TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum came out as bisexual on Monday in an interview with talk show host Tamron Hall — his first public interview since photos surfaced of him involved in a possible overdose incident at a Miami hotel in March.
“I don’t identify as gay, but I do identify as bisexual. And that is something that I’ve never shared publicly before," Gillum said as he sat alongside his wife R. Jai.
Hall also asked if Gillum would ever make a return to politics.
“Donald Trump is president,” Gillum said, as his wife laughed.
The interview came months after a scandal involving Gillum at a Miami Beach hotel. According to a police incident report, Miami Beach Police responded to a hotel room on March 13 for a possible overdose.
The report stated that Gillum, who was described as being inebriated, was inside the room along with a man who was suffering from a possible drug overdose, a second man, and a substance suspected to be crystal meth.
Gillum was not arrested or cited for the incident. Shortly after the report came to light, Gillum released a statement claiming that he had been in Miami for a wedding.
"While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines," Gillum said. "I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement."
On Sunday, March 15, Gillum announced that he was checking into a rehab facility for alcohol abuse. In the statement, he said that he "fell into a depression" after his unsuccessful gubernatorial run in Florida, which lead to alcohol abuse.
Gillum served as the mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 until 2018. He also ran for governor of Florida in 2018 but lost to the state's current governor, Gov. Ron DeSantis.
This story was originally published by WTXL in Tallahassee, Florida.
