Everything Colton Haynes Wrote About ‘Teen Wolf’ in His Memoir – Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Colton Haynes was one of the stars of MTV’s Teen Wolf, playing the charming, womanizing Jackson. However, in his memoir, Miss Memory Lane, Haynes revealed what it took to get the role, including hiding his sexuality from the network.
A photoshoot almost cost Colton Haynes his ‘Teen Wolf’ role
Haynes became a star when he scored a leading role in Teen Wolf. The part led to bigger and better roles for the actor, including a main role on the CW’s Arrow and Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens and American Horror Story: Cult.
In 2022, Haynes released Miss Memory Lane, where he discussed his rise to fame, as well as his struggles with his sexuality in the public eye. While the actor didn’t publicly come out until 2016, Haynes has always known he was gay.
In 2006, he posed for XY magazine with his then-boyfriend. The shirtless photos were slightly suggestive, and Haynes was sure that appearing on the cover of a magazine would boost his then-burgeoning career.
However, he was later told by his agent that the photos almost seriously damaged his acting career and could have cost him the role on Teen Wolf. At the time, Haynes’ team told him (per Buzzfeed), “The head of MTV almost didn’t hire you because of that XY photo shoot we’ve been working our asses off to extinguish.”
Haynes’ team also tried to remove the pictures completely from the internet, which started “popping up on blogs” once he started working regularly. The actor said his team “acted almost like a firing squad” as they attempted to get rid of the pictures.
Colton Haynes said he was told to ‘change everything’ about himself to fit into Hollywood
The photos weren’t the only thing Haynes had to contend with regarding his sexuality in Hollywood. “When I moved to L.A., I was basically told that I needed to change everything about myself,” Haynes shared. “I had to learn how to be the way that I looked, which was a square-jawed douchebag, cocky athlete.”
The XY photoshoot continued to impact his career. Haynes revealed in his memoir that a studio head wanted to drop him completely from a show after finding out he was gay and recast the part. However, the showrunners went to bat for the actor and told the studio head if Haynes was fired, they would simply write the character out of the show.
Colton Haynes revealed being in the closet was ‘killing’ him
Haynes came out in 2016 and got married to florist Jeff Leatham the following year. The marriage was tumultuous, with Haynes filing for divorce in 2018. The couple reconciled, but ultimately split in 2019.
While he’s happy to be out, Haynes is not afraid to reveal the struggles he still faces as a gay man in Hollywood. “It’s been hard for me to get those opportunities anymore since I’ve been out of the closet,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “But I needed to [come out] because it was killing me.”
The actor also now looks back on the XY photoshoot fondly. “I’m so proud, and I love that photo shoot,” Haynes explained. “It really captured a young, free queer kid who was just so happy in his body and expressing himself.”