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Former Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum comes out as bisexual, addresses hotel incident

Posted at 11:35 AM, Sep 14, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-14 14:01:40-04

In his first public interview since photos surfaced of him involved in an possible overdose incident at a Miami hotel in March, Andrew Gillum has come out as bisexual.

Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee and Democratic gubernatorial candidate who lost against Governor Ron DeSantis, came out as bisexual in an interview with Tamron Hall on Monday.

“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. He responded, “Donald Trump is president,” as his wife laughed.

The interview comes after a scandal involving Gillum at a Miami Beach hotel became public. 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 methamphetamine.

Gillum was not arrested or cited for the incident. Shortly after the incident came to light, Gillum released a statement denying that he ever used meth.

"I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends," Gillum said in a statement. "While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines. I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement."

"I’m thankful to the incredible Miami Beach EMS team for their efforts. I will spend the next few weeks with my family and appreciate privacy during this time."

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.