Ed Smart opens up about coming out to his six children

The father of kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart opened up about coming out as gay to his six children, who he raised as Mormon, revealing they’re struggling to process his sexuality. 

Ed Smart first made headlines in 2002 when he and his wife Lois made desperate pleas for help in finding their kidnapped daughter 14-year-old Elizabeth, who was found after nine months of harrowing captivity. 

The 64-year-old returned to the spotlight in August when he announced he is gay, would be divorcing his wife of 34 years, and leaving the Mormon Church. 

In his first TV network interview since coming out, Smart’s voice trembled with emotion as he revealed how difficult it was to tell his six children he is gay. 

‘I do have a relationship with my children. I know that they’re processing this they’re probably struggling through this. It’s not an easy thing. But I do feel their love and I’m very, very grateful for that,’ Smart said to host Gayle King on CBS This Morning Wednesday. 

Ed Smart, the father of kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, revealed it was difficult to come out as gay to his six children, who were all raised in the Mormon church

'I do have a relationship with my children. I know that they're processing this they're probably struggling through this. It's not an easy thing. But I do feel their love and I'm very, very grateful for that,' Smart on CBS This Morning on Wednesday

‘I do have a relationship with my children. I know that they’re processing this they’re probably struggling through this. It’s not an easy thing. But I do feel their love and I’m very, very grateful for that,’ Smart on CBS This Morning on Wednesday

Smart said he called each of his children individually to tell them the long-hidden truth. 

‘I went in and called each one of them. This was 5 o’clock in the morning. I said, you know, “Your mother and I are getting a divorce and I’m gay,”‘ he said. 

‘I wanted each one of them to hear this from me. And yes, it would have been nice if they had been in front of me. But I wanted this pain and this struggle to be over with,’ he added. 

But opening up wasn’t easy. Smart said spilling the truth felt like throwing a grenade into the middle of the family. 

‘That grenade had been building for so many years that when it had an opportunity of going off, it was ready to,’ he said.  

His kids’ reactions ranged from supportive to shock.

Smart revealed some of his kids reacted saying, ‘Well, dad, if you’re gay, you’re gay. I still want you in my life,’ while others responded with ‘You’re what? You’re what?’

But in the end he was able to maintain a relationship with all of them. 

'I went in and called each one of them. This was 5 o'clock in the morning. I said, you know, "Your mother and I are getting a divorce and I'm gay,"' Smart shared

‘I went in and called each one of them. This was 5 o’clock in the morning. I said, you know, “Your mother and I are getting a divorce and I’m gay,”‘ Smart shared

When his daughter was abducted from her bedroom in June 2002, he was thrust into the media spotlight, but feared his secret would come out. Pictured above with his wife of 34 years Lois Smart speaking to media in 2002

When his daughter was abducted from her bedroom in June 2002, he was thrust into the media spotlight, but feared his secret would come out. Pictured above with his wife of 34 years Lois Smart speaking to media in 2002

Elizabeth and Ed Smart pictured walking out of federal court on May 25, 2011

Elizabeth and Ed Smart pictured walking out of federal court on May 25, 2011 

Smart says one of the hardest parts of this new chapter of his life was divorcing Lois, who he thought was ‘the one’. 

‘I mean, during the course of our marriage, you know, there were times where I would have these feelings come up,’ Smart said. ‘You know, “Why do I feel this way? Why do I find this guy super attractive?” And I just wanted to push it down and, you know, “Please go away. I don’t need this in my life,”‘ he said. 

She confronted him four years ago and asked, ‘Ed, are you gay?’

‘I said, “What does that mean?”‘ Smart said, ‘Does that mean that I’ve been unfaithful to her? Does that mean that I have, you know, gone out and been with other men?’

When King asked, ‘had you?’ Smart responded ‘Absolutely not. It never has been’. 

‘I don’t think that people understand the fight that goes on inside. And I feel horrible that our marriage has ended.’

He revealed that being raised The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made the decision to come out all the more difficult.

The Smart family pictured above in their family home in Salt Lake City, Utah in February 2004

The Smart family pictured above in their family home in Salt Lake City, Utah in February 2004

‘The thing about is I never looked at myself as being gay. I know this sounds crazy. I remember guys that kind of came up to me and I just thought, “No please just get away, this is not me.” I felt like this is not where I want my life to go. I’ve gone on a mission. I’m trying to do what I’m supposed to do… according to the church,’ he revealed. 

He said deep down he knew for years the truth of his sexuality, but buried it inside. 

When his daughter was abducted from her bedroom in June 2002, he was thrust into the media spotlight, but feared his secret would come out.

‘You know, here we are the front page of the Enquirer,’ he said.  

Police at one point looked at him as a suspect theorizing Ed Smart was being blackmailed because he was having a gay affair.

‘They potentially thought that somebody was blackmailing me… because I was gay,’ he explained. 

‘That somehow I was having this gay affair, which was absolutely not. I thought, I’ve lost Elizabeth and now I’m losing Lois and I’m losing my family. Everything that really means something to me. How can it be that I have this thing inside of me that I can’t get rid of?’ he said through tears. 

Now that Smart has let his truth out before the public he says the only plans he has for the future is to ‘be happy’. He also says he’s now dating. 

‘I plan on being happy. And I plan on having a very full life,” Smart said. ‘And I want each one of my children to be happy. And I want Lois very much to be happy.’

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