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When you enter the world of reality television, nothing is off-limits. For Kordell Stewart, his brief stint on the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” refueled vintage rumors that called his sexuality into question. Stewart, however, told Tamron Hall that he does not regret appearing on the series because it was a sacrifice that he happily made for his ex-wife, Porsha Williams.
“In marriage, there are two words: compromise and sacrifice,” Stewart told Hall. “Sometimes, when giving up yourself to your mate, you end up making decisions sometimes that can either make or break you. To be honest, if I could do it again, I probably wouldn’t do it but I’m not ashamed of doing it. I really was doing it for her and it was her opportunity to build the stage that she’s on right now and I’m happy for her. But at the end of the day, it’s really not about that.”
Stewart admits that when agreeing to appear on the show, he knew that there was a possibility that the rumors would be reignited, but he chose to move forward with the Bravo franchise anyway.
“That show is all about storyline,” said Stewart. “You draw from whatever the castmates or characters on the show are a part of. So there was a chance that that may have seeped in and it did.”
As you may recall, Kenya Moore boldly referred to Williams as Stewart’s beard, meaning that he used her to hide his true sexuality. Moore’s comments likely stemmed from a 1998 rumor that Stewart was gay. The ’98 rumor began circulating and claimed that Stewart was arrested after being discovered in a park receiving a sexual favor from a man. While the person who started the rumor was never caught, the former Pittsburg Steelers star was told that a police officer is the one who started it. As for whether or not the speculation ever had an effect on his marriage to Williams, Stewart had this to say:
“No, we were married. That never had an impact at all. That was true love at the time. Once you get on a show and things are being insinuated from a conversation about a beard to me being controlling, it becomes a whirlwind of things. She has her world that she’s a part of things that she has to do for herself to the point where going our separate ways at the time without going too much into my [divorce].”
Stewart stands by the fact that he is a straight male and that the rumored incident never happened.
“It never happened. It was a lie. But that wasn’t the point, right?” he told Hall.
Stewart recounted the experience in an in-depth op-ed piece for The Players’ Tribune, which you can read in its entirety by clicking here.
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