It seems James Haven, son of Jon Voight, has closed one chapter and opened a fabulous new one: coming out as gay just over a year after his split from author and makeup artist Romi Imbelli.
Videos by Suggest
The 53-year-old opened up about embracing his sexuality during a conversation with his ex-wife on her Substack.
“When I was a little boy, I was absolutely obsessed with the Disney princesses,” he read from a letter in the footage, per TMZ. “I would sneak glitter onto my cheeks, swipe mascara onto my lashes, and for those moments, I felt like magic.”
Haven added that he “didn’t have the language back then to explain why I just knew it made me feel more like me. It was never about pretending to be someone else. It was about letting a part of myself shine that had always been there.”
The former actor turned director reflected on his journey to self-acceptance, explaining that as he got older, “I started wondering if that sparkle was something I had to hide to be accepted by the ‘normal’ boys around me. Like so many gay kids, I learned to question parts of myself long before I learned to celebrate them.” Like many, he dimmed his light to fit in. However, looking back, he wishes he could tell his younger self one simple thing: just be yourself.
James Haven Makes a Plea to His Family After Coming Out as Gay: ‘Choose Love Over Fear’
Haven continued that he was “tired of hiding,” adding that “coming out isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about allowing everyone else to meet the person who has been here all along.”
He also closed his letter with a heartfelt plea to his family (which includes little sister Angelina Jolie), hoping they would “choose love over fear, understanding over judgment” and see him as the same person they have always known.
Per TMZ, Haven and Imbelli married in 2024 and separated shortly after. The two are currently collaborating to adapt her book into a television series, which Haven plans to direct.