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Melissa Etheridge recalls moment late son came out as straight at 11: ‘Mom, I’m sorry’
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Melissa Etheridge recalls moment late son came out as straight at 11: ‘Mom, I’m sorry’



Melissa Etheridge’s late son, Beckett, came out to her as straight as a preteen.

The singer told “Kelly Clarkson Show” viewers Wednesday about the moment, which took place when Beckett “was about 11.”

Smiling, the Grammy winner recalled, “He goes, ‘Mom, I’m sorry, but I think I’m straight.’”

Melissa Etheridge detailed her son Beckett coming out to her as straight on the “Kelly Clarkson Show” Wednesday
The singer’s late child (pictured above in September 2011) “was about 11” when he opened up to Etheridge about his sexuality. AFP via Getty Images

Clarkson, 43, burst out laughing over the “incredible” story and quipped, “I’m so sorry I let you down.”

Etheridge, who came out publicly as gay in January 1993, joked that she “tried to tell [Beckett] it was a phase.”

Clarkson poked fun at the idea of Etheridge and her then-partner, Julie Cypher, “trying to pray the straight away.”

At the time, Beckett apologized. Facebook
Kelly Clarkson cracked up at the story, quipping Etheridge and ex Julie Cypher tried “to pray the straight away.” Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The anecdote came up as Clarkson praised Etheridge’s “Tomboy” song, in which she sings that there “ain’t nothing weak when little girls are strong.”

The 64-year-old wrote the lyrics to clap back at the stigma surrounding girls who like sports, Hot Wheels, etc. — but noted that kids’ toys aren’t “so much anymore” coded male or female.

Clarkson agreed, noting that while “it has changed a little,” her 9-year-old son, Remington, still “asks questions.”

Etheridge joked about trying to convince the preteen he was experiencing “a phase.” Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
“The kids come in who they are,” the Grammy winner (pictured above in July 2024) said. Getty Images

“He was like, ‘Somebody told me I couldn’t paint my nails,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’”

The “American Idol” alum, who is also the mother of 11-year-old daughter River, gave a shoutout to “people like Harry Styles … who are out there owning whatever the hell they want to do.”

She added, “There still is that influence of what is boy, what is girl sometimes, and it’s annoying. Especially when you’re a parent, you’re like, ‘Just do whatever you like. It’s fine.’”

“Watching them find that is really [special],” the songwriter (pictured above on March 16) added. Getty Images
Beckett, who died in 2020, is survived by sister Bailey (pictured above in September 2011) as well as twin siblings Johnnie and Miller. Jim Ruymen/UPI / Shutterstock

Etheridge agreed, saying, “The kids come in who they are anyway and just watching them find that is really [special].”

In addition to Beckett, who died in May 2020 at age 21 from an opioid addiction, she and Cypher are also the parents of 29-year-old daughter Bailey.

Additionally, Etheridge welcomed twins Johnnie and Miller, 19, before splitting from ex Tammy Lynn Michaels.



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