heads).
Unfortunately, Internet trolling distracts people from discussing the things that matter. So does jingoism. So do a lot of things. It’s up to all of us to start slicing through the distracting BS and only focus on the topics at hand instead of allowing ourselves to take the bait. Ignore people who only try to incite emotion instead of thought. Whether they be trolls or talking heads.
Easier said than done.
I’ll post a follow-up and link to it here in this comments. It probably won’t be until Wednesday/Thursday as I have another post I’ve been working on that I need to finish. I hope you all are enjoying your week.
David
Can you please let these folks here know thatI AM NOT THE SAME POSTER AS THE 4 FAKES AND END THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL, DAVID? I would appreciate it, David. This goes on all over the internet about me.
P.S. That was supposed to be “fag hag”. THANKS!
Twitter: davidshankbone
says:
Niccii is not the same poster.
Nobody says “fag hag” anymore. This was a term that mostly fell into usage in the Eighties and Nineties to describe a group of women who felt more comfortable going out in a (for them) non-sexual environment full of men, and who adopted a lot of gay culture as their own. Today, gay culture is so universal–ugh, Metrosexuals–and so many straight men and women go to gay bars, and vice versa, it’s kind of dated.
But I thought the “he’s with a girl” thing was funny. I mean, when *haven’t* girls gone to gay bars? Not only that, Hell was one of my favorite bars because it *wasn’t* a gay bar – it was pretty 50/50 gay/straight most nights. Any night you would run into a variety of people. It started to die down and then closed a few years back.
haha…you were quick enough to catch it was an older term. I know “fag hag” from years back. *wink wink* You know what I find funny?
The bar is in the “meatpacking” district. LOL!
You are wonderful for posting the “fake” is not me.
THANK YOU.
Carry on people.
Good luck, David!
I’m just curious as to how and why a man who makes a big point of keeping his personal life private winds up repeatedly coming out/on to so many men who have a visceral loathing for his employer and are eager to out him, if we are to believe these alleged incidents.
David, may I ask why you waited 7 years after this supposed meeting to out him?
This is why I don’t normally post on blogs I read. This petty, childish sniping is such a waste of everyone’s time. And Cyndy, what difference does it make when and why Dave decided to post this? And by referring to the contents as a “supposed meeting” as well as “alleged incidents” is just a passive aggressive way of saying you don’t even believe that Dave is telling the truth. So I have to ask why you would even read the blog of someone whose credibility is an issue for you?
Wow, way to take a blog personally, Eleanor!
What makes you so certain that I read Dave’s blog on a regular basis, or that I’ve even read it before? Maybe someone sent me a link to this post?
I hope you’ll forgive me for not taking a total stranger’s word as the gospel, but I have long noticed a pattern in those who claim that Shepard Smith has either outed himself or made a pass to them: all men who have a strong antipathy toward his employer. Should I just believe that he has the worst luck on Earth in picking people to talk to or attempt to pick up?
I just hope that you don’t get a nosebleed from sitting so high up above us on your superior little perch.
Twitter: davidshankbone
says:
Cyndy, it doesn’t make any difference to me if you believe me or not, but I won’t be expecting a libel lawsuit in the mail from Shepard Smith.
David, if it doesn’t matter to you if I (or presumably any reader) believe you, then why did you post the story? As you can see, I posted earlier my questions and my reasons for not just believing you (or any of the others who made the same claim). I asked politely and, of course, it’s your blog and your choice whether to address any of them.
On another note, congratulations on getting to photograph/cover the Tribeca Film Festival. If you’ve never been to the festival before, you’re in for a real treat.
I don’t care whether Shepard Smith is gay or not – or who else is or isn’t. What bothers me is it seems there aren’t very many isn’ts around because the issue is brought up in EVERYTHING. Every time I turn around it’s about some gay person or some gay issue or gay this and gay that. I had a very close family member who has passed away from AIDS (my son – can’t get closer than that) who was gay and I loved him with my whole heart always and forever, which he always knew. Through him I know many gays. But, geez, I’m just really, really tired of all the gay stuff. I’m all “gayed out” and tired of hearing about all the outed gays. Poor old Rodney said it best: “Can’t we just all get along?” and shut up about what should be private matters. Don’t tell me and I sure as heck won’t ask – or care one way or the other. We each are who we are.
Twitter: davidshankbone
says:
Mugsy, I would agree with you except we deny gay people the fundamental civil right of marriage, so from my perspective, we don’t hear enough about gay issues as long as we deny these Americans their basic rights.
An alternative argument is that we are inundated with a lot of information – celebrity drug use; human rights abuses under George Bush; the clothes that someone is wearing; Susan Boyle; what Sarah Palin “reads”; the list goes on and on. May I make a suggestion? Stop following the 24 hour news cycle. Find a time of day and at least two to three sources for news (never just one source) and check them at those pre-determined moments, instead of staying so “tuned in” and being inundated? Don’t read what you don’t want to read – nobody is forcing you to view things ala A Clockwork Orange.
As regards to privacy – it doesn’t exist anymore, especially when one goes cruising gay bars.
I’m very sorry about your son, and I have lost friends as well. But may I ask – how did you find this blog post? Were you Googling Shepard Smith’s sexuality? Because in a search for “Shepard Smith” this post is not even in the top 10 pages of results, and in my list of search terms people used to arrive here, the only Shepard Smith ones are “Is Shepard Smith gay?” and variants of it.
And what is wrong with Fox News? Oh, it’s not overtly liberal. Come on, liberals have CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, and 90% of national media members. What about a little tolerance for other points of view. According to Nielsen ratings, America is a lot more in line with Fox than it is with the left-leaning outlets. No need for so much vitriol.
i am sorry you guys havent found god our creator. he has inmense love for you. all of you are at a cross road for diferent reasons. some traumatic and some for pleasure, but its false. Enlighten yourselves and free yourself from this bondage of homosexuality. we are but souls that are free to choose a road thanks to our creator but we must choose wisely. love is genuine,its authentic its truth.
Who are you to judge who we are and where we are on life’s path? And to make proclamations about what “our creator” thinks is the “right path”? Does your God speak directly to you? And tell you who is right in their beliefs and who is wrong? It’s intolerant judgmental people like you that cause the difficulties by refusing to let others live their lives in the manner they choose.
My boyfriend is not gay the guy who wrote that article is a liar,a sadcase of wishful thinking in his part,I am sick of seeing these stupid posts that say he is.
I watched Shepard Smith cover the Michael Jackson Memorial. I pray that when he leaves this earth, someone will speak about all the negative things that made up his life! He proved to be the most insinsitive news anchor that I have ever witnessed. He clearly did not respect Michael Jacksons memory, his family or his fans. The flavor of his entire broadcast simply showed that he personally was not a fan, and even worst he had no repect for Michaels fans, since he made it a point to mention Michaels trial over and over again. as well as calling the Memorial Service a overthetop spectical which it wasn’t. I feel sorry for someone with such a cold spirit! One day your Karma will come back to you, and I hope it will be soon!
Wow, you talk about hate mongering and you put this private issue out on a public site. Who’s the hate monger? I’ve listened to Shep -he’s very reasonable. Hate is what comes out of Keith Olbermann’s mouth. Rachel Maddow is a snotty piece of work as well.
Shep is getting better, sure he is decent. But working big for FOX NEWS IS NOT GOOD.. HE SHOULD MOVE, BECAUSE HE IS GOOD—THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS ARTICLE. I SUPPORT THAT.
Hahaha You met a gay guy in the “Meatpacking” District, CLASSIC!
I don’t get why you can’t be gay, black, a woman or any label you choose to attach and be a conservative that loves his/her own kind. The whole premise of the Republican party is less government intrusion in one’s personal life, and equal treatment for all. So, yeah, a conservative might be against a law that gives a minority group special treatment, because in the long run, it hurts that group and the country altogether.
Twitter: davidshankbone
says:
Which would be great, if the majority of the Republican Party took that attitude. Unfortunately, the Evangelicals still rule the roost, and they want the party–and thus, the conservative movement–to advance its social agenda. Sarah Vowell, in her book The Wordy Shipmates, discusses how the founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams, was such a religious zealot that he had no desire to inflict punishment on those he deemed less-than-pure:
Hell was punishment enough; he saw no need to take God’s job–punishment for sins–into his own hands, so he wanted a tolerant place. America would be so lucky to have these kinds of religious zealots in the Republican Party.
How can you say Fox News brings out the worst in Americans? As a gay man, I find them to be the only sensible TV news outlet, with the exception of maybe Lou Dobbs on CNN. They actually give the viewer both sides. And with Fox Report (Shep’s newscast), it is straight news reading with no editorial comment by Shep. They do offer editorial shows, such as Beck and Hannity that are slanted to the right, but there is nothing wrong with that either. Shep has not sold himself out, and does a fantastic job.
Shep may be gay or he may not, I don’t really care. I believe he is probably the best anchorman since Walter Cronkite. It does not matter which network he is with, although he did happen to choose the best one. And finally Mr. Shankbone, I don’t believe a word you say, including that you even met Shep.
You are mean spirited. You get upset with Fox news so you set out to damage a person’s image just because he is employed there. Gay or straight should never be the issue. However choosing to be mean or kind is.
You do a disservice to gay people! Each person should be afforded a private life and they should only have to share with others what they choose. Exposing private lives with out consent is thoughtless, hurtful and could be harmful.