“Supernatural” star Misha Colliins is clarifying comments he made at a fan convention where he appeared to come out as bisexual.
The actor apologized for the “clumsiness of my language” after seemingly addressing his sexuality at Creation Entertainment’s “Supernatural” Official Convention in New Jersey over the weekend.
In a video of Collins onstage at the event, the 47-year-old actor asks the crowd, “By a show of force, how many of you would consider yourself introverts? How many extroverts? And how many bisexuals?”
Responding to his own question, he then added, “I’m all three,” which some fans naturally interpreted as him coming out as part of the LGBTQ community.
Collins has since walked back his statement in a lengthy Instagram post, writing on Monday, “I want to deeply apologize for misspeaking this weekend.”
“At a fan convention in New Jersey, when I was talking with the audience I said that I was ‘all three’ things: an introvert, an extrovert and a bisexual,” he wrote. “My clumsy intention was to wave off actually discussing my sexuality, but I badly fumbled that and understand that was seen as me coming out as bisexual.”
Collins continued, “This was not my intention so I need to correct the record: I am not bisexual. I happen to be straight, but I am also a fierce ally and the last thing I want to do is falsely co-opt the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community. I believe and fully support that we need to sanctify the human right to express our identities honestly and to be free to love whomever we choose openly.”
For nearly 150 episodes, Collins portrayed the angel Castiel on the long-running CW series starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as demon-hunting brothers. During a pivotal scene in the final scene, Castiel openly declares his love for Ackles’ character Dean before sacrificing himself, pleasing many fans who’d long shipped the pairing known as “Destiel.”
He later confirmed that his character was indeed gay at a virtual convention back in 2020, while expressing some frustration with how his arc on the series ended.
“So Castiel makes this homosexual declaration of love, which is amazing that that happens, and then he dies right after, which plays into a timeless Hollywood trope of ‘kill the gays,’ which pisses off [fans],” he revealed at the time. “So, we give and then we take away.”
Concluding his Instagram message, Collins said that he aims to “be a better ally” after potentially alienating members of the show’s passionate fanbase.
“I feel sick to my stomach that I might have done anything to make things worse,” he wrote. “I’m trying to learn, trying to do better and I will keep listening.”
The actor has been married Victoria Vantoch since 2001. The longtime couple share two children together ― son West, 12, and daughter Maison, 9.
Earlier at the New Jersey convention over the weekend, Ackles revealed that Padalecki, who was scheduled to appear at the event, is “recovering” after a serious car accident, sharing that the actor is “lucky to be alive.”