Tom Selleck’s iconic mustache and rugged charm have captivated fans for years. Since 2016, he has been the face of American Advisors Group (AAG)’s reverse mortgage loans. The American actor/producer, who turned 79 on January 29, 2024, is now believed to have a net worth of $25 million.
When he burst onto the scene in 1980 as Magnum P.I., he captured the hearts of countless women weekly—perhaps even some men.
Despite his rise to fame and success in the 1980s with Magnum P.I., Tom Selleck faced significant personal challenges. As his popularity grew, so did the rumors about his private life, particularly around his sexual orientation. These whispers, fueled by tabloid speculation, threatened to overshadow his career.
Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I., showcasing his signature mustache and Hawaiian shirt style (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
There was a time when the whispers ran wild….is he gay? Could he be? If that was the truth, and it was confirmed, it could have meant an end to his career in the mid-1990s.
Debunking that myth became the sole focus of the actor, and confirming that he was neither homosexual nor homophobic proved to be a little more difficult for Tom than imagined.
Selleck has starred in many successful television shows and movies. He is best known for his role as Thomas Magnum in the 1980s television series Magnum P.I., which was a huge hit.
The popular actor has starred in films such as Three Men and a Baby, Mr. Baseball, and Quigley Down Under.
During the pinnacle of his career, Tom Selleck crossed paths with Jillie Joan Mack, who was showcasing her talents in the musical Cats, and the couple exchanged vows in 1987 (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
Debunking the Persistent Rumors About Tom Selleck’s Sexual Orientation
The rumors started about his sexual orientation the second he became popular but intensified when an anonymous poster featured him and a few others claiming they were gay.
These anonymous posters were distributed all around New York City in 1991 by a well-known gay activist group and subsequently caught the attention of a popular tabloid magazine, The Globe.
The magazine published the pictures of these posters to its million-plus audience, along with a headline definitively claiming that the actor was gay.
Tom Selleck with his wife Jillie Mack and his daughter Hannah Margaret Selleck at the 2000 Emmy Awards (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
This infuriated Selleck, who had been battling these rumors for years, which he felt were totally unfounded and without merit.
In July 1991, he filed a $20 million libel and invasion of privacy lawsuit against the Globe supermarket tabloid. The lawsuit alleged that the Globe had defamed Selleck by publishing an article that implied he was gay.
The article, titled “‘Gay’ Stars Stop Traffic,” listed Selleck’s name among a group of celebrities photographed with placards that said, “Absolutely Queer.”
Selleck’s lawsuit aimed to address the harm caused by the publication’s false and intrusive content. “I am as proud of my sexual preference as those who happen to be gay are of theirs,” Selleck said in a statement published in The Los Angeles Times in 1991.
“There is not a man who has lived on the face of the Earth in my lifetime who can truthfully deny what is so obviously my choice; that is, that I am singularly heterosexual.”
Tom Selleck with his wife Jillie Mack and his daughter Hannah Margaret Selleck at the 2004 Emmy Awards (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
At the time, Selleck was concerned that suing the tabloid would add more fuel to the fire and give more life to the scandal, but he erred on the side of the truth, which he demanded to be printed as a retraction.
”I thought suing the tabloid was right,” Selleck told Entertainment Weekly in 1991 on the Chicago set of his new movie, Folks.
”I didn’t think in terms of giving them more publicity. There is a very important issue here about how people lie. If truth and justice can still be used in the same sentence — and I think they still can — then this thing will work itself out just fine.”
Tom Selleck’s Enduring Marriage to Jillie Mack: A Love Story Since 1987
Tom Selleck is still married to Jillie Mack. The couple has been together since August 7, 1987, and they share one daughter, Hannah.
The actor, twice married, was first wed to Jacqueline Ray (1971-1982), who also starred in the Magnum P.I. series. They married before his breakout role in P.I.
Although they had no children, Selleck adopted Jacqueline’s son from a previous marriage, Kevin. They were reported to divorce due to the stress of the star’s overnight fame and the overwhelming female attention Tom attracted from adoring fans.
A fan holds a signed photo of Tom Selleck from his Magnum, P.I. days, showcasing his iconic beach look (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
Tom went on to marry Jillie Mack, an English-born actress who also had a part in Magnum P.I.
He fell for her while filming his movie Lassiter in London. At the time, Mack was appearing in the Broadway hit Cat’s, which Selleck kept returning to nightly to watch Mack perform.
Not long after, she was seen by his side at movie premieres and award ceremonies. Soon after, they were married in a very secret ceremony in 1987. They are still married to this day and have one daughter, Hannah.
Actor-producer Tom Selleck and his wife, actress Jillie Mack, graced the CBS’ ‘The Carol Burnett Show 50th Anniversary Special’ at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California, on October 4, 2017 (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
Selleck’s Legal Victory Over The Globe and Their Public Apology
Selleck’s lawsuit against The Globe would prove to be successful. The magazine reportedly settled the $20 million lawsuit with Tom for an undisclosed amount.
The Globe also printed a retraction that stated, “By publishing the article, the Globe did not intend to express or imply that Tom Selleck is or ever was a homosexual, and the Globe apologizes to the extent that any statements made by any Globe editors concerning the article were construed to express or imply that Tom Selleck is or was a homosexual.”
Tom Selleck’s 12-second kiss with Kevin Kline in In & Out, a 1997 American comedy film, in which he plays gay on-camera entertainment reporter Peter Malloy (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
Tom Selleck continues to this day captivating his audience as New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in the hit TV series “Blue Bloods.” CBS announced in March 2023 that the show had been renewed for season fourteen.
“I don’t think there is an end point,” Tom told People in a May 2020 interview about the American police procedural drama television series. “I think there is a lot of life in the show, as long as you let your characters grow and get older.”
Blue Bloods stars Tom Selleck as New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
“There is an evolution. It started out as a character-driven show and it’s even more than that now. When you get to a point like this, and we certainly had it on [Magnum P.I.], the audience is really inside the main characters’ heads,” he added, referencing the 1980s series that made him a star.
Magnum, P.I. (CBS) Season 2 1981-1982: John Hillerman (as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III/Elmo/Father Patty McGinnis), Tom Selleck (as Thomas Sullivan Magnum III) (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN / FayesVision)
Although Selleck is 30-plus years after his Magnum P.I. days, he continues to exude an appeal that few have been able to duplicate, and his fans no doubt continue to appreciate it.
Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, and Bridget Moynahan attend the “Blue Bloods” screening during PaleyFest NY 2017 at The Paley Center for Media on October 16, 2017, in New York City (Credit: Adam Nemser / Startraksphoto)