Highlights
- Christian Hogue denies he’s gay or an escort after Pedro Pascal yacht photos go viral
- Model says he’s “not gay nor for hire,” calls rumors “just sad” in IG comments
- Pascal has long fueled sexuality speculation but has never confirmed or denied anything
Model Christian Hogue is shutting down the rumor mill after a viral yacht outing with Pedro Pascal had the internet convinced there was more than friendship going on.
The pair were photographed together on a superyacht off the coast of Mallorca, Spain, last month, palling around with a crew that included Jason Bateman, Judd Apatow and Jessica Sklar. TMZ was first to publish the shots, and it didn’t take long for social media to run wild with theories.
Some dubbed Hogue “Pedro’s boyfriend.” Others went further, claiming the 34-year-old model had been hired as an escort for the trip. Hogue, who has modeled for brands like Vera Wang and Versace, wasn’t having it.
“I really don’t need to explain myself here but I am going to,” he wrote in an Instagram comments section, addressing the swirling gossip head-on. “Many of you are spinning this into something it’s not and it’s just sad.”
He didn’t stop there.
“I am not gay nor am I for hire,” Hogue wrote. “I have been welcomed to this boat as a friend for many years. So it’s a damn shame to see how quickly everyone jumps to this conclusion. It couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
The 51-year-old Last of Us star has been a magnet for sexuality speculation for years, thanks in part to his vocal support of the LGBTQ+ community and his willingness to play with gender norms in interviews and on red carpets. He’s never confirmed or denied being anything other than straight.
Back in 2017, Pascal told the Los Angeles Times that attraction exists on a spectrum. “Straight men can have — do have — crushes on other men. It doesn’t make them gay, it doesn’t make them bi,” he said, adding a joke about the guys who bullied him in middle school probably having a crush on him now.
The Hogue chatter comes just months after Pascal was spotted getting cozy with Argentine creative director Rafael Olarra, who visited him on the set of his upcoming film De Noche. Olarra runs the luxury brand Faena, and the two were photographed with their arms linked back in February.
None of that has stopped fans from filling in the blanks themselves, and Hogue’s Instagram clapback suggests he’s tired of being cast as the latest supporting character in Pascal’s rumored love life.
For now, both men are staying mum on anything beyond friendship, and the yacht crew — which also reportedly included Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox earlier that same week — has offered no further comment.
