ABC's country music drama Nashville wrapped its third season last night and happily saw aspiring country star Will Lexington (Chris Carmack) coming out publicly at a press conference. In the episode, a tabloid publishes pictures of Will and his boyfriend Kevin (guest star Kyle Dean Massey), an out country singer-songwriter, together on vacation. Will, under pressure from his father, arranges a press conference and begs Kevin to lie about their relationship. Kevin agrees to deny their relationship but once Will sees how upset he is, he steps up to the podium and says to the press, "The truth is I’m gay, and I’m not ashamed of it." The two end the episode together on Kevin's porch, holding hands, after Will tells him he loves him. Check out the clip of Will's coming out below.
The audience has known Will was gay since he first appeared as a recurring character in season one. He was upped to a series regular beginning in the second season and he married another aspiring singer, Layla Grant, with the couple signing on for a reality show following their engagement and road to the altar. During filming for the show, Will told Layla that he is gay but was unaware that hidden cameras in their room recorded the conversation. The two have since divorced and the footage was never aired. Now, however, the world knows that Will is an out gay man, and we look forward to seeing how it effects his career next season.
Nashville has been renewed for a fourth season to return to ABC this fall.