Barry Manilow explains why he didn’t come out as gay publicly until 2017
he made it. Barry Manilow revealed Friday that the reason he kept his sexual orientation quiet for so long was due to the fact that the singer feared being gay would have “killed” his career. “Well, in the ’70s, you know, you didn’t [come out],” Manilow, 80, said to veteran journalist Chris Wallace while appearing on an episode of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?““It wasn’t the same as it is today.