Jane Fonda Reveals Why She Thought One Of Hollywood's Biggest Stars Was Gay

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 07:  Jane Fonda Visits 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' at Rockefeller Center on May 7, 2015 in New York City.  (Photo by Theo Wargo/NBC/Getty Images for 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon') (Photo: )
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 07: Jane Fonda Visits 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' at Rockefeller Center on May 7, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/NBC/Getty Images for 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon') (Photo: )

Everything is coming up gay for Jane Fonda these days.

The legendary 77-year-old actress is currently featured in the new Netflix series "Grace and Frankie," in which she plays a woman whose husband announces he's leaving her for his law partner and best (male) friend.

Perhaps put in the mood by starring in a show with such heavy gay themes, Fonda has been chatting nonstop about queer topics while doing press for the series.

She recently told Pride Source's Chris Azzopardi that one of her favorite memories was "campaigning with Harvey Milk in the Castro District in San Francisco" and that a very famous unnamed gay actor once asked her to marry him.

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And in the newest issue of W magazine, Fonda opened up about another one of Hollywood's biggest stars -- Warren Beatty -- and said that she once mistakenly thought that he was gay.

Noting their 1959 screen test for the film "Parrish," W revealed that Beatty "recalled that they 'were thrown together like two lions in a cage and kissed until we had practically eaten each others’ heads off.'"

In response, Fonda told the magazine she "didn't remember the test at all" and jokingly added, "I thought Warren was gay. He played piano, and all his friends were gay.”

The friends Fonda referred to were possibly gay playwrights William Inge and Tennessee Williams, Queerty noted.

Beatty has dated his fair share of leading women, including Madonna and Annette Bening, to whom the actor has been married since 1992. In 2010, an unauthorized biography claimed that he had slept with close to 13,000 women, a number the actor's rep called "baloney."

Read the full interview with Fonda by heading to W.

Kate Hudson

<p>The "Almost Famous" star said she was <a href="http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/01/09/kate_hudson_baffled_by_lesbian_rumors_">baffled by rumors she'd embarked on a steamy lesbian affair</a>. "No, no, no," she was quoted as saying. "Strictly boys for me!" &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

Simon Cowell

<p>Cowell, who has faced rumors about his sexuality throughout his career, told the author of "Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell,"&nbsp;"If I was gay, why wouldn't I admit it? It wouldn't harm me, and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/simon-cowell-gay-rumors-biography_n_1445536.html">my mother wouldn't freak out.</a>"&nbsp;</p>

Bruno Mars

<p>Rumors that the pop star had come out of the closet began after a CNN iReport -- a subsection of the media outlet comprising 'citizen journalists' from around the world -- <a href="http://www.towleroad.com/2012/04/bruno-mars-did-not-come-out-of-the-closet.html" target="_hplink">posted a since-removed story</a> that stated, "The famous pop-star Bruno Mars admits his homosexuality," which caused Mars' name to trend on Twitter. Nonetheless, Mars' rep called the report "completely fabricated" and "false," <a href="http://www.gossipcop.com/bruno-mars-gay-out-of-closet-homosexual-april-2012/" target="_hplink">according to Gossip Cop</a>.</p>

Oprah Winfrey

<p>Speculation has swirled over the talk show queen's long-standing kinship with TV anchor friend Gayle King for years. But as <a href="http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-12-08/gossip/27083713_1_oprah-winfrey-network-gayle-king-stedman-graham">Winfrey told Barbara Walters</a>, "I'm not even kind of a lesbian. And the reason why [the rumor] irritates me is because it means that somebody must think I'm lying. That's No. 1. No. 2... why would you want to hide it? That is not the way I run my life."&nbsp;</p>

Matt Damon And Ben Affleck

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/matt-damon-talks-gay-rumors-playboy-article-1.1220585#ixzz2Kz1uVL4Z">no strangers when it comes to gay rumors</a>. Their seemingly more-than-a-bromance had never been denied, causing people to further believe the gossip until Damon decided to speak up about it in December 2012. Damon proclaimed: "<a href="http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00056372.html">I never denied those rumors because I was offended</a> and didn&rsquo;t want to offend my friends who were gay. As if being gay were some kind of f--king disease. It put me in a weird position in that sense."

John Travolta

<p>Maybe it's the "Saturday Night Fever" syndrome, but Travolta, who has been married to Kelly Preston since 1991, has been<a href="http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/12/everyone-knows-john-travolta-gay-says-carrie-fisher" target="_hplink"> dogged by gay rumors and reports</a> since the late 1980s. His attorney, Marty Singer, sent a five-page letter to Gawker threatening to sue over posting "false and outrageous" claims in a 2010 story <a href="http://gawker.com/5685811/the-secret-sex-life-of-john-travolta" target="_hplink">the site ran in a post called</a> "The Secret Sex Life of John Travolta."&nbsp;<br /><br />In 2014 Travolta responded to rumors -- and a 2012 lawsuit filed by his former pilot and alleged lover -- <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/15/john-travolta-gay-rumors_n_5823994.html">saying</a>, "This is every celebrity's Achilles heel. It's just people wanting money. That's all. It happens on many levels... Also, I don't care that much about [those types of allegations]. Other people may attack back more than I do, but I let all the media stuff go a long time ago because I can't control it.<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px; background-color: #ffffff;">"</span></span></p>

Jessie J

<p>The British pop star, who is openly bisexual,<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/19/jessie-j-lesbian-rumors-biography-_n_1438372.html" target="_hplink"> faced allegations in an unauthorized biography</a> that she'd been ordered to withhold the fact that she was a lesbian by her record label. "Jessie might have been with boys in the past -- but she is 100 per cent gay," author Chloe Govan <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/thevoice/4265487/Voice-coach-Jessie-Js-100-gay-but-bi-is-more-trendy.html" target="_hplink">wrote in an excerpt of the book</a>. "Jessie was openly lesbian and didn't hide it." The singer <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jessiejofficial/status/192975509381066752" target="_hplink">quickly took to Twitter</a> to deny the accusations, noting, "I'm really a lesbian?! Ha! Thanks for writing yet another boring untrue story."<br /><br />Jessie discussed same-sex attraction in 2011 but in 2014 claimed&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/08/jessie-j-bisexual_n_5111368.html">her bisexuality was "just a phase."</a></p>

Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino

The "Jersey Shore" star reportedly hit back at housemates Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenni "JWoww" Farley after they speculated about his sexuality and hinted he might be gay in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/07/jersey-shore-snooki-and-jwoww-bisexual-feminism_n_1255913.html" target="_hplink">an interview with HuffPost Gay Voices</a>. "Mike really ripped both Snooki and JWoww a new one," a show insider <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/10514733-421/situation-to-snooki-and-jwoww-stop-hinting-that-im-gay.html" target="_hplink">told <i>The Chicago Sun-Times</i></a>. Noting that Sorrentino is concerned such comments could hurt his brand endorsements, which are focused on straight male customers, the source added, "He's extremely upset." In the interview, both JWoww and Snooki implied that despite his playboy reputation, Mike has questioned his own sexuality. "He brings it up," JWoww said. "He'll say, 'People think I'm gay and I don't know what they're talking about.'" Added Snooki: "He told me one time, '[All the talk is] making me wonder.'"

Jeremy Renner

<p>The star of "The Avengers" blasted persistent rumors about his sexuality -- as well as probes into his personal life in general. "I want my personal life to be personal, and it's not f***ing true," Renner, 41,<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/jeremy-renner-blasts-gay-rumors_n_1403859.html" target="_hplink"> is quoted as saying</a>. "And I don't care if you're talking about things that are true, you're still talking about my personal life...&nbsp;How about I go peek in your window, take what underwear you wore last night, whose husband you were f***ing, and shove that in the megaphone throughout your neighborhood? How does that feel?"</p>

Tom Cruise

Despite three high-profile opposite sex marriages, the "Top Gun" star has been the subject of gay speculation for years. In 2003, he won a $10 million default judgment in a case against a gay porn actor who claimed the two had an affair, and two years earlier, he sued Los Angeles-based publisher Michael Davis for $100 million after Davis claimed to have a videotape of Cruise engaged in homosexual acts. As People&nbsp;<a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,625389,00.html">reported</a>, the suit was eventually dropped, and Davis eventually stated that Cruise "is not, and never has been, homosexual and has never had a homosexual affair."

Kelly Clarkson

<p>Speaking with Cosmopolitan magazine for the February 2013 "Love Issue," Clarkson <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/kelly-clarkson-gay-rumors-sexuality-lesbian-hit-on-by-hottest-girls_n_2403117.html">addressed gay rumors</a>&nbsp;that have followed her throughout her career, saying she thinks speculation grew because she hadn't been dating anyone for a while.</p> <p>"People think, 'Oh, she's been single for too long,'" the singer, who is now married with one child and another on the way, said. "That's kind of an insult to the gay community. Being single doesn't mean you're gay. But I'm never insulted by it, obviously. I mean, I get hit on by the hottest girls ever. Oh, my god, if I were a lesbian, I would be so in luck. But it's just not my thing."</p>

George Clooney

<p>After Esquire <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/08/george-clooney-responds-t_n_90530.html" target="_hplink">uncovered a website</a> that referred to the Oscar-winning hunk as "gay, gay, gay," the good-natured actor quipped, "No, I'm gay, gay. The third gay -- that was pushing it."&nbsp;</p>

The 'Gossip' Guys

<p>Tabloid speculation over the button-handsome young stars of "Gossip Girl" has been rampant, <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/06/chace_crawford_and_ed_westwick.html" target="_hplink">particularly given the fact </a>that Chace Crawford (right) and Ed Westwick (middle) were roommates for some time, according to New York Magazine. Westwick <a href="It's funny because I love this f**king dude dearly. I would die for this f**king dude. He's my brother. But, by God, we are so into our f**king women it's ridiculou" target="_hplink">later blasted the rumors</a>, saying, "It's funny because I love this f**king dude dearly. I would die for this f**king dude. He's my brother. But, by God, we are so into our f**king women it's ridiculous."</p>

Zac Efron

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2011-11-29-zac-efron-aiport-lax-sexy-blue-outfit-sunglasses?relate=#.TtkXgHNPkqU" target="_hplink">made no secret of his admiration</a> for the "High School Musical" star, while other gossip sites have openly speculated about Efron's sexuality. Still, Efron <a href="http://www.ivillage.com/zac-efron-addresses-gay-rumors-0/1-a-26706" target="_hplink">has laughed it off</a>: "I know it's very addictive to read that kind of stuff. It's entertainment. Honestly, if the worst [Perez Hilton] can say about me is that I'm gay, then I think I'll be fine. I can handle it."

Alicia Keys

<p>The singer-songwriter acknowledges <a href="http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/38024/alicia-keys-i-can-understand-lesbian-rumours">why many thought she was a lesbian </a>shortly after her Grammy Award-winning debut: "I was definitely rough around the edges. I look back at certain interviews and I'm like, 'Damn! Did I have to look that hard? Did I have to do my hair that way?'</p>

James Franco

<p>The 21st century actor, artist, intellectual and overall "Renaissance man" has believably played gay characters onscreen numerous times (most memorably as Harvey Milk's lover in the Oscar-winning "Milk"), but Franco <a href="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/01/05/james-franco-gay-roles/" target="_hplink">has downplayed the rumors</a> about his real-life sexuality. "There are lots of other reasons to be interested in gay characters than wanting myself to go out and have sex with guys," he was&nbsp;quoted by Entertainment Weekly as saying.</p>

Ryan Seacrest

<p>Speculation about the well-groomed TV's host sexuality has been so rampant, even his one-time girlfriend Julianne Hough <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2010/07/21/julianne-hough-ryan-seacrest-gay-dinner-dating-north-carolina-mortons/" target="_hplink">thought he was gay</a>: "He totally wasn't my type," she said, according to TMZ.com. "I thought he was gay." Several years earlier, Seacrest himself had addressed the rumors, noting, "I know a lot of gay males who I work with that are fantastic people and I love hanging out with them. But because I hang out and bring gay men into my life, does that mean that I'm gay? I promise you that I very much love women."</p>

Zoe Saldana

Addressing speculation she might be a lesbian, the self-professed tomboy said she <a href="http://www.shewired.com/g-spot/avatars-zoe-saldana-opens-about-her-lesbianism" target="_hplink">wasn't bothered by the reports</a>, adding, "People have sometimes told my grandmother, 'Your granddaughter has a bit of lesbianism in her,'" Saldana said. "It's that my sisters and I spent all our time among men. We were very popular with them. Our way of thinking is very masculine."

Queen Latifah

<p>Though many have claimed that Queen Latifah is a lesbian, the rapper and actress has refused to discuss her sexuality.<br /><br />In an 2013 Hollywood Reporter interview, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/11/queen-latifah-talk-show-lesbian-_n_3738326.html">Latifah stated</a>, "I don't feel the need to discuss my private life on this show or any other show," the 43-year-old star told the magazine's Marisa Guthrie. "There's the part of my life that the public and I share together. And there's the part that's mine to keep for myself. And that's mine. For me."</p>

Taylor Lautner

<p>Heartthrob Taylor Lautner, best known for his role as "Jacob Black" on "The Twilight Saga," was featured on a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/pop-cult-1.811972/taylor-lautner-gay-rumors-spread-online-with-fake-people-cover-1.3412970">fake People magazine cover</a>&nbsp;in 2011 with&nbsp;a caption that read: "Out and Proud." Lautner <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/taylor-lautner-im-straight-20111410">spoke with GQ Australia</a> earlier that year and refused those claims about his sexuality and proclaimed, "I'm straight."</p>

Hugh Jackman

<p>Hugh Jackman is no stranger to rumors about his sexuality. Despite being married with children, the "Les Mis&eacute;rables" leading man told The Hollywood Reporter that the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/hugh-jackman-gay-rumors-wife-hollywood-reporter_n_2678591.html?ir=Gay+Voices">gossip "bugs" his wife</a>, Deborra-Lee Furness. He went on to talk about his infatuation with Furness, saying that she is "very beautiful" and "unbelievably fun."</p>

Whitney Houston

<p>The late Whitney Houston was subject to rumors about her sexuality dating back to 1985. People speculated about her relationship with her childhood New Jersey friend, Robyn Crawford, who would become Houston's assistant and creative director. In an&nbsp;interview with Oprah, Houston's mother, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/29/cissy-houston-whitney-houston-gay-rumors_n_2573718.html">Cissy, spoke up about those rumors</a> and said that she would "absolutely" disapprove if her daughter were gay.</p>

Whoopi Goldberg

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ally Whoopi Goldberg has long faced scrutiny about her sexuality. The Oscar-award winning actress and "The View" co-host once said in a 2006 <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/magazine/20wwln_q4.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/G/Goldberg,%20Whoopi&amp;_r=0">New York Times</a> interview: "No, I am not a lesbian. I describe myself as heterosexual. I think it is hard to have good relationships with anyone."

Hulk Hogan

After splitting with his ex, Linda Bollea, she accused Hogan of being gay in her memoir, "Wrestling The Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes." The retired wrestler appeared on "The Wendy Williams Show" last February and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/hulk-hogan-gay-rumors-wendy-williams_n_1265982.html">told the TV host</a>, "Just to say something spiteful and hurtful, I don&rsquo;t get it... if it was true and I was gay, I&rsquo;d embrace it, and I&rsquo;d tell you guys about it and I&rsquo;d celebrate it."

Jake Gyllenhaal

Hollywood hunk Jake Gyllenhaal has faced gay rumors since he played a closeted gay cowboy in the academy-award winning film "Brokeback Mountain." Gyllenhaal denounced such accusations when he <a href="http://instinctmagazine.com/blogs/blog/jake-gyllenhaal-tackles-gay-rumors?directory=100011">appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live"</a> in 2011, speaking about his relationship with his best friend and stylist whom he calls "baby." Longtime friend <a href="http://www.popeater.com/2010/09/24/adam-levine-out-interview/">Adam Levine called the rumors "very immature and infantile."</a>

Mariah Carey

Despite years of facing people's thoughts that she may be bisexual, Mariah Carey addressed those rumors when she <a href="http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/music/2010/12/13/mariah-unwrapped">spoke with <i>The Advocate</i></a> in 2010. Carey said: "If it makes somebody happy to say that, then whatever, but that&rsquo;s not the reality. I don&rsquo;t have a discriminatory policy of who I&rsquo;m friends with, so yes, I&rsquo;m friends with women who are gay &mdash; gay, straight, it doesn&rsquo;t matter to me. So I don&rsquo;t get upset when I hear that, because it is what it is. I guess I could lie about it to seem more exciting."

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe, who's an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights, has taken the <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1632872/daniel-radcliffe-addresses-gay-rumors.jhtml">rumors about his sexuality</a> in good stride. The "Harry Potter" star, who was told that he had a "gay face" by a random commenter on the Internet, said in an interview with MTV in 2010, "If people want to say that, they can. But I'm not. I'm straight."

Trey Songz

Trey Songz, the R&amp;B singer known for such hits like "Bottoms Up" and "Can't Help But Wait," first <a href="http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2010/12/16/trey_songz_stunned_by_gay_rumors_">encountered gay rumors when blogs started writing about the artist's sexuality</a> in 2009. Songz spoke on New York radio station Power 105.1, saying, "The first I heard about it was on a blog about a year ago and I remember the actual day because I was with my manager Kevin. He said, 'Did you hear about this?' He said we ignore stuff like that but I was hot (angry) because I love the ladies. What I've learned in this business is that people will make their own reality of whatever they want to." In December 2012, a <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2012-12-28-trey-songz-denies-hes-the-man-kissing-another-man-in-twitter-pic#.UR49hUJAukB">Twitter pic of two men kissing surfaced</a> that had everyone pointing their fingers, saying Songz was one of the men in the photo. Songz responded on Twitter" "On my way to Virginia to spend the holidays with my family. No senselessness, lies or hate can take away my joy. #LOVE" In fact, the picture was taken from Enrique Araujo's, who looks like Songz, Facebook.

Harry Styles And Louis Tomlinson

Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, best friends and One Direction band members, have been <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/one-direction-gay-rumors-harry-styles-louis-tomlinson_n_1687584.html#slide=1250405">subject to gay rumors for a while now</a>. Tomlinson addressed the gossip saying that it's started to affect how he and Styles conduct themselves.  "This is a subject that was funny at first, but now is actually hard to deal with in a relationship," Tomlinson said. "Me and Harry are best friends, people look into our every move -- it is actually affecting the way me and Harry are in public," he is quoted as saying. "We want to joke around, but there seems to be a different rumor every time we do anything. I act the same way with Harry as I do [with] any of the other boys and my childhood friend Stan."

Will And Jada Pinkett Smith

He's gay. She's a lesbian. Both are each other's "beards." They are swingers. Hollywood power couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have long faced an <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/jada-pinkett-smith-speaks-out-rumors-about-her-marriage-will-smith-will-and-i-know-truth-437168">onslaught of rumors</a> facing their relationship, hearing just about everything in the book. The two have also faced <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/10/will-smith-jada-pinkett-s_n_1765341.html">multiple divorce rumors</a> with some saying the <a href="http://gawker.com/5834383/which-gay-celebrity-rumors-do-you-believe">cause was due to their closeted sexual identities</a>.

Matthew McConaughey

The Hollywood leading man Matthew McConaughey faced <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/53567/matthew-and-lance-deny-gay-rumors">gay rumors surrounding his close relationship with cyclist Lance Armstrong</a>. McConaughey spoke up and famously joked, "We tried it. Wasn't for us."  In May 2012, the actor <a href="http://www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/2012/05/16/matthew-mcconaughey-no-shirt-no-problem?page=0,2">spoke with <em>The Advocate</em></a> and talked at length about his gay fan base, his thoughts on the gay community and how he'd react if he were to have gay children. He also elaborated on his own gay rumors again, saying, "Well, I’m really secure in my skin. I’m heterosexual, and I’m just fine with that. Those rumors have to make the rounds, and I know that I was fun target for them."

Dolly Parton

The country and gay icon Dolly Parton has seen her <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/dolly-parton-gay-rumors-drag-queen-contest_n_2197891.html">fair share of gay rumors</a>, despite being married to her husband Carl Dean for 46 years. Parton's relationship with her childhood best friend, Judy, was subject to speculation and the artist compared her rumors with that of Oprah's, saying, "Like Gayle [King], her friend, Judy, my friend...they just think that you just can't be that close to somebody," Parton said. "Judy and I have been best friends since we were like in the third and fourth grade. We still just have a great friendship and relationship and I love her as much as I love anybody in the whole world, but we're not romantically involved."

Ne-Yo

Gay rumors have long swirled around R&B singer Ne-Yo and he's constantly denied them. Ne-Yo, who is a father of two, spoke about all the gossip in a <a href="http://theybf.com/2012/09/04/ne-yo-covers-upscale-magazine-talks-not-being-thirsty-for-fame">2012 interview with <em>Upscale</em> magazine</a>, saying, "That sh-t ate me alive...[I was] like where did that come from? Who are these people that have gone to such heights to try to make people believe this? They went all out with that story."

Kenny Chesney

<p>Country superstar Kenny Chesney, who WAS BRIEFLY married to actress Renee Zellweger, got most of the heat from the gay rumors when Zellweger cited "fraud" in their annulment papers. Chesney <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/15/AR2007021500942.html">went on record in a 2007 "60 Minutes"</a> interview and said, "It's not true. Period. Maybe I should have come out and said, `No, I'm not (gay),' but I didn't want to draw any more attention to it... I didn't have to prove to anybody that I wasn't (gay). I didn't feel like I really did."</p>

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.