Photo by Jason Nocito

Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos has come out as gay in a new interview with author Bret Easton Ellis on his podcast, B.E.E., SPIN reports. During their conversation, Angelakos told Ellis, "I am saying something that I've never said before publicly." Listen to the entire episode below. (Angelakos addresses his sexuality at the 49:00 mark.)

He explained his decision to come out on Ellis' podcast:

"I've told very few people in my personal small circles because I don't know how to talk about it, you know? Talking with you—we've talked before—when someone understands what you do and what you make, it disarms you a little bit and you can just be yourself because you don't have to defend your work. ... This is the kind of situation every artist wants to be in—to talk to artists they really admire. When this was all happening recently, finally, I just decided it might be best to talk about it here. I don't really know what happened, but it's just one of those gut feelings. It's the same gut feeling I had when I said, OK, I kind of just need to talk to people about the fact that I am. I'm gay. And that's it. It just has to happen. This was exactly the type of situation where I don't feel like I'm being threatened."

He spoke at length about his marriage and divorce with stylist Kirsty Mucci, and how he came to understand his sexual identity in the process. “I just wanted so badly to be straight, because I love her so much," he told Ellis. "I think that was one of the most painful things when we decided to separate.”

Angelakos said Mucci has been "incredible" and encouraged him to come out earlier this year. "When I decided to really deal with it head on—which was, I don't know, in June—she was the one who spearheaded it in a way. ... She said, 'You need to figure out what's going on with your sexuality because you can't hate yourself anymore.'"

He also discussed self-loathing, how he didn't feel like he was being fully honest in his work, and much more. Later, he tweeted:

Listen to the full conversation below.

Angelakos has openly discussed his personal life in the past. Back in January, he recorded a PSA for Glenn Close's mental health awareness non-profit Bring Change 2 Mind, in which he discussed his experiences with bipolar disorder.

Read our 2012 cover story and recent feature on Passion Pit.

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