Richard Gadd is back with Half Man, an emotional new drama that may leave you wondering about the star’s sexuality. However, he’s already addressed it.
Baby Reindeer, Gadd’s autobiographical and widely discussed Netflix series about his stalking ordeal, explored shame, repression, and identity. It followed his attempts to process sexual assault by another man, alongside his relationship with a trans woman.
Those themes carry into Half Man. The series centres on Ruben (Gadd) and Niall (Jamie Bell), two “brothers from another lover” whose lives collide and unravel over decades.
One of them struggles to accept his sexuality — and given the overlap with Gadd’s previous work, it’s a natural question to ask where he stands.
Richard Gadd’s sexuality explained
Richard Gadd is openly bisexual.
Speaking to Attitude after Baby Reindeer in 2024, he discussed his identity in detail.
“I think the easiest thing is to say bisexual, but it’s a journey,” he explained.
“I sometimes change with the tide. I feel very strongly for both. I think we’re just learning to see the world in different ways and not be so rigid about it. And I feel like I’m constantly in a state of flux with my sexuality. Some days I feel a certain way and other days I feel other ways. But every time I land on one, my brain flies off to the other.”
He described it as “almost like a restlessness… but maybe that’s what bisexuality is”.
“I realised quite early on that I used to say, ‘Oh, you have to be one or the other.’ And I believed it was going to be easier for me if I pick one. I tried to identify both ways in my time, and it never worked for me as much as bisexual, really.”
How Half Man reflects Gadd’s “sexuality crisis”
Half Man isn’t autobiographical, but it was inspired by Gadd’s own emotional “crisis”.
One of the brothers wrestles with attraction to men in a way that’s self-destructive and difficult to confront.
In a more recent interview, Gadd said: “When I was going through a sexuality crisis, feeling confused – any identity struggle – what I felt I was missing was something on TV that represented that.
“There [are] people, more than [we] care to admit in this age of moral and ethical enlightenment, sometimes there’s a feeling in people I’ve met and I know who are going through a sexuality crisis, of feeling left behind in a way. This world is progressing around them and they’re not moving with it.”
He added: “But I think a lot of people just want to see something they’re going through. And as someone’s who’s struggled in my life with various aspects, I feel it is my duty in my art in a way to show struggle for the people who do feel left behind.”
Is Richard Gadd dating anyone?
As of April 2026, Gadd hasn’t publicly confirmed a relationship.
He’s been promoting Half Man at events, including its New York premiere, but hasn’t appeared with a partner. His social media also doesn’t offer any clear answers.
In 2024, he was cleared of wrongdoing following misconduct allegations made by trans actress Reece Lyons, who claimed they had been dating during her audition process.
Read more: The best BBC dramas on iPlayer now
Half Man episode 1 is streaming on BBC iPlayer now.
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