Gay Olympic Skier Reveals He Was Secretly Dating a Man During his Viral 'Romance' with Miley Cyrus
Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy says he was in a relationship with a man while he was linked with Miley Cyrus in 2014.
Jan. 27 2026, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Gay Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy admits he was dating a man during his "viral romance" with Miley Cyrus, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Olympian has made comparisons of his own situation to a storyline in the blockbuster series HBO Max hit Heated Rivalry, involving main character Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams.
'Heated Rivalry' Comparisons
Gus Kenworthy says the 'relationship' echoes the storyline in 'Heated Rivalry.'
In the series, gay ice hockey star Hollander is "suddenly linked" to a famous woman named Rose Landry to mask his true identity.
And for Kenworthy, art imitated life a little too closely.
He explained: "Miley Cyrus was my own Rose, this famous person that I was suddenly linked to
"As much as I kind of wanted it, because that's the person you would want to be with if you're straight, someone successful and beautiful and talented, it's not the same as when you're with a guy."
Cyrus Was Gus Kenworthy's 'Celeb Crush'
Kenworthy dubbed Cyrus as his 'dream date', even though he is gay.
After winning a silver medal just days before Valentine's Day at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Kenworthy, 34, publicly declared Cyrus, 33, was his "dream date" and "celeb crush."
The comments set tongues wagging globally, leading to a period of intense speculation.
But behind the scenes, Kenworthy says the situation quickly became complicated.
He recalled: "It was surreal for a number of reasons, but I was also digging myself this deeper and deeper hole.
"I actually love her. But then there was some flirty texting, and I remember thinking, 'What am I doing? I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to keep waking up and lying.'"
At the very moment he was exchanging texts with the Wrecking Ball singer, Kenworthy was actually in a "secret relationship" with a man.
Big Statement To Boyfriend
The skier considered making a public declaration of love to his boyfriend if he won gold.
He described "clandestine meetings and hookups," mirroring the on-screen romance between characters Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.
Looking back at the Winter Games in Russia, which has implemented strict anti-LGBTQ laws, Gus considered making a public declaration of love to his boyfriend if he won gold.
"I wasn't out, and I wasn't ready to be out, but I had a boyfriend," he recalled. "I had this dream that I was gonna land the winning run, ski up to him, and kiss him. And then that was gonna be my coming out to everybody, and my silent protest. But it didn't happen."
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The 'Wrecking Ball' singer was a huge cheerleader to Kenworthy when he eventually came out in 2015.
Kenworthy eventually came out as gay in 2015, with Cyrus ending up being his biggest cheerleader. She also took to Instagram at the time to praise her "courageous" friend.
"Never have I ever been prouder to call @guskenworthy my friend! (and he's a bad a-- f---ing Olympic athlete)," she wrote.
"You have won so much more than any medal…. You have won FREEDOM! I looooove looooove looooove you!"
Kenworthy also said he felt a painful connection to another character in Heated Rivalry, Scott Hunter, played by Francois Arnaud.
