Rock Hudson Was Blackmailed by His Wife With Recording Discussing His Sexuality, Book Claims
Rock Hudson married Phyllis Gates in 1955.
Oct. 1 2026, Published 6:50 p.m. ET
Rock Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, allegedly blackmailed him during their divorce with a secret recording that seemingly pulled back the curtain on his sexuality, according to a tell-all book.
Nearly 41 years after Hudson's death at 59, RadarOnline.com revisits his marriage, divorce, and the private recording.
Rock Hudson's Marriage Allegedly a PR Stunt
Rock Hudson kept his sexuality private.
Hudson and Gates tied the knot in 1955 in a PR stunt allegedly organized by his agent, Henry Wilson, to combat rumors that he was a gay man.
According to The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars and Marilyn, a biography on private eye Fred Otash written by Josh Young and Manfred Westphal, the Pillow Talk star largely ignored his wife after they said, "I do."
After three years, he wanted out of the marriage and offered her "a few measly bucks, her car, and no place to live," the bombshell book claimed.
Rock Hudson's Tumultuous Split
Rock Hudson died at 59.
But Gates wasn't going to make the divorce an easy one. She reportedly hired Otash to find proof of her husband's sexuality and his supposed escapades outside of their marriage and threatened to go public with the information.
Otash then instructed Gates to privately record herself confronting Hudson about how their relationship had been nothing more than a "fanciful farce" to hide that he was actually interested in men.
"Everyone knows that you were picking up boys off the street shortly after we were married and have continued to do so, thinking that being married would cover up for you," she said on the tape, according to the book.
Rock Hudson and Phyllis Gates' Intimate Life
Phyllis Gates suggested Rock Hudson didn't 'touch' her after their honeymoon, according to a book.
Gates also accused him of neglecting their intimate life.
"And that is why you never touched me? Rock, when we came back from our honeymoon, you never made love to me for one whole month … and I always wanted you," she allegedly said in the tape. "You should have picked me up and carried me into bed, but you never touched me."
"Your great speed with me, sexually. Are you that fast with boys?" she asked.
According to the tell-all tome, Gates not only received their Hollywood Hills home in the divorce settlement over the alleged tape, but she got stock in his production company. She was also given $250 a week for 10 years, assuming that she did not remarry.
"During the marriage, she kept quiet," Young told Fox News Digital. "But it obviously affected her life. And in the end, when it was clear that he was going to leave her with nothing, I think that’s when she felt she needed to do something."
Rock Hudson Dies at 59
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Rock Hudson died months after confirming his diagnosis with HIV.
On October 2, 1985, Hudson passed away after suffering complications from AIDS. He was 59.
His death came roughly three months after he publicly announced his battle with the illness. He is believed to be the first major Hollywood star to go public with a similar diagnosis.
