Comedian Joel Creasey reveals romance with AFL player in his new book
COMEDIAN Joel Creasey says an AFL player would visit him after matches during an “intimate” relationship in a chapter of his new book. READ THE CHAPTER
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COMEDIAN Joel Creasey has sensationally revealed he had a brief relationship with a gay AFL footballer.
His book,Thirsty: Confessions of a Fame Whore, recounts anecdotes from the young comic’s life as well as tackling more serious issues such as sexuality, body-shaming and his experiences with homophobia.
READ AN EDITED CHAPTER FROM THE BOOK BELOW
He also spoke for the first time about growing up alongside Heath Ledger’s family, who lived three doors away, and how he decided to come out as gay after attending the Hollywood star’s funeral.
In the book Creasey, who lives in Melbourne, describes an “intimate” relationship with a AFL player who would visit him after matches.
But Creasey is adamant he won’t be ‘outing’ the footballer.
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“I’m very good at keeping secrets so he will be all right,” he told the Herald Sun.
“I give just enough away. He’s a lovely guy.”
Creasey, who began doing stand-up when he was just 15, is a regular on Australian television.
He appeared on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! in 2015 with footy great Barry Hall, who declared on the show that he was shocked no player had come out as gay.
Thirsty: Confessions of a Fame Whore
*Edited extract
WHEN I was 20 I had a run-in with a football team. And “run-in” isn’t code.
The run-in was with the Sydney Swans, a team name I’ve always thought was better suited to a ballet troupe.
It took place one Saturday morning at the Qantas Club in Melbourne Airport. It turns out, the Sydney Swans had won their game the night before and they were flying home to Sydney.
I was on the same flight and feeling cocky because the night before I had made one of my first-ever TV appearances on 20 to 1 — one of those countdown, clip-recap TV shows. It was on late at night and I was only on for two seconds but I was walking around the lounge assuming everybody was staring at me thinking, “That’s that guy on the TV. He’s even more handsome in real life.”
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For my first few years on television I was completely like that — I loved it. All I wanted was for somebody to recognise me from TV so I could talk about it. I truly thought nothing was cooler.
So many celebrities play this down. They pretend like getting recognised is such a pain in the a---. But they only do that because that’s apparently how we’re “meant” to act. We’re meant to act all cool and nonchalant and “Yep, I’ll take this photo with you but please leave me alone the split second it’s been taken.”
For someone like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, OK, sure, it must get exhausting. But Australian celebrities have nothing to complain about. No Australian celebrity gets bothered relentlessly and therefore they have no excuse to act like an a---hole. They should be thrilled.
I’ve sadly seen so many Australian celebrities (sometimes friends of mine even) be rude to fans and it blows my mind.
I’m always shocked when someone stops me on the street and says, “Sorry for bothering you but I think you’re great”, or “Sorry for bothering you but can I get a photo?”
It makes me wonder who they’ve stopped in the past who’s been rude to them, or not given them the time of day. I always like to remind people that it doesn’t bother me. At all.
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The 20-year-old swanning around the Qantas Club after his first appearance on 20 to 1 is f---ing stoked to get a photo with you.
If I’ve got the time, I’m more than happy to stop and chat.
Anyway, it was 6am Saturday and I was swanning around the Qantas Club hoping somebody — anybody — might recognise me and validate my existence.
It wasn’t going well, so I ended up getting in line for a coffee, behind what seemed about half the Sydney Swans football team. Obviously I had no idea who these players were — I read the team name on the back of their jackets.
As I joined the back of the queue, though, the footballer standing immediately in front of me turned around and very dismissively said, “Nah, mate, no thanks ... We aren’t signing autographs this morning.”
Like a slap to the face. How dare he? Did he not realise that for at least 15 seconds last night I was the star of 20 to 1?
I knew I had to respond so I channelled my bitchiest voice and said, “Um ... I’m just waiting for a double-shot flat white, mate. Not after an autograph.”
He wasn’t expecting that and turned back around quite abruptly. He was shocked and his football mates in the queue sniggered at him. I was pretty happy with myself.
And it got better.
I truly could not have timed this better if I had tried. I hadn’t noticed earlier, but as well as the Sydney Swans, a bunch of Sydney Swans fans were also sitting in the lounge.
One of them was a young guy about 20 years old, decked out in full Sydney Swans gear. About 30 seconds after I’d shut my football player mate down, the football fan approached me from where he had been sitting, tapped me on the shoulder and in front of the entire queue — still silent from my deadly zinger moments prior — asked, “Excuse me, are you Joel Creasey? I saw you on 20 to 1 last night and I think you’re really funny.”
I can’t be sure, but I think I may have open-mouthed kissed this man before running a victory lap of the lounge.
This was six years ago now, so I assume most of the players have moved on, swapped teams, gone on to nuclear science ... whatever it is they do in the AFL.
But I did get to see the Sydney Swans again recently when I was honoured with the privilege of MCing the first-ever Pride Round of AFL at Etihad Stadium — Sydney Swans versus St Kilda Football Club.
It’s no secret that homophobia is rife in the AFL among both players and fans. I live near Etihad Stadium and have on many occasions heard the word “faggot” being sniggered as a group of footy fans walk past me.
I often think, I wish these guys would come to my show, what an easy crowd. All I’ve got to do is stand there and breathe.
I know there’s been a push for years for an AFL player to come out of the closet, too. A player coming out would certainly help stigma, but I don’t think anyone should be forced into coming out.
I’ll never forget having a conversation with football legend Barry Hall a few years back when we were both contestants on I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! He had the balls to say on national television that he believes homophobia in the league is disgusting and he won’t stand for it. Gosh, I love that man.
It always makes me laugh when conservatives say, “There aren’t any gay players in the AFL.”
As I mentioned, I live near Etihad Stadium. I can assure you there are — I slept with one.
I’m not in the business of outing people either, though. And we only slept together a couple of times. But I always did love the juxtaposition of him coming over after a game to me lying on the couch watching The Devil Wears Prada.
He had a great sense of humour and would understand the ridiculousness of the situation too. And he’d always laugh when I asked him, “How did your football concert go tonight? Did you get an audience?”
Edited extract from Thirsty: Confessions of a Fame Whore, Joel Creasey, (Simon & Schuster Australia), RRP $33, out November 1.
READER OFFER
Buy Thirsty, by Joel Creasey, for the special Weekend reader price of $27. Order online at heraldsun.com.au/shop or call 1300 306 107. For mail order, post a cheque/money order to: Herald Sun Shop, PO Box 14730, Melbourne, VIC, 8001.
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