'Mean Girls' Star Daniel Franzese Forced Himself To Go to Conversion Therapy at 21
In a new interview, Mean Girls star Daniel Franzese has opened up about a time when he was "brainwashed" into believing that his mother was the reason for his sexual orientation, resulting in a two-month breakdown of their relationship. The heartbreaking story is just part of what Daniel endured while going through controversial conversion therapy.
Daniel worked with a conversion therapist for six months.
Daniel said that when he was 21, he underwent conversion therapy because he "didn't want to be gay" and "didn't know what to do." The comedian told the heartbreaking story to Page Six, explaining that although his religious family made him feel "lovingly tolerated," it was the rest of the world who made him "feel like being gay was not OK."
His grandmother's pastor passed along the info for the therapy service.
"I went to one-on-one therapy sessions with a person who was trying to change me straight and make me pray the gay away and alienate all my allies," the actor told the news outlet.
"They told me to tell my mom that [she]\ was the reason that I was leaning toward bisexual thoughts or whatever because she was so open. They made me come out to my mom, who was literally my best ally, and say, 'It's your fault.'"
There was a two-month period where Daniel and his mom didn't talk as a result of his therapy.
As parents ourselves, we can't imagine the pain that Daniel's mom must have been going through watching her son try to force himself to be someone he wasn't. But it sounds like she gave her son the space he needed so he could work through things on his own.
Spoiler alert: Daniel said he and his mom are closer than ever now!
Daniel also recalled the unexpected way he came to terms with his sexuality and religion.
Even though conversion therapy fractured Daniel's relationship with those closest to him, it sounds like a regular therapy session helped him find peace in the end.
"I was scared. And [my therapist] was like, 'What are you afraid of?' And I was like, 'I'm afraid I'm gonna go to hell.' And he was like, 'You can be [s---ing a d---], and the second coming of Christ could happen, and you're not gonna go to hell if you love God. That's not what it is,'" he recalled.
And that was the moment when everything finally made sense for Daniel.
Daniel's big Hollywood break came years after he embraced his sexuality.
Daniel played Damian, a "too-gay-to-function" friend, in the 2004 hit comedy Mean Girls. A fan letter on the 10-year anniversary of the movie's release is actually what prompted the actor to finally come out publicly.
These days, Daniel is happily out and advocates for those looking for balance between their "faith and sexuality" through art. We love to see it!
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