By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices
Move over Shemar Moore!!!
Duane Martin is the latest black Hollywood hottie to come out ... disputing rumors that he's homosexual.
Oh, the power of the blogesphere: able to have the most reclusive personalities come out swinging.
Scary.
The 'All of Us' actor and his beloved wife, actress Tisha Campbell Martin, broke their long-held silence in an effort to dispel internet scuttlebutt that their marriage was doomed -- and that Martin is gay.
"Mark Twain said it best: 'A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes,'" the 42-year old Brooklyn native surmised in an interview with Essence. "So I'm not going to defend myself against a gay rumor when I'm trying to defend my son [Xen] against autism."
"We would look really stupid trying to take our focus off autism, which affects all of us, to fight a gay rumor," he added. "The reason we are talking today is because what we will defend is our 17-year relationship. Nobody is touching that. So whoever wants to rumble, let's rumble."
The couple have been married for 11 years and together for 17, Campbell-Martin (a former child star) said, adding that the rumors started after he didn't join her for a celebrity fundraising event they usually both attend together. "This year he couldn't make it because he had to be in Turks and Caicos scouting for locations for the hotel we're building there," she shared.
"So I went to represent with Tichina [Arnold]," the former 'Martin' star continued. "After I left Philly, I heard that a radio disc jockey announced we'd had an amicable split. Then Duane got a call from Cedric the Entertainer saying, 'I just want y'all to know, Dawg, y'all broke up.' (Laugh) So it progressed from he and I having an amicable split to Duane verbally abuses me to Duane physically abuses me to Duane has a girlfriend on the side to Duane has a boyfriend on the side to I also live an alternative lifestyle."
The couple maintains that their marriage is intact and even collectively dismissed talk that Will Smith and Duane were lovers.
"Our theory is that it's really a slave mentality," she explained. "Whenever the Black community has leaders, potential leaders or a family unit, we emasculate them. You don't ever see them do that to Ben Affleck or Matt Damon. They can be friends, and be powerful individually or collectively and do amazing things."
"It's a Brat Pack when white people do it," he chimed in.
"When two brothers are successful or have influential and powerful friends, we have to emasculate them," she furthered. "On the real, we even did it to Oprah [Winfrey] and Gayle [King]. We have to get over that because at the end of the day who really cares? We have Katrina, autism and children killing one another in my hometown of Newark. I don't know what the obsession is with celebrities, but maybe it helps people feel better about their own situation. We just know that it's something that comes along with being in front of the camera."
When asked about how radio personalities dealt with the controversial subject matter, Martins referred to them as "bottom feeders because they live off s---."
"They go after the low hanging fruit, the lowest common denominator, because they can't get off the bottom and they are trying to feed off others to get to the top," he said. "My family in New York called me and told me they wanted to call Wendy Williams because she was talking negatively about me and Tisha. I told them, "For what?"
Comments: (400)
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By: jim on 9/11/2007 1:25PM
I'm so glad you are not coming out as an undercover brother. I wish you, your son and the wife the best.
http://www.secretdeepdiscounts.blogspot.com
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By: dumaine on 9/11/2007 1:49PM
Wil Smith and Duane are the two un-gayest people in black Hollywood. Why is Wil Smith gay to black people but they swear that Tyler Perry and Kirk Franklin are straight men? Black people see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear as my grandmother always told me and black people always off the mark. Nig*er ears and Nig*er eyes.
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By: water on 9/11/2007 3:04PM
I want to commend this couple for coming together on this issue. It is so sad that so many in the black community will do this to there own people.I am just so glad that every thing is alright with this family.
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By: robert barnes on 9/11/2007 1:56PM
Some Fag place that rumor on the blog to further their faggot agenda. Fags knew that neither of these brothers (Duane and Will) are homos. You can't trust them fags they would lie or say anything to push their agenda. They dont care who they destroy. Look at how the little fag T.R. Knight lied on brother Isaiah. These Brothers are married to two beautiful sisters, why would they want to live the perverted disgusting life as a fag. A lifestyle that God consider an abomination. I knew that the rumor was false. ANOTHER FAIRY TALE BY A FAIRY.
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By: LIA on 9/11/2007 2:28PM
How sad that people have nothing better to do than start false rumors about someone. And Dumaine, as far as Kirk Franklin and Tyler Perry go,do you have "personal" knowlege of them being gay or are you starting rumors too?
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By: Keif on 9/11/2007 2:59PM
Let them talk! You know what? they talked about JESUS and look what he turned out to be... So let them say whatever they want to say to make themselves look better. I wish the Martin family the best of luck you and have much respect from me for not stooping to their level and adding fuel to the fire,you guys know what goes on in your household and thats all that matters because its really none of anybodies business.
Be Blessed Guys
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By: Black Marx on 9/11/2007 3:18PM
LIA-
Get a clue! 'Dumaine' did not say that Kirk Franklin and Tyler Perry ARE GAY; he was making a point of how contradictory it is that some people aim at two people that 'appear' to have more masculine mannerisms, while defending two other people that have slightly more 'effeminate' mannerisms.
I don't care about ANY of their sexual exploits, but I am SICK & TIRED of Black people being on the 'gay witch-hunt' tip. We look like a bunch of idiots when we squabble and fight about trivial issues regarding our most prominent Black Faces\Voices.
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By: Robbie Rob on 9/11/2007 3:30PM
Tisha and Duane, I love your approach to this gossip. It's such a grown-up way of handling something so stupid. Don't add fuel to the fire by directing comments of rage and intolerance to radio gossipers, like tranny Wendy Williams and the like. When you know that what the two of you have between you is real and solid as a rock, there's nothing anyone can say to tear it down. May your love for your each other last always.
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By: LIA on 9/11/2007 3:32PM
You get a clue Black Marx. His comment IMPLIED that they were gay. Reread it. By him saying that 'BLACK PEOPLE SWEAR THEY'RE STRAIGHT", what does that tell you? Perception is reality, and that's how I took what he said. And obviously you do care, or you wouldn't have logged on and commented. I never said they were gay.
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By: robert barnes on 9/11/2007 3:39PM
Black Marx Its' not the Black People, its the fags they want to claim every prominent brother and if you dont watch out they will try to claim you.
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