Actress Camryn Manheim is facing sharp criticism from the source over remarks about wishing her son were gay. She delivered the speech over the weekend at the Human Rights Campaign 2026 National Dinner, as reported [1] by PJ Media.
Manheim, known for acting roles in The Practice, Ghost Whisperer, and Law & Order, appeared at the event to present the Ally for Equity Award to her friend Marcia Gay Harden.
The actress has a son named Milo, who is also an actor and is 25. According to the source, he was conceived through a sperm donation from Manheim’s close friend Jeffrey Brezovar, who is gay and plays an active role in Milo’s life.
During her presentation, Manheim described the kind of relationship she had imagined having with her son. She said, “I always wanted a gay son. I did. I love that relationship between gay sons and their mothers.”
Manheim continued by portraying herself as a fiercely protective parent. “I want to be the picket sign-holding mom who would beat the s**t out of somebody for her kid,” she said.
Her remarks then leaned into a string of familiar cultural stereotypes.
Manheim said she had photographs of Milo wearing high heels and full drag, adding that he knows the words to every musical ever written.
She also pointed to Aaron Walton, whom she called Milo’s “fairy godfather,” and said she believed she had correctly anticipated her son’s sexuality. Instead, she explained, Milo is straight.
“I mean, truly, I thought I had this f***ing thing locked up. But no, nooooooo. He’s the only straight guy in his entire musical theater company,” Manheim told the audience.
Actress Camryn Manheim: I always wanted a gay son. I have photos of my son in high heels, in full drag. But no! He’s the only straight guy in his musical theatre company.
When Marcia Gay Harden told me her son had come out to her, I said, “Oh my god, you are so f**king lucky!” pic.twitter.com/lCelEZeGTm [2]
— Ezydu (@ezradulis) September 28, 2026 [3]
Manheim then compared her experience with Harden’s. She recalled Harden calling her from a closet about 10 years earlier to say that her son had come out as gay.
According to Manheim, her immediate response was, “Oh my God. You are so f***ing lucky.” She then described visiting Harden’s home roughly a week later when an Amazon package arrived for Harden’s son.
Manheim said the package contained red patent leather boots that reached the thigh, comparing them to kinky boots.
She joked that Harden appeared to be showing off, and the audience reacted enthusiastically to the story.
The source condemned both the audience response and Manheim’s comments, characterizing the routine as bigoted and built around gross clichés. It also argued that her remarks focused heavily on what she wanted from her son’s identity.
The criticism raised a hypothetical reversal: how would people respond if Milo were gay and Manheim publicly announced that she had hoped he would be straight? The source suggested that such a statement would provoke a dramatically different reaction.
The article also objected to Manheim’s depiction of gay men through flamboyance, drag, musicals, and women’s clothing.
Its author argued that gay men are not clichés or accessories for mothers seeking a particular kind of friendship with their sons.
The author cited gay men in her own life who dislike those stereotypes and simply want to live without being bothered. One, she wrote, has said he sometimes wishes he were not gay because it is not the easiest life.
It’s criticism widened when the author’s colleague Catherine Salgado commented, “I hear that an LGBTQ child is a must-have accessory in Hollywood this year.”
The source then referenced celebrity parents whose children have been described as trans or nonbinary.
Among the celebrities named were Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Watts, Charlize Theron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Cynthia Nixon, and Jennifer Garner.
The article said stories involving their children had appeared within roughly the previous month.
The author questioned whether the broader pattern reflected mental health concerns, attention-seeking parents, a trend, or some combination of those possibilities.
She ultimately expressed sympathy for children in Hollywood and for young people outside the industry who look up to them.