Actor Brian Austin Green opened up about gay parenting on a recent episode of the Frosted Tips with Lance Bass podcast.
"I think a lot of people are afraid of the unknown, whereas I'm not. To me, it's intriguing," said the 50-year-old Beverly Hills 90210 star.
Green shared that having heart-to-heart discussions with his son Kassius Lijah Marcil-Green, who is openly gay, allowed them to become closer.
He told Bass:
"I would get into these conversations with Kash where it was like I really wanted to understand the things that seemed so different to me at first."
"And then you realize, 'Oh, this isn't different at all.' It's just your choice of partner. It doesn't affect me at all."
In response to people criticizing him as a parent, Green said:
"And that's the thing I'm always trying to beat into people now—it does not affect you."
"Why do you care so much? And why are you trying to somehow bully your feelings and your opinion into something that literally does not affect you at all?"
You can listen to a portion of the interview, below.
‘Open-minded’ Brian Austin Green describes ‘unknown’ territory of raising gay son Kassiusyoutu.be
Bass, who is also openly gay and formerly had his own challenges navigating the music industry as a closeted member of the 90s boyband NSYNC, commended Green for being "open-minded."
The 44-year-old also said that Kash, 21, was lucky to have Green as his father.
Bass pointed out that not all young LGBTQ+ youth grow up in such a supportive environment.
"He was so lucky to be able to be in your family because so many kids out there don't get that."
"And even if their parents accept them, there's a lot of times when the kid still knows that they still disagree with it."
Green shares Kassius with his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Marcil, whom he met when they worked together on 90210. They were engaged in 2001 and had Kassius in 2002. The couple planned to get married that year but their relationship dissolved in 2003.
Green is also father to three sons, Noah Shannon, 11, Bodhi Ransom, 9, and Journey River, 7, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Megan Fox.
Since October 2020, Green has been dating now-fiancée Sharma Burgess, an Australian ballroom dancer and member of ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
They welcomed their first child together, Zane Walker, on June 28, 2022.
On September 22, 2023, Green and Burgess announced their engagement.
