Gavin BondNick Jonas has nothing to hide.
In a wide-ranging Complex cover story, Jonas candidly discusses his 2015 breakup from Olivia Culpo, his relationship with Kate Hudson and rumors about his sexual orientation. After his split from Culpo, Jonas learned a lot about what he wants in a partner. "It was first excitement to have freedom to be whoever I wanted to be, be my own person," the singer says. "Then the feeling of being disheartened by what's out there. Then getting into crazy artist mode and throwing it all out, the good, bad, and ugly. Then meeting people, making a real effort to open up and be free as a person. I've met some people that are amazing. And my current situation is that I'm very much single, but I'm trying to be as open to people who can inspire me in some way."
Though he claims to be single, Jonas has been linked to Hudson, who is 13 years his senior. Though neither star has confirmed or denied that they are seeing each other romantically, Jonas plays coy when asked if he's "having sex" with the actress. "Umm," he says with a laugh. "You know, it's interesting. You're allowed to ask me whatever the f--k you want and I'll answer it, or not."
So, what will he say about Hudson?
"Kate's incredible," Jonas says. "We had an unbelievable connection as two humans who just admire things about each other, and see something in each other that's beautiful. Out of my best effort to respect her and her privacy, I'm not going to say if we had sex or not. But we did have a beautiful connection. Even now I have so much admiration and respect. She's amazing."
Jonas doesn't mind fielding questions about his love life. "It doesn't shock me or surprise me. I don't get pissed off about it. I've come to accept it. With that in particular," the "Chains" singer says of learning how to cope dating in the spotlight. "It's a bizarre matchup to a lot of people."
While he wouldn't use a dating app like Tinder to find a potential partner, he has used Twitter to DM women in the past. "Slide right in there sometimes, and then you'll text the person and finally meet the person," the Goat actor says of dating in the digital age. "It's like online dating. Even that freaks me the f--k out. I'm like, should it be a group? Just the person? It's scary."
You don't find Jonas using any gay dating apps like Grindr or Scruff, however. While he's played a handful of gay characters in movies and on TV, Jonas identifies as heterosexual. Still, Jonas says he is happy to be an ally for the LGBTQ community. "It's funny. I play a gay character on a TV show," he says. "Whether it's me or the character, at the end of the day it's still my body, it's still telling the story. It's the character and his journey, but it's my body, my lips, my hands."
Some critics have argued that Jonas was pandering to gay audiences, which he says is unfair. "There's always going to be negativity toward anything that is a positive effort toward change. As a heterosexual male, [I am] open and comfortable about loving my fan base, gay or straight, because to me there is no difference, it is my fan base. Your sexual preference does not matter to me and it shouldn't matter to anybody," he says. "I thought [the criticism] was kind of dumb, considering I play this gay character on a gritty show. There's a gay sex scene. I kissed a man."
"The goal is acceptance on all levels," he tells Complex. "That should be the focus. I've gone to normal clubs, straight clubs, and I've gone to gay clubs, to party with my friends and fans. There's no difference. I have nothing to prove," he says of not needing to defend his sexual orientation. "I'm very comfortable in my own skin and I'm thankful to have as many close gay friends as I have, people who have been so supportive in my life, and have always been there for me."