Paul McCartney Discloses Yoko Ono's Startling Revelation About John Lennon's Sexuality
In a remarkable disclosure from a recently republished interview, legendary musician Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that Yoko Ono once confided in him her belief that her late husband, Beatles icon John Lennon, "might have been gay." This surprising conversation occurred in the immediate aftermath of Lennon's tragic murder in December 1980, according to McCartney's account in Vanity Fair.
A Grief-Stricken Phone Call and a Stunning Suggestion
McCartney, now 83, recalled receiving a phone call from Ono shortly after Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York apartment by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman. "I swear she rang me shortly after John died and said, 'You know, I think John might have been gay,'" McCartney recounted. The musician responded with immediate skepticism, drawing from his decades of intimate friendship and professional partnership with Lennon.
"I went, 'I'm not sure.' I said, 'I don't think so. Certainly not when I knew him,'" McCartney explained, emphasizing their experiences during the 1960s Beatles era. "Because we'd been in the '60s. We'd been around with loads and loads of girls. And I bumped into seeing him jacking... a lot of girl action."
Addressing Decades of Speculation and Shared History
McCartney addressed the long-standing rumors about Lennon's sexuality, which have circulated for decades partly due to Lennon's close friendship with Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Epstein was openly gay within the band's inner circle, and a 1963 holiday the two men took together in Spain sparked widespread gossip in the British press at the time.
"But I saw that as a power play, which was very John," McCartney said of the Spain trip. "Brian would ask him as a homosexual thing — a good-looking boy who Brian fancied. They went down to Spain, had a fun time." McCartney suggested Lennon may have deliberately played into the rumors, adding, "No doubt John would play into the thing. I personally didn't think anything had happened. Certainly never heard about anything happening."
Intimate Knowledge and Shared Experiences
The former Beatle provided intimate details about his relationship with Lennon, noting that the two often shared beds while touring in The Beatles' early days due to limited funds. "I'd slept with John very often, but there was never anything," McCartney insisted. "There was never a gesture, never an expression. It was nothing. So I had no reason to believe this at all."
McCartney suggested that Ono's comments might have been influenced by profound grief, drawing a parallel to his own experience after losing his wife Linda McCartney in 1998. "When I lost Linda, I said some pretty crazy things," he reflected. "I look back on them now and go, 'That's grief. That's just what you do.'"
Historical Context and Public Statements
Lennon married Yoko Ono in March 1969 during the later years of The Beatles, creating one of rock history's most famous and controversial partnerships. The couple remained together until Lennon's death at age 40 and had one son together, Sean Ono Lennon, born in 1975. Lennon also had an older son, Julian Lennon, from his first marriage to Cynthia Lennon.
Ono herself has previously spoken publicly about her beliefs regarding Lennon's sexuality. In a 2015 interview with The Daily Beast, she revealed that Lennon once told her he believed many people were naturally bisexual. "I think he was too inhibited," Ono said at the time. "John and I had a big talk about it, saying, basically, all of us must be bisexual."
McCartney's Contemporary Reflections
McCartney's revelations come as he promotes Man on the Run, a documentary directed by Morgan Neville focusing on his life and career following The Beatles' breakup. In the film and accompanying interviews, McCartney has also addressed long-standing criticism that he was responsible for the band's dissolution.
"Whenever I hear someone damning Paul McCartney, I tend to agree with them," he admitted. "So when everyone was saying I broke up the Beatles, and I was just overbearing and all of that, I kind of bought into it." Despite this self-criticism, McCartney said revisiting archival footage has brought back powerful memories, particularly of his life with Linda and their children.
"Seeing me and Linda interacting is very special because she is not here anymore," he shared. "These memories—it's like a life flashing in front of you. Even though there are some embarrassing moments, I come out of it thinking, 'Yeah, I'm OK.'"
