Comedienne Joan Rivers is courting
controversy by urging gay stars to remain closeted.
The 2009 Celebrity Apprentice
winner made her remarks in a wide-ranging interview with gay
glossy The Advocate.
The 77-year-old
Rivers insisted gay celebrities should not reveal their sexuality
because it could damage their career.
“If you're going
to be a romantic idol and try to get every teenage girl to love you,
then you'd be an ass to come out and say you're gay,” the outspoken
comedienne said.
Rivers called Ricky
Martin's decision to come out gay after making his wealth “so
smart.”
“He did what he
did, made his millions, and then he said, 'Guess what, everybody?
I'm gay, I'm having this life, and here are my children.' It didn't
matter anymore because he didn't have to bring in 16-year-old girls,”
she said.
Thirty-eight-year-old
Martin announced he's gay on his website in March after denying
rumors about his sexual orientation for over a decade. The Puerto
Rican star became a father of twin boys, Valentino and Matteo, via a
surrogate in 2008.
Martin's
next project is playing Che Guevara in the Broadway revival of Evita.