In a candid new interview, Donnie McClurkin admits he has struggled in past relationships and feels hopeless about finding love.
The legendary gospel artist sat down with TV One’s autobiographical series Uncensored to discuss his music career, overcoming adversity and his unsuccessful search for a long-term partner.
In a clip from the episode, McClurkin said, “I’ll probably be alone for the rest of my life.”
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The 61-year-old minister has been open about previously struggling with his sexuality.
In a 2002 column, McClurkin wrote that he was sexually abused as a child, and spent years wrestling with homosexuality.
In 2007, he was quoted as saying, “I don’t speak against homosexuality. I tell you that God delivered me from homosexuality.”
Because of those and other comments, he has been accused of being homophobic.
In 2013, the Grammy-winning artist was removed from the lineup of a Washington, D.C. concert marking the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, after organizers received complaints from LGBTQ activists.
McClurkin addressed the controversy a short time later on the “Tom Joyner Morning Show.”
“I was on my way to the airport, going to the event, and they called me as I getting out of the car telling me that I was uninvited,” he said in the interview. “You can’t call me a homophobic if I’ve been a homosexual. That’s quite a stretch.”
He continued, “My thing was from the time I was eight years old and raped three times by my uncle in one night, a prepubescent boy who doesn’t have any barriers or bustles. This was something that was instilled in me. And growing up it grew up in me. And, you know, broken family, broken home, broken psyche. You’re looking for attention. And I felt like I wasn’t adequate. And the only ones that really paid attention to me were men. And that’s how I grew into this.”
In 2016, it was reported that McClurkin was in a relationship with singer-songwriter Nicole C. Mullen.
The “We Fall Down” singer told Uncensored why the relationship ended. “I didn’t know how to have the relationship. I didn’t know, really, what a woman wanted,” McClurkin stated.
As he poured his heart out, McClurkin addressed his other past relationships.
“I’ve messed up more than I’ve had good. My past relationships were a sprinkling of everything — men and women. I don’t know how to do this. Because of that, when things get rough, I go back into my safe place — my music and my ministry,” he said.
McClurkin is the latest celebrity to sit down with Uncensored. Previous interview subjects include LisaRaye McCoy, who discussed the collapse of her marriage to former Turks and Caicos premier Michael Misick, and Omari Hardwick got candid about his family.
The Donnie McClurkin episode of Uncensored aired Sunday, April 4.
The interview series is produced for TV One by Eric Tomosunas. Executive producers include Keith Neal, Jay Allen, and Nikki Byles, and Rachel Valley produces for Swirl Films.
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