Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Newlyweds Explain Why They Got Married Despite Groom Identifying As Gay In Viral TikTok

Split screen of images of Samantha Greenstone and Jacob Hoff
@samanthawynngreenstone/Instagram; @samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

Jacob Hoff and Samantha Greenstone recently tied the knot after seven years together despite Hoff identifying as gay—but the couple doesn't view it as a "lavender marriage."

A man who identifies as gay just tied the knot with his girlfriend of seven years, and in a video posted to TikTok, the couple explained why it's not a "lavender marriage."

Newlyweds Jacob Hoff and Samantha Greenstone recently spoke with the New York Times about their "soulful connection," explaining that despite Hoff being gay, the two knew that their feelings for each other were something very special from the beginning.


“I am gay, and as a gay person, you can keep your identity as that even if your relationship doesn’t match that."
“We have a monogamous relationship. It’s beyond a visual lustful connection. It’s a soulful connection.”

It all began in 2015 when Hoff heard Greenstone's voice for the first time during a callback for Fiddler on the Roof in Escondido, California, for which they both auditioned and booked.

“From the lobby, I heard Samantha’s cackle at the end of the song and instantly thought whoever just made that sound is an immaculate human."

Greenstone had similar strong, albeit confusing, feelings.

“There was a spark and It felt like this magnetism that was so powerful."
‘’It was like someone had found the words to explain our connection and package it in a way that made me finally understand what we had between us.”

In July of 2017, the pair were officially a couple—and last December, the couple got engaged.

On November 25 they became husband and wife.

Given the attention surrounding their relationship and the questions many people have, the newlyweds took to TikTok to explain their relationship, specifically why they don't consider their union a "lavender marriage."

Greenstone first defined the term:

"A lavender marriage is when one partner is heterosexual and one partner is homosexual and the homosexual partner enters the relationship to cover up the fact that they are gay."

But, as Hoff noted:

"That's not what's going on here."
"Clearly, there's no covering up here. I mean, everybody knows."
"The cat's out of the bag. It's pretty obvious."

The two explained, rather, that they are in a "mixed-orientation relationship."

You can watch below.

Viewers of the TikTok congratulated the happy couple and wholeheartedly agreed that love at its core, no matter the composition, is the foundation of a a successful marriage.

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

@samanthawynngreenstone/TikTok

In an Instagram post a few months ago, Hoff explained:

"Samantha is the person I'm connected to spiritually [and] she's my soul partner."
"I want to spend the rest of my life with her and that oftentimes transcends just plain old sexuality."
"We are attracted to each other, we're intimate but it's just on a different level. It's a soulmate connection."

Beautiful.

More from News/lgbtq

Screenshots from @harryl1223's TikTok video
@harryl1223/TikTok

Cynthia Erivo Praised For Calmly De-Escalating Tense Confrontation With Agitated Man Outside London Theater

Cynthia Erivo continues to show just how talented she is as she recently debuted her one-woman production of Dracula in London's West End.

Earlier this week, Erivo appeared in the backstage lot to speak to fans after one of her shows. But before she stepped out, an altercation had occurred, and a man was making a scene.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Nancy Mace and Tim Walz
@Acyn/X

Tim Walz Has Epic Clapback After Nancy Mace Asks Him To Define 'Woman' During Congressional Hearing

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had a splendid response after South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace attempted to claim that his support for transgender women would bar him from recognizing fraud in his state.

Walz's appearance at the hearing comes amid conservative claims—offered with little supporting evidence—that Somali-run childcare centers in Minnesota improperly received public funds intended to support childcare for low-income families. Subsequently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI expanded their presence in Minnesota as federal authorities froze childcare funding statewide.

Keep ReadingShow less
Padma Lakshmi (left) reacts during an appearance on The Daily Show as Vice President JD Vance (right) stands with his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance (right).
@thedailyshow/Instagram; Antoine Gyori - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Padma Lakshmi Hilariously Roasts JD Vance And His Wife Over Atrocious 'Ranch Dressing' Meal

Padma Lakshmi served up a top-tier helping of judgment for Vice President JD Vance’s questionable meal choice for his wife, Usha Vance.

The second lady, Usha Vance (née Chilukuri), is an American lawyer who made history as the first Indian American and first Hindu to hold the role. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Andhra Pradesh, India.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chloe Kim; P!nk
NBC

Olympian Chloe Kim Just Gushed To P!nk About Loving One Of Her Songs—Except It's Not A P!nk Song

Most of us have gotten our pop queens mixed up a time or two, but few of us have done so on national television—while talking to the pop queen in question.

But Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim sure has!

Keep ReadingShow less
Elmo; Zohran Mamdani
Paul Zimmerman/WireImage/Getty Images; Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images

Elmo Just Asked His Followers 'Where Have You Been?'—And Zohran Mamdani Had The Purest Response

Elmo, the furry red childlike monster from Sesame Street designed by Caroly Wilcox, began his life as a generic "baby monster" background filler in the 1979-1980 season of the long-running children's television program.

Originally having a gruff voice supplied by various puppeteers, Elmo found his falsetto-voiced, loving persona when Kevin Clash took over in 1985. Elmo was transformed into a three-and-a-half-year-old character designed to connect with the show's audience of preschoolers.

Keep ReadingShow less