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In 2022, someone posted on Reddit they remembered action star Vin Diesel coming out as gay, referring to the memory as a “Mandela Effect,” or a strong memory that turns out not to be true — so what’s the truth about Diesel’s sexuality?
The answer to that question, of course, is nobody’s business. It would, however, make headlines if an action star of Diesel’s stature were to come out. In response to the Reddit query, someone commented, “I thought he was gay, too? I remember it as well.” So, is there a Mandela Effect at play?
With all that in mind, let’s look at what’s known about Mr. Diesel’s sexuality and get to the bottom of this Diesel-related Mandala Effect mystery.
(In case you’re not aware, so-called Mandela Effects are named after how some people collectively remember South African leader Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the `80s, when Mandela died a free man in 2013.)
Diesel’s sexuality rumors, explained
Rumors that Vin Diesel is gay have been around for about as long as The Fast and the Furious star has been famous. The voice of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy was rarely seen with women, and the only woman he was romantically linked with in the press at one point was Furious costar Michelle Rodriguez around 2001.
In 2006, Diesel tried to put the rumors to rest when he told Towleroad that his personal life was off-limits.
“I’m not gonna put it out there on a magazine cover like some other actors. I come from the Harrison Ford, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino code of silence. I’m not gonna do that,” Diesel said. Diesel just preferred to date in “Europe,” he added (via Towleroad).
Some responding to the 2022 Reddit post regarding Diesel’s sexuality pointed out that those comments may have caused the mix-up in some people’s memory, because he never directly addressed the matter.
There’s no evidence Diesel’s gay
Whether Vin Diesel has ever been in a same-sex relationship may never be known. What is known is that he’s been in a long-term relationship with Mexican model Paloma Jimenez. They have three children.
To explain why some people so strongly remember Diesel came out, one person posted on Reddit:
“Maybe you’re thinking of Wentworth Miller, another actor who’s done a lot of genre fare and looks kind of like Vin Deisel if you squint your eyes. He was Scofield on Prison Break and Leonard Snart/Captain Cold in Legends of Tomorrow. He came out of the closet in 2013 after previously denying he was gay.”
Interest in Diesel’s private life peaked in late 2023 when a former assistant accused the Hollywood star of sexual battery in a lawsuit, according to Vanity Fair.