What We Learned From The Bruce Jenner Interview
For years, amid media speculation that he is transitioning to a woman, millions of people around the world have wondered: Just what is going on with Bruce Jenner? Finally, in an emotional interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, aptly titled "In His Words," the former Olympic champion set the record straight on everything from his gender, to his sexuality and what he's planning to do next. Below, check out 11 highlights from the interview that everyone will be talking about.
Bruce Now Considers Himself A Woman
Right off the bat, Bruce made it clear to Diane: He is now a woman. "For all intensive purposes, I am a woman," he said. "People look at me differently," he continued. "They see you as this 'macho male.' But my heart and my soul and everything I do in my life, it is part of me; that female side is part of me. It's who I am. I was not genetically born that way," he added. "As of now, I have all the male parts and all that kind of stuff. So, in a lot of ways we're different. But we still identify as female."
Bruce's Transition Is Legit
When news started to leak about Bruce's transition, many wondered whether this was just a publicity stunt, given his ties to the media-friendly Kardashian family. Bruce quickly shot down those allegations. "Are you telling me I'm gonna go through a complete gender change, okay, and go through everything you need to do that for the show?" He asked. "Sorry, Diane. It ain't happening, okay?" In fact, he thinks any publicity he's getting for his transition will ultimately change the world. "I really, firmly believe that we're going to make a difference in the world with what we're doing," he told Diane. "And if the whole Kardashian show and reality television gave me that foothold into that world, to be able to go out there and really do something good, I'm all for it. I've got no problem with that."
He's Going Public At 65 Because He Can't Take It Anymore
"I just can't pull the curtain any longer," Bruce said, when asked why it took him this long to speak out about his transition. "Bruce lives a lie. She is not a lie. I just can't do it anymore." Later on in the interview, he added: "If I die — which, I could be diagnosed next week with cancer, and boom you're gone — I would be so mad at myself that I didn't explore that side of me. You know? And I don't want that to happen."
Bruce's Desire To Become A Woman Traces Back To His Childhood
During a car ride to his old childhood apartment, in Tarrytown, NY, Bruce told Diane his first memory of wearing women's clothing dates back to age eight or nine, when he put on either his mother or sister's dress. (He couldn't remember whose dress it was.) "I marked the closet, so when I put [the dress] back I could put everything back in the exact same spot so I wouldn't get caught," he said. "And in that time, I didn't know why I was doing it besides it just made me feel good."
Bruce Insists He's Not Gay
"I'm not gay," Bruce said adamantly. "As far as I know, [I'm] heterosexual... As far as I know, I've never been with a guy. I've always been married, raising kids. I never was attracted to the guys or any of that kind of stuff, okay?" Bruce added during a separate portion of the interview. "Because sexuality was totally different from what my issues were. And I always felt heterosexual." For now, Bruce considers himself asexual. "Let's go with 'asexual' for now," he clarified. "I'm going to learn a lot in the next year."
His First Wife Was The First Person He Told
"I didn't go heavily into it back then," Bruce said of the initial conversation he had with Chrystie, to whom he was married from 1972 to 1981. "I said these are my issues; this is what I deal with. I [thought], oh, I do a little cross-dressing; I do a little of this, I do a little of that... It's gonna be fine," he continued. "We'll work all that stuff out."
Bruce Began Transitioning To A Woman In The '80s
Bruce says he first started taking estrogen in the late-'80s, and continued taking hormones for almost five years. He also had a nose job and had electrolysis to remove his beard and the hair on his chest.
Bruce & Kris Could Have Lasted If She Had Been More Understanding
One of the more shocking moments of Bruce's interview came when he discussed his now ex-wife, Kris Jenner, to whom he was married for decades. "Honestly, if she would have been really good with [my transitioning] and understanding, we'd probably still be together," Bruce revealed. Bruce added that Kris was aware of the situation, including that he liked to cross-dress, up to a certain point. "I had been on hormones for five years and I was a really solid 36B something," he said of the early stages of their relationship, "and you really can't hide those things." Still, Bruce admitted he downplayed what was really going on. "When you love somebody, you have a tendency — you don't want to hurt them," he said. "I probably was not as good as saying, hey, this is really down deep in my soul and I don't know if I can go any farther like this. I loved Kris," he continued. "I had a wonderful life with her. I learned a lot from her." Oh, and for the record: He said their sex life was "pretty good."
At One Point, Bruce Contemplated Suicide
Bruce said one of his darkest moments occurred on the day that the press found out he had made a doctors appointment for a tracheal shave. "That night, I thought, oh, it's like, over," he confessed. "I thought, wouldn't the easiest thing to [do] right now — and I can see where people get to that [point] — is go in the room, get a gun... boom! Pain's over. It's done. Go to a better place. And [then] I thought, I can't do something like that. I mean, I want to know how this story ends."
Kim's Opinion Of Bruce Changed Thanks To Kanye
Bruce says that his step-daughter, Kim Kardashian, was able to get clarity on Bruce's transitioning with the help of a little wisdom from her husband, rapper Kanye West. "[Kanye] said to Kim, look, I could be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and I am. I could have the most beautiful daughter in the world. I have that. But I'm nothing if I can't be me. If I can't be true to myself, they don't mean anything." Since then, Bruce says Kim has been incredibly accepting, and has even offered Bruce advice on his transition. "[She says to me], girl, you gotta rock it, baby! You gotta look good. If you're doing this thing, I'm helping you. You're representing the family. You gotta look good."
Bruce Says He Feels 'No Rush' To Undergo Surgery
On the topic of Sexual Reassignment Surgery, Bruce — who has been back on hormones for a year and a half — told Diane that he's taking things slowly. "There's no rush for that," he said. "And I would do it so quietly, nobody in the world would ever know. I'm not shooting any of this; I'm not filming anything. To me, it's very degrading. At this point, as far as the term 'SRS' — Sexual Reassignment Surgery — [that] would be down the line."