OMITTED

What the news leaves out.

← Omitted front page

Camryn Manheim Says She Tried to Turn Son Gay

4 sources · updated 2026-09-30
Left 0% Center 0% Right 100%
0 left · 0 center · 4 right

What happened

On September 26, actress Camryn Manheim presented fellow actress Marcia Gay Harden with the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally for Equality Award at the HRC National Dinner. In her remarks, Manheim said she had always wanted a gay son, described photographs of her son in high heels and full drag, and said she had thought she had “this thing locked up,” but that he is the only straight man in his musical theater company. She recalled telling Harden she was lucky after Harden’s son came out as gay, and described later seeing an Amazon delivery of thigh-high patent-leather boots at Harden’s home. Manheim’s son, Milo Manheim, 25, is an actor known for Disney’s Zombies franchise; Harden has previously said all three of her children identify as queer.
Sourcing check · Fully on the record · 4 articles

2 of 2 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.

What these terms mean and how they're counted
On the record · names a source 2 of 2
On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Camryn Manheim
Primary evidence · cites a document or data 0 of 2
Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: None cited.
Credits another outlet 0 of 2
The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
Unnamed sources 0 of 2
The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
How it developed
When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Sep 29, 15:08 UTC by Fox News, naming its source.
Not counted 2
Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT. Only right-leaning outlets are covering this story — the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out

Unpacked

Left-leaning coverage has not reported Camryn Manheim's Human Rights Campaign speech, so those readers have no account of it. Right-leaning coverage reports that while presenting an award to Marcia Gay Harden she said she "always wanted a gay son," described photographs of him in high heels and full drag, and said she thought she had it locked up. The remarks are dated to Sunday's National Dinner in Fox News and Daily Wire, a scene missing entirely from the silent side. Right-leaning coverage disagrees on whether the lines were a boast of influence or a gag. Commenters calling the speech a joke appear in Daily Wire, a reading absent from Breitbart's claim she tried to turn her son gay. What has Milo Manheim said about the childhood his mother described from the stage?
Bottom line

Left-leaning coverage has not carried Manheim's HRC dinner speech. Fox News quotes her wanting a gay son, and even right-leaning coverage cannot agree she was joking.

The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
  • Camryn Manheim told the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner she always wanted a gay son individual casein Breitbart, Daily Wire, Fox News · absent from left-leaning coverage
  • Manheim said her son is the only straight guy in his entire musical theater company individual casein Breitbart, Daily Wire, Fox News · absent from left-leaning coverage
  • Milo Manheim's father is Manheim's gay friend, actor and model Jeffrey Brezovar contextin Daily Wire · absent from left-leaning coverage
  • Manheim said that when Harden told her that her son was gay, she replied that Harden was so lucky individual casein Breitbart, Daily Wire, Fox News · absent from left-leaning coverage
  • Manheim described an Amazon delivery of thigh-high patent leather boots for Harden's son individual casein Breitbart, Daily Wire, Fox News · absent from left-leaning coverage
The Right View
Breitbart, The Daily Wire, Fox News, and the Daily Caller treated Manheim’s speech as an on-stage admission that she hoped to raise a gay son and was disappointed he is heterosexual. They quote her comments on drag photos, musical theater, and envy of Harden, and they cite Harden’s 2023 statement that her three children are non-binary, gay, and fluid. The outlets frame the episode as Hollywood parents treating LGBTQ identity as a status symbol; surrounding commentary they quote includes labels such as grooming, narcissism, and child abuse. Several pieces note that Milo Manheim’s father is Manheim’s gay friend, Jeffrey Brezovar. Fox News reported it sought comment from the HRC and Manheim’s representatives and had not received a response at publication.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive on the public record: named speakers, a dated HRC dinner, and remarks multiple outlets say are on video, so the quotes are checkable. Established is that Manheim made those comments while honoring Harden. Not established is any independent record that she forced her son’s orientation, that the drag photographs were taken at a particular age, or that Harden’s children’s identities were produced by parental pressure—those are interpretations of her anecdotes, not separately documented facts. No left-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for the full unedited video and any on-the-record response from Manheim, Milo Manheim, Harden, or the HRC.

4 sources

The week's bottom lines, in your inbox

One email a week: the five stories that mattered and what they actually mean. Free.