What Half Man's Richard Gadd has said about his 'state of flux' sexuality: 'It's a journey'
Half Man came from Gadd's own 'sexuality crisis'
Richard Gadd is back with Half Man, a dark, nerve-racking new drama about two ‘brothers’ that may leave you curious about the star’s sexuality. Well, he’s already spoken about it.
Baby Reindeer, Gadd’s autobiographical (and infamous) Netflix series about his stalking ordeal, grappled with shame and repression. It saw him try (and often struggle) to process being sexually assaulted by another man, as well as his relationship with a trans woman.
While not based on a true story, these themes carry over into Half Man. It follows Ruben (Gadd) and Niall (Jamie Bell), two “brothers from another lover” who drift and collide over the course of three violent, harrowing decades.
It isn’t a spoiler to say that one of the brothers struggles to accept his sexuality. Given Baby Reindeer’s exploration of a bisexual man’s trauma, it’s reasonable to be curious about Gadd’s own sexuality.
Richard Gadd’s sexuality explained
Richard Gadd is an openly bisexual man.
Speaking to Attitude following Baby Reindeer’s release in 2024, the writer-actor was asked about his “journey with his identity”.
“I think the easiest thing is to say bisexual, but it’s a journey,” he explained.
“I sometimes change with the tide. I feel very strongly for both. I think we’re just learning to see the world in different ways and not be so rigid about it. And I feel like I’m constantly in a state of flux with my sexuality. Some days I feel a certain way and other days I feel other ways. But every time I land on one, my brain flies off to the other.”
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Gadd described it “almost like a restlessness… but maybe that’s what bisexuality is”.
“I realised quite early on that I used to say, ‘Oh, you have to be one or the other.’ And I believed it was going to be easier for me if I pick one. I tried to identify both ways in my time, and it never worked for me as much as bisexual, really.”
How Half Man represents Gadd’s ‘sexuality crisis’
Throughout Half Man, one of the brothers has a self-deprecating and destructive attitude towards his own attraction to men.
Again, Half Man isn’t based on a true story, but it was inspired by Gadd’s own “crisis” and efforts to reckon with his sexuality.
In a newer interview with Attitude, he said: “When I was going through a sexuality crisis, feeling confused – any identity struggle – what I felt I was missing was something on TV that represented that.
“There [are] people, more than [we] care to admit in this age of moral and ethical enlightenment, sometimes there’s a feeling in people I’ve met and I know who are going through a sexuality crisis, of feeling left behind in a way. This world is progressing around them and they’re not moving with it.”
Gadd is aware that some viewers would respond to a happier, more uplifting resolution of a man’s sexuality on screen.
“But I think a lot of people just want to see something they’re going through. And as someone’s who’s struggled in my life with various aspects, I feel it is my duty in my art in a way to show struggle for the people who do feel left behind,” he added.
Is Richard Gadd dating anyone?
As of April 2026, it hasn’t been reported that Gadd is dating anyone, nor is it clear from his social media pages if he’s in a relationship.
While he’s appeared at events to promote Half Man, such as its New York premiere, he hasn’t been snapped with anyone outside the production.
In 2024, Gadd was cleared of any wrongdoing after trans actress Reece Lyons accused him of misconduct. She alleged that they’d been dating when she auditioned to play Teri (portrayed by Navi Mau) in Baby Reindeer, and accused Gadd of “conflating a work opportunity with a dating dynamic”.
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