Actor Neil Patrick Harris says he understands why news anchors would prefer to keep their personal lives private.

During an appearance on HuffPost Live, Harris, 40, was asked by Josh Zepps why he decided to come out publicly in 2006.

“I fell in love with a dude and started spending all of my time with him, and therefore you don't want to be suppressive of that,” Harris said. “I didn't want to disrespect David [Burtka] … it's a very individual thing.”

Harris and fiancé Burtka are currently raising fraternal twins Gideon Scott and Harper Grace, who were born in 2010.

Harris (How I Met Your Mother) added that he understands the reasons why news anchors such as CNN's Anderson Cooper, who publicly came out gay in 2012, and Fox News' Shepard Smith are reticent to discuss their personal lives in public.

“I can totally understand why you wouldn't want people who may have a bias against you, if they know more about your personal life, to be watching the news that you're giving and already thinking that you're slanting it in a specific way,” Harris said. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more videos.)

(Related: Shepard Smith's boyfriend outed by Gawker.)