"Younger" Star Dan Amboyer Comes Out As Gay
On TV Land's Younger, Sutton Foster keeps her age a secret from her coworkers. But in real life, her hunky co-star Dan Amboyer has just shared a piece of himself with the world: The 31-year-old actor came out as gay—and just married—in an interview with People magazine.
“Being a young actor in the industry, I had a lot of people who strongly advised me to stay quiet. That was hard to live with,” Amboyer says. “But I’ve never played a gay role before and I didn’t want to be limited by some strange perception.”
But it was his wedding this week to longtime boyfriend Eric Berger that fueled his desire to be more open.
“I want to live my life moving forward with integrity and pride,” Amboyer says. “We might start a family one day and I would feel so strangely if I didn’t celebrate that with all of my family and friends and share that with the fans. This is just the beginning of a wonderful future.”
The couple met online a decade ago, and have been living together for nine years. The wedding on Saturday at New York's Marble Collegiate Church was filled with fellow performers: Tony winner Patina Miller (a classmate of Amboyer's from Carnegie Melon), Paloma Guzman, (who appears with him in the upcoming Imposter), voice actor Tara Strong (his costar in A Very Merry Toy Store), Drag Race finalist Pearl Liaison, who DJed the party, and even Younger producer Darren Starr.
Berger says Amboyer insisted he be the one to propose, so he wanted it to be surprise. “I wanted to book a trip and surprise him but he was on call for some film or television show and he couldn’t leave or go far, so we ended up booking a weekend at Woodstock.”
With temperatures well below freezing, the two hiked to the top of a mountain—a trek Amboyer had to be convinced to make.
"I was like, ‘This is the coldest day of the year! Why are we hiking up this mountain right now?!’ says Amboyer. “I was so confused why we were the only people on the trail but when we got to the top, he turned around and had this nervous look in his eye. I was like, ‘What is happening?!’ and then he pulled out the ring. It was very sweet – and also very cold.”
Living life authentically while still maintaining some privacy isn't easy. But Amboyer says having Younger co-star Nico Tortorella set an example has been a godsend.
"[Nico] has inspired me by the way he’s become such an advocate for gender fluidity. I think the more open actors can be the less stigma there will be attached, which will be a positive thing moving forward.”
