HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — While Meredith Baxter shared with the world Wednesday that she’s been a lesbian for seven years, her longtime Family Ties costar, Michael Gross, says the Today Show revelation certainly wasn’t a shocker to him.
“As far as I’m concerned it was pretty old news,” Gross, who starred as Baxter’s husband on the hit ’80s sitcom, tells People.
The 62-year-old actor said he and his wife, Elza, have known about Baxter’s sexuality for years, having last seen each other at a Family Ties reunion dinner in July.
“She’s one of my favorite people in the world, and I’m just thrilled that it’s no longer a secret, and that’s about the size of it,” said Gross. “I’m just thrilled this has happened because now my wife and I don’t have to hide this from everybody we know. Occasionally people will say to us, ‘Hey, Michael, you still see your costar? How’s she doing? Is there a man in her life?’ “
Gross, who remains extremely close with Baxter, also said his TV wife has never hid from her sexuality whenever they’ve hit the town.
“When we go out together, she travels with her partner,” he told the mag. “I’ve seen [them] hold hands in public. She’s never made an issue of hiding it. I think in some ways, Meredith is more comfortable with this because who wants to live as someone other than yourself?”
