James Haven just came out as gay at 53, and somehow this story keeps getting more interesting.
Angelina Jolie’s older brother opened up about his sexuality and said he’s entering a new chapter of his life, one where he can finally live as the person he believes he was always meant to be.
That alone makes this one of the biggest gay celebrity stories of the week. Then you add his ex-wife, The Real L Word alum Romi Imbelli, publicly supporting him.
And then his dad called.
Yes, Jon Voight, his famously conservative father.
If you thought you already knew how that conversation was going to go, apparently James did too. Instead, he says his father responded with support.
Okay, plot twist!
James Haven Came Out!
Haven publicly came out on Aug. 6 while sharing a personal message about his life, healing and identity.
Rather than treating his sexuality like some shocking celebrity reveal, Haven framed the announcement around finally reaching a place where he could live authentically.
Honestly, that’s what makes the story hit differently.
Coming out didn’t suddenly make James Haven gay at 53. He’s talking about finally being able to live openly as the person he understands himself to be.
There’s a huge difference.
We hear plenty of coming-out stories involving teenagers and twenty-somethings. Those stories matter, but they aren’t the only version of gay life.
Some people figure things out early. Some know but aren’t ready to say it. Others spend years navigating relationships, family expectations, careers and their own understanding of sexuality before they’re comfortable putting a label on anything.
Apparently, Haven needed his own timeline.
Now he’s ready.
Coming Out Doesn’t Have a Deadline
Let’s talk about the age thing because somebody somewhere is absolutely asking, “Why did it take until 53?”
Because life is complicated. That’s why.
Gay people don’t receive a welcome packet at 18 with a coming-out deadline, Grindr instructions and two complimentary Pride wristbands.
Although the wristbands would be cute.
Some gay men come out at 16. Others do it at 26, 36 or 56. There are men reading this right now who still haven’t told certain people in their lives.
Family can make that difficult. So can religion, culture, marriage, fear and the pressure to live the life everybody else expects you to live. That’s why Haven coming out later in life shouldn’t be treated like something strange.
If anything, it makes his story more relatable to a group of gay men we don’t talk about nearly enough.
Then We Need to Talk About His Ex-Wife
Because, yes, James Haven was married.
Haven married Romi Imbelli, who appeared on Showtime’s The Real L Word, in 2024. Their marriage didn’t last long and was later annulled.
On paper, “man comes out as gay after marriage to woman” sounds like it’s about to become a very messy story. But Romi didn’t come running to the internet with a Notes app statement and six screenshots.
Instead, she supported him.
Imbelli has spoken warmly about Haven and their complicated relationship. She has described him as her best friend and one of the great loves of her life.
That doesn’t mean their relationship was simple. Clearly, it wasn’t.
But there’s something refreshing about watching two adults acknowledge that love can be real even when a relationship doesn’t end the way either person originally imagined.
Sometimes the relationship changes.
Sometimes the people change.
Sometimes you discover something about yourself that forces both of you to rethink what the relationship actually was.
That’s real life.
Why Romi Imbelli Supporting James Haven Matters
There’s an easy tabloid version of this story.
Angelina Jolie’s brother marries woman, marriage ends, then he comes out as gay.
Throw in a dramatic photo and suddenly everybody is looking for a villain. But there doesn’t seem to be much interest from Imbelli in playing that role.
Her public support changes the tone of Haven’s coming-out story because it gives us something we don’t always see when sexuality and marriage collide publicly: compassion.
You can acknowledge that a relationship didn’t work while still respecting what it meant. And apparently these two still mean quite a bit to each other.
That’s actually kind of sweet.
Then Jon Voight Entered the Chat
This was the part that really caught my attention.
Haven’s father is Jon Voight, an Oscar-winning actor who is also very publicly conservative.
Haven and Voight haven’t exactly had the easiest father-son relationship either. Their history has included estrangement and years of complicated family dynamics.
So after Haven came out as gay, there was an obvious question.
How was Dad going to take this?
Apparently, better than Haven expected.
Voight called his son following the announcement. Haven later described their conversation as surprisingly supportive and said the experience felt surreal.
For someone who wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he would receive, that phone call seems to have meant a lot.
Jon Voight Supported His Gay Son
Whatever anyone thinks about Jon Voight’s politics, there is something worth recognizing here.
His son came out.
His son was vulnerable.
And according to Haven, his father responded with understanding rather than rejection.
That’s important.
It doesn’t mean Voight suddenly changed every political opinion he’s ever expressed. It doesn’t erase the complicated history between father and son either.
What it does mean is that when his gay son needed his father to see him, Voight appears to have shown up.
I’ll give him credit for that.
We’re not handing out a lifetime achievement award, but he can definitely get a little gold star.
And Yes, Angelina Jolie Is Part of the Story
You can’t write about James Haven without Angelina Jolie appearing somewhere in the headline ecosystem.
The siblings were famously close when they were younger, and their relationship became tabloid material after Jolie kissed Haven while celebrating her Oscar win in 2000.
That moment fueled years of bizarre speculation about the siblings, which they rejected. More than 25 years later, Haven is telling the public something about himself on his own terms.
That’s why reducing this to “Angelina Jolie’s brother comes out” feels a little cheap. Because this isn’t her coming-out story.
It’s his.
What Do You Think?
Were you surprised by Jon Voight’s reaction to his son coming out?
More importantly, if you’re a gay man who came out later in life, what finally made you feel ready?
Drop it into the comments nd tell us your story.
And if you’re into gay celebrity news, dating, relationships, sex, nightlife, Atlanta culture and everything happening in between, subscribe to DinMag.com.
We’re building the kind of place where gay men can keep up with what’s happening without feeling like they’re reading somebody’s corporate Pride Month press release.
Leave a Reply