Country singer Ty Herndon recently came out as gay, prompting another country star, Billy Gilman to do the same. INSIDE EDITION has the scoop.
A stunning announcement has been made as country music superstar Ty Herndon boldly comes out of the closet.
The twice-married singer tells the world, "I'm an out, proud and happy gay man." (Source: People Magazine)
VH1 correspondent Mike Adam told INSIDE EDITION, "This is kind of unchartered territory as far as country music goes."
Now, Herndon's words have inspired a second country music star to come forth and come out.
Country singer Billy Gilman released an emotional video just hours after Herndon's secret was out.
In the video, Gilman says, "Today, actually, a fellow country artist and friend made it easier for me to make this video. It's difficult for me to make this video, because I'm in a genre, in an industry, that is ashamed of me for being me."
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Gilman was just 11 years old when he hit the Billboard top 20 charts. Now 26, he realizes his bold announcement could hurt him.
In his video, he said, "Being a gay male country artist is not the best thing."
Have these two singers put their careers in jeopardy by coming out?
Adam said, "There might be that initial backlash, but I think they're going to gain a ton of fans."
And this young singer is grateful to the man who paved the way.
Gilman said, "Ty Herndon, who I've known and been a fan of, congratulations on such a courageous effort."
