September 16, 2014
Travolta Comments on Gay Rumors Amid Lawsuit
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 2 MIN.
John Travolta is speaking out about longtime rumors that claim he is gay amid a pending lawsuit filed against him by a former alleged lover.
In an interview with the Daily Beast this week, Travolta, 60, commented on a lawsuit filed in 2012 by Douglas Gotterba, a pilot who worked for the actor's airline company in the late 80s.
Gotterba told the National Enquirer he was "unwillingly thrust" into the spotlight after Travolta was accused of sexual batter and that he wanted to "tell the story of his life and those involved in it" in a book.
But Travolta isn't having any of it, however.
"This is every celebrity's Achilles heel. It's just about people wanting money. That's all. It happens on many levels," Travolta told the Daily Beast.
He added: "Also, I don't care that much about [those types of allegations]. Other people may attack it back more than I do, but I let all the media stuff go a long time ago because I can't control it. I think that's why it persists, to some degree."
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a California appeals court ruled in July that Gotterba had the right to argue in the lawsuit that he is not bound by confidentiality terms that would prohibit him from discussing his relationship with Travolta.
Gotterba signed a termination agreement in 1987, but the pilot claims it was a pre-draft and that the final agreement did not have a confidentiality clause.
Gotterba alleges he and the actor had a six-year affair.
"I know the date (the affair began) because I still have the log book and records," Gotterba told the Enquirer in 2012. He says they flew to Monterey, Calif., and had an expensive dinner with a "fantastic" bottle of merlot at a high-end resort. "I got the sense I was being courted. As we walked from the restaurant back to the room, John suddenly said, 'Hey, would you like a massage?'" The couple allegedly then had sex.
"John was gentle but very passionate. The next day he told me with a big smile on his face, 'I really enjoyed last night,'" Gotterba told the tabloid.
