Jodie Foster Officially Comes Out as Gay in Moving Golden Globes Speech

USMagazine, Sunday, January 13, 2013, 7:30pm (PST)

Jodie Foster stole the show at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills on Sunday Jan. 13. The actress and director, 50, accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement -- and in her emotional, funny, wild speech, Foster finally, publicly acknowledged that she's gay. "I have a sudden urge to say something i've never really been able to say in public," Foster (clad in custom Armani) said, clutching her award. "A declaration that I'm a little nervous about, but, you know, loud and proud."

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Teasing the audience, Foster continued . . . "I am . . . single!" As the crowd laughed, she added. "Yes I am, I'm kidding. I'm not really kidding, but kind of." The resolutely private Oscar winner explained of her private romantic life: "i did my coming out a thousand years ago back in the stone age, in those quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family . . . Now I'm told every celebrity is expected [to share] the details of their private life with a reality show."

Joked Foster: "I'm not Honey Boo Boo child! That's not me. It never was and it never will be. Don't be sad . . . my reality show would be so boring!"

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The mother of two, who has been working as an actress since early childhood, said: "Seriously, if you had been public figure for the time you were a toddler. If you had to fight for a life that felt real and honest and normal and against all odds. . . Then maybe you too would value privacy against everything else . . Some day in the future, people will look back and remember how beautiful it once was. I have given everything up there…that's reality show enough."

As stars (including close friend Mel Gibson) looked on tearfully, the Accused star then acknowledged her former female partner: "There is no way i could ever stand here without acknowledging one of the deepest loves of my life, my heroic co-parent, expert in love, my soul sister in life…Sydney Bernard."

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She also thanked her sons with Bernard, who looked on from the audience, Charlie, 14, and Kit, 11. "I am so proud of our modern family," calling her boys "my reasons to breathe." Foster thanked her ailing mother, not present for the moment: "I love you, I love you, I love you. I hope that if I say this three times, it will magically perfectly enter into your your soul, you were a great mom."

Implying a retirement of sorts, she added: "I may never be up on this stage again, on any stage for that matter." Backstage, Foster clarified to reporters that she has no plans to retire from acting.

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This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Jodie Foster Officially Comes Out as Gay in Moving Golden Globes Speech