There’s a slew of reasons why people question whether Tom Holland is gay. It’s no different than the sexuality questions that surround any male celebrity. It happens all the time and it derives from our culture’s expectations of male behavior and the media’s obsession with every aspect of a celebrity’s life. But what is it about Tom Holland specifically that we question his sexuality?
Actually, there’s nothing really special about people wondering about “Tom Holland gay“, but since you asked — Holland is a good looking, young guy so many gay men (mostly) hope to feel closer to a star that also prefers the company of men. Secondly, some others wonder because Holland tends to hang out with his BFF Harrison “Haz” Osterfield A WHOLE FREAKING LOT (and that’s okay!).
Let’s get into the four reasons (and photo “evidence”) why people are asking if the new Spider-Man might be gay.
Tom Holland is in the Public Eye
This is easy. Why people ask questions about Tom Holland is simply because he’s famous.
As one of the Google’s top trending actors of 2016 (searched on), his life is going to be even more dissected. The media, his fans and haters want to know everything about Holland; from what he ate for breakfast to whom he’s eating breakfast with. Some other common celebrity questions include how old he is, how tall he is, whether he’s single, or has a girlfriend. And if he doesn’t have a girlfriend, who is he sleeping with? And why is he hanging out with that blonde twink all the time?
The first reason why is that people are generally curious and interested in celebrity’s personal lives.
Gay Men Want Tom Holland to Be Gay
Whenever there’s an up-and-coming actor, particularly an attractive one, the question of whether they’re gay always pops up. It’s rarely ever about what the actor has done. Red flags, slight hints or even if the actor gives off 100% “straight” vibes it doesn’t matter. The question of whether he’s gay will come up no matter what.
That’s because many gay men secretly (or not so secretly) hope that Tom Holland is gay, same as they hope the same for Zac Efron, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, and others. They want them on their team so they can better identify and have another talented representative for the cause.
There’s also making a “Tom Holland gay fantasy” more of a reality. When a celebrity comes out as gay, they instantly become more attainable than when they’re perceived as “straight.” The fact is, they’re not that much more attainable even if they were, but still it’s a factor.
As we mentioned, “gay rumors” aren’t anything new or much of a surprise. Any well-known actor (and sometimes actresses) will face the gay rumors.
There’s Lots of Dancing in Billy Elliot
Let’s talk about the assumptions and preconceived notions that come with being a male dancer, especially ones involved in a musical theatre. Holland’s first break was appearing in the title role of Billy Elliot the Musical. If you’re not familiar, Elliot is a ballet-loving coalminer’s son. Yeah, none of those words are helping to snuff out the gay rumors.
UPDATE: Tom Holland Does Rihanna Really Well
In an episode of Lip Sync Battle…. forget it just read what Vogue had to say and watch.
Any attempt to describe what followed could not do justice to his truly impressive performance, so please watch and marvel for yourselves at Holland’s amazingly on point take on RiRi’s hit song
To those familiar with Holland, it’s no surprise that the actor and dancer was able to pull this off considering his background in theatre. However to the masses unaware of his Billy Elliot role, the ease in which he performed “Umbrella” in full Rihanna regalia definitely made a many question his sexuality.
And let’s be honest, it’s one thing to be a male actor on Broadway, but to put on sexy female stripper-wear is another. I’m all for it, just saying that the world we’re in, that’s really out of the gender box you’re supposed to be in. In turn, this post got a lot of traffic after the performance. Welcome everyone!
Tom’s Platonic Relationship with Zendaya
But do they have girlfriends? Tom hasn’t been connected to many women as far as we could find online. There was a report of him and Ella Purnell, but nothing confirmed. Then there was a story where the twosome were photographed on what Gay UK called a “double date” with two young women. On the other side, Holland’s best friend Harrison Osterfeld hasn’t been photographed with any women either, so….
Update: Rumors have flown around the last couple years regarding Tom and Zendaya Coleman’s closeness. While both parties have said publicly that they’re just “mates” (that’s British for “friends”) — there was some drama in 2018 that Holland’s relationship with his female co-star was more than that; that the two were/are secretly dating “on the low“. Coleman and Holland, of course, have not commented on any of it.
In fact, for Zendaya’s birthday this year, Holland posted onto his Instagram re-iterating that the two are just good friends. Whether they’re truly just platonic buddies that have a non-intimate time with one another or dating clandestinely, the uncertainty lends to the rumor that Tom may be hiding more.
All this lack of photographic or internet evidence hasn’t helped to quell any of the rumors of Tom’s sexuality. Especially when Tom and Harrison are so close — the two buddies’ friendship has been assumed to be more than a modern bromance.
Holland Hangs with Harrison (A LOT)
There’s 100% nothing wrong with hanging out with your closest friend and absolutely nothing wrong with that friend being an attractive mate. There’s also nothing wrong with posting multiple Instragram photos with that said best male friend. It’s totally cool that you’re both shirtless together often. And there’s zero problems with hiring that same best friend as your assistant.
However where our society is today, these seemingly-normal and innocuous things can and will be bent and shaped into a gay narrative. Unfortunately, men can’t hang out with men more than what’s socially acceptable without raising eyebrows. That’s especially true for two good looking, well-dressed guys that are spending a lot of time with one another.
And then you hire your good looking male friend as your assistant? The optics of that career move only fuels the talk even though Holland explained his rationale:
“Once I got cast (Chris Hemsworth) sent me a really lovely email about just make sure you keep your feet on the ground and you don’t let this affect you.” Holland said. “You keep your family and your friends close and that’s exactly what I’ve done. That is why I have brought my best friend with me as my assistant – that is Harrison. He is my best buddy really…”
Some would say “uh huh… likely story.”
What is confirmed is Tom and Harrison’s close friendship. I don’t see the gay rumors ending anytime soon because Holland and Osterfeld don’t seem to care. They’ll continue looking really happy when together, having fun doing guy stuff (surfing, skating, etc.) and really comfortable putting their arms around one another. Over and over.
.
Yeah that’s a shirtless Tom Holland and Harrison riding a tandem bike together. Fuck what you think, apparently.
Again, is there anything wrong with Holland pal-ing around with Osterfield? No, but that’s not how our society want our straight men to behave and since society has an expectation of masculinity, any action going against our gender roles will have people assuming what’s happening behind the scenes. That’s even though 20 year old guys usually spend a LOT OF TIME with other 20 year old guys.
Holland’s already a well-known name with many big budget films in his portfolio (The Impossible, Captain America: Civil War, The Lost City of Z, In The Heart of The Sea), but he’s set to explode. So, don’t be surprised that the gay rumors intensify as Holland’s star and popularity rises with the release of two Spider-Man films (2017 and 2019) and an Avenger’s sequel (2018). I’m sure we’ll also have more Insta selfies with Osterfield to continue feeding the Tom Holland gay rumors.
So is Tom Holland Gay?
As to whether he’s gay or not? My money is that Tom Holland is heterosexual. Holland has this carefree confidence about him; that’s to say that if he were gay, he would be out there being gay and saying so. Holland also doesn’t seem to care what people think of his close friendship with Osterfield whereas closeted-stars usually do their best to cover-up anything that can be perceived as gay, even the smallest hints of their sexuality (especially with guys they’re dating).
Keep doing you, Tom, but clearly, you don’t need us telling you that.
Update: We’ll just leave this Instagram post from Holland cuddling with Jake Gyllenhall and the caption hashtagged with #husbandgoals
