Ex-'RHONJ' Star Calls Gay Son 'Mentally Ill' After Public Spat

When ex-Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Jim Marchese went on a ridiculous homophobic rant defending Kevin Hart last year, it may have had a more sinister origin than previously realized.

His tirade centered around the idea that having a gay son “is a curse that takes away your #family traditions.” He called it a “parents nightmare that destroys families” and “ruins holidays.”

Now, Marchese’s son is saying his father found out he was gay in early 2018.

On a GoFundMe page asking for help with college tuition, Marchese’s son, who goes by the name Michael, says his father cut him off financially after discovering that he’s gay.

“This began two weeks of mental abuse that led to be being removed from his home when I told my Mom (her and my father are divorced) and went to court with her,” he wrote. “Since this time, my father has been slowly cutting ties with me until I ‘live according to his standards.’”

Marchese told People that he didn’t cut Michael off for being gay, but rather that his issues are about where his son wanted to go to school.

However, he followed up his rejection of Michael's claims by digging in pretty hard on his homophobia.

“My son is mentally ill and refuses therapy,” he said. “[People] should experience life and make a responsible decision about lifestyle in their twenties or thirties after having some perspective on life.”

He then went on to compare declaring one’s sexuality to buying a car.

“Imagine being forced to keep the type of car you wanted at 16 years old for the rest of your life. My guess is it would be a very different car at 35 years old. Michael, by labeling himself at 18 years old and making it public, has closed so many doors without the benefit of experience.”

Yes, because the heterosexuals definitely wait until they are 35 to declare their heterosexuality and “lifestyle” choices. Also, once you’ve publicly declared a sexuality, it can absolutely never change.

As usual, the ex-reality show cast member responded to the accusations by retweeting anyone who agrees with him and/or disparaged his son on Twitter. 

Whether or not the younger Marchese actually needs $35,000 for school tuition or not, dealing with homophobia is no walk in the park for anyone. It’s only too bad his father publicly labeled himself a homophobe with his declaration and has closed so many doors without the benefit of experiencing what accepting your children for who they are can be like.