Shepard Smith Comes Out, Says Former Boss Didn’t Force Him To Stay In Closet

It has been pretty much an "open secret" that Fox News anchor Shepard Smith is gay, but he's never really discussed it publicly.

Then the rumors started swirling that former Fox News boss Roger Ailes was forcing Shepard to stay closeted. Shepard says that is not true.

In an interview with the "Huffington Post", Shepard said "[Roger] was as nice as he could be to me. I loved him like a father."

Ailes was outsed this summer by the way.

Shepard went on to say that he never heard Roger using homophobic slurs and that Fox News wasn't a hostile environment. "[Roger] treated me with respect . . . he gave me every opportunity in the world and he never asked anything of me but that we get it right, try to get it right every day.

"It was a very warm and loving and comfortable place." That being said, he said the accusations against Roger were "horrifying" and he described them as a "painful betrayal."

So, now Fox News has a major anchor who's out the closet as he joins Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon on CNN, and Rachel Maddow at MSNBC.