Minneapolis, Minnesota-based news anchor Jason Hackett is living his truth. After joining Minneapolis NBC affiliate KARE last year as the newest Sunrise anchor, Hackett shared “a little bit more about” himself with viewers when he came out as gay live on air.
Hackett publicly addressed his sexuality after previously keeping that part of his personal life private, telling viewers that he has “been living in a glass closet for the most part,” as he introduced a segment centered around his feature in the Twin Cities-based LGBTQ+ magazine Lavender. Hackett told viewers, “I want to share this with you,” as he explained that he was “asked if I wanted to be on this month’s cover and talk about my coming out story.” The 36-year-old said he “put some thought into it, and I said, why not?”
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“I’ve been living in a glass closet for the most part, but now I wanted to let you out there, the viewers out there that wake up with me every morning, to know a little bit more about me and coming out to new people is never easy for me,” he continued. “I’m so nervous right now. I’m not going to lie. This is no doubt the most people I’ve ever come out to at once. But what me and Alicia, and John and Cece and everyone here on Sunrise strive for is authenticity. And I can’t preach that without being my authentic self.”
The news anchor went on to thank KARE 11 “for allowing me the space more than any other station I’ve worked at in the past 13 years to just be me.” He also shared his gratitude for his friends, partner, and family “who has supported me along this journey” before sharing a message “for anyone who is watching this now who is struggling to find acceptance, or struggling with their family or friends, take it from me, a gay, black, son of immigrants, the road may not be easy, I won’t lie to you and say that it is, but don’t worry, keep going, you’re going to make it.”
Speaking with Lavender, Hackett expressed hope that his decision to come out publicly will offer support to others. The anchor recalled how when he was young, “there wasn’t much representation in terms of media for Black gay men.”
Hackett said he wishes that, when he was a kid, he had “somebody I could look up to and say: ‘Man, he’s making it, so can I. He’s living his life, so can I,’” adding that it would “be nice to think that after this story is published, and after my story is told, that there is another young, gay, Black – or anybody of colour – kid out there [who] is like: ‘Wow, he is being his authentic self and he’s not getting killed for it, he’s not getting criticised… maybe I can also be my authentic self, maybe I can also live my truth, just like Jason is.’”
