Olympian Gus Kenworthy recalls ‘flirty’ 2014 dynamic with Miley Cyrus before coming out
Olympian Gus Kenworthy has spoken about a “flirty” period involving Miley Cyrus in 2014, saying the experience now feels strikingly similar to a storyline in the TV series Heated Rivalry. The skier, who came out as gay in 2015, described the episode as a confusing time in which public attention collided with his private life.
Kenworthy told The New Yorker that the parallels reminded him of the show’s plotline in which a character is linked to a famous woman, and Page Six reported that he likened it to headlines he and Ms Cyrus generated around the 2014 Winter Olympics.
In the interview, the 34-year-old said that although he “kind of wanted” the situation because it involved someone “successful and beautiful and talented”, it “isn’t the same as when you’re with a guy”. He also recalled feeling he was “digging [himself] this deeper and deeper hole”, adding that while he cared for the singer, he did not want to keep “waking up and lying”.
Kenworthy and the Grammy-winning artist were linked publicly around the Sochi Games after he won silver and described Ms Cyrus as his “dream date” and “celeb crush”. Page Six said Kenworthy also described having a “secret relationship” at the time, including “clandestine meetings and hookups”, and that he later found himself relating to another character who longed to be out but felt unable to do so.
The comments revisit a period that attracted significant attention, and they underline how Kenworthy now frames that moment as part of the longer process of understanding his sexuality and becoming comfortable living openly.
