The well-known TV producer and host of “The Merv Griffin Show,” Merv Griffin, is accused of leading a “secret gay life” while he was still alive. The son of the media mogul and his first wife, Julann Wright, is known by the name of Tony Griffin. Griffin allegedly started seeing Eva Gabor, an American actress of Hungarian descent, after they got divorced.
But all that was said was that they were connected spiritually. Griffin was questioned regarding rumors that he is gay, but his co-stars and crew have denied this. Griffin declined to either affirm or refute these rumors. Griffin’s covert existence was also shown by the mention of the TV personality in two cases brought by two different parties.
In the 1960s, one of the most well-liked and prosperous hosts of television talk shows was Merv Griffin. He was successful in creating the Merv Griffin Enterprises empire in less than 30 years, which was home to many of the most popular television game shows, including the all-time favorite “Wheel of Fortune”.
Soon after reaching the pinnacle of his success as an “Atlantic City casino magnate,” Griffin was charged with making a paternity claim in April 1991.
At that time, Griffin was being sued for $200 million for breach of contract by a 37-year-old Florida man named Brent Plott. Griffin allegedly pledged to look after him permanently. According to Plott, who claimed that Griffin had declared his love for him, they shared a bed and lived together for four years before Plott made the decision to depart in 1985.
Griffin was not only Plott’s “lover,” to whom he had promised “solace and emotional support,” but also the TV magnate’s “business consultant,” according to Plott, who also claimed to have contributed to the choice of Vanna White for “Wheel of Fortune”. Griffin refuted Plott’s assertions, contending that he was lying to get money.
In this blatant attempt, I’m being blackmailed into paying money. The $250 weekly salary of this former bodyguard and horse trainer who worked as a security guard in one of the two apartments beneath my former home was terminated by me six or seven years ago. He accuses you of things that are absurd and untrue”.
The year that Griffin and his ex-wife, Julann Wright, divorced, 1976, Plott claimed to have met Griffin in Monte Carlo. Griffin allegedly begged Plott to live with him for years before getting his approval. Judge Diane Wayne of the Los Angeles Superior Court dismissed the case with prejudice and imposed a $2,000 fine on Plott in November 1991.
Griffin’s second lawsuit was brought by “Dance Fever” host Deney Terrio in the month following the dismissal of his first one. The TV personality demanded $11.3 million in damages after alleging that Griffin had sexually assaulted him in 1978. Terrio made the following claims in his lawsuit:.
“The Defendant, Merv Griffin, initiated overtly homophobic advances toward [Terrio] beginning in 1978 and continuing throughout the course of the parties’ business relationship. Griffin insisted on getting these things and kept bringing up the money Terrio would make as a result.
In June 1992, the Los Angeles federal court dismissed the case after Griffin’s attorney refuted the charges. Following the dismissal of the cases, many gay men in New York began donning t-shirts with the slogan “I didn’t sleep with Merv” written on them. Merv completely avoided the LGBT community and stopped backing gay rights initiatives as a result of the ongoing claims and public revelations about his sexuality.
Griffin frequently appeared with “Green Acres” actress Eva Gabor. Up until her demise in 1995, they reportedly only had “platonic” relationships. They frequently went on dates. Eva’s sister Zsa Zsa disagreed with the idea that Griffin would “cover up” or “hide” his homosexuality by hanging out with Gabor.
Eva Griffin and Merv Griffin are getting married. They’ve just returned from a trip to the Bahamas. I can’t help it, even though I know I shouldn’t.
Despite Zsa’s claims that Eva and Griffin were in a committed and “real” relationship, Griffin’s spokesman Warren Cowan said he was unable to confirm whether or not the two were getting married. Cowan declared he would be “surprised” if Griffin and Eva got hitched”.
Griffin remained “close friends” with the Gabor family, and Zsa Zsa praised him as a “wonderful, wonderful man”.
The creator of “Jeopardy!”, Griffin, was open about his sexual orientation and history after his death in 2007.
Numerous people who have openly discussed the “closeted lifestyle” of the TV personality claim that he lived in secrecy because of the homophobic environment in which he was raised. ”. Because of this, Griffin would make an effort to keep his identity a secret, but his coworkers and staff were said to be aware of it.
Merv’s sexual orientation was acknowledged, but it wasn’t often brought up at work. He jealously protected his privacy, so we were unaware of his relationships.
Griffin’s sexual orientation was well known in Hollywood and did not need to be mentioned due to “privacy laws” that prohibited such information from being made public. As opposed to Griffin, who came out as gay, this is in contrast to the acceptance of creating a wife and children.
With Gabor by his side, Griffin could avoid inquiries about his sexual orientation, but he was still referred to as a “closeted gay talk show host”.
According to game show creator Bob Stewart, Griffin might have felt the need to conceal his sexual orientation for the following reasons.
He wasn’t a leading man or sex icon, so he could have been open without worrying about the consequences. He ran his own show. His Catholic upbringing, Republican political views, and generational internalization of guilt and shame may all have contributed.
Griffin’s former four-game show announcers have come forward to confirm his homosexuality, according to Stewart. The four individuals asserted that Griffin would find it increasingly difficult to conceal his interest when working with extremely attractive men. The sources added that while Griffin was out on a romantic date in a dimly lit restaurant, they witnessed him flirting with another man.
Again, American director Matt Tyrnauer revealed that Scotty Bowers had confirmed Griffin’s sexuality during their earlier discussion. According to Bowers, Griffin informed him of a gas station that served as a sort of brothel for gay men and was the location “you would go to get in trouble.”. The general public is still split on whether or not Wright and Griffin’s union constituted “real” love. Many still wonder if their union was an elaborate ruse to prove the TV producer’s alleged homosexuality.
Griffin made numerous attempts to keep his sexual orientation a secret. The legendary figure in TV production was well-known for frequently touring Hollywood while pretending to be dating women. Griffin acknowledged on television that eventually the public would learn about his business, despite his best efforts to keep his life private.
Later that year, the same year The New York Times first reported it, CNN Entertainment Correspondent Lola Ogunnaike confirmed Griffin’s claim. Griffin’s claim regarding live broadcasting was confirmed by Ogunnaike:.
He was dating married and divorced Eva Gabor, you know. His sexual preferences have been a topic of much discussion. His ex-employee filed a palimony lawsuit against him, which the judge dismissed. But when I said to Merv, “Merv, this stuff is out there; talk to me about it,” he was surprisingly open-minded and truthful”.
I told him, “I’m a quarter-sexual”.
Tony Griffin is the name of Merv’s child with longtime friend Julann Wright. Rober Q. in a radio program. Griffin was introduced to Julann Wright by Lewis, who was also Griffin’s first and only wife. Before they got engaged in May 1958, the two started hanging out as friends. Griffin and Wright never reconciled their 1976 breakup, but they remained close friends for the rest of their lives, until Griffin passed away on August 12, 2007.
Tony Griffin is an American actor and writer who is the son of the former couple. Donovan Mervyn, a son, and Farah Griffin, a daughter, are Tony and Tricia Griffin’s two offspring.
When Griffin, who was 82 years old, passed away from prostate cancer, he still had his covert identity with him. The practice of men concealing their sexual orientation, particularly when they were in the spotlight, was fairly widespread at the time in Hollywood. on the basis of the verse in Facts:.
“Griffin suppressed his sexuality while he was married. Queer celebrities frequently marry to cover up their sexual orientation, especially those from earlier eras. Many famous people, including Rock Hudson, Anthony Perkins, and Elton John, have used this tried-and-true strategy.
Griffin never revealed his true self, despite having a successful career built on his charisma and charm. Griffin asked Wright and Gabor to keep his identity a secret before he passed away.
Whether or not what Wright and Griffin shared was “real” love is still up for debate. Many people still ponder whether their union was an elaborate ruse to hide the TV producer’s alleged homosexuality.
Wright is 94 years old right now, while her son Tony is 63. If Merv maintained a “secret” existence behind closed doors, the mother and son haven’t said so yet. But Griffin’s family did not stop honoring him, and at his funeral in 2007, they gave everything they had.
