Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesListen up, America!
One of TV's most recognizable voices, the Verizon commercial Test Man Paul Marcarelli, has something to say besides "can you hear me now?"
He's officially come out of the closet as a gay man...
You may not have heard yet, but, for the first time since landing his Verizon gig in 2001, Marcarelli has opened up about his sexual orientation in a recent self-penned piece for the Huffington Post. Until now, his contract with the wireless giant limited his ability to talk publicly about his private life (or much of anything).
Marcarelli's private life was briefly touched upon in The Atlantic back in May when a profile about him mentioned he lives with his boyfriend.
But now, he's going full throttle.
"I am gay," he writes in the HuffPo post. "If it makes you uncomfortable, too bad. It's not going to change. I wouldn't change it if I could. And if you have a problem with it, it is because you are either ignorant, brainwashed or a latent homosexual yourself."
Marcarelli adds that his sexual orientation never interfered with his work as a spokesperson for the cell company. "I can report that 10 years into this fantastic job, my being gay has never been made an issue among the people with whom I work."
Marcarelli wrote and coproduced The Green, a new on Movies on Demandflick starring Julia Ormond about a gay couple forced to confront homophobia in a small town.
Congrats, Mr. Marcarelli!