Norman Reedus gives some hints on whether Walking Dead’s Daryl Dixon is gay

Norman Reedus‘ portrayal of Daryl Dixon on AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD became a fan favorite right from the very beginning. Not based on a character from the comics, Dixon was the product of then showrunner and series mastermind Frank Darabont. With fans not able to compare and contrast the character to the published comics, Daryl has been a mystery to viewers who cannot wait to learn about the younger Dixon’s back story.

After a romance failed to bloom between either Daryl and Carol or Daryl and Beth, many fans speculated that he could be gay. Current showrunner Scott Gimple hinted at that as well, but we never got any confirmation if it was just fans overanalyzing or if it had any truth. Many compared it to JK Rowling revealing that Dumbledore was gay without any reference within the Harry Potter novels. But, in the current issue of GQ, Reedus shared some background development that clears things up a bit.

I remember [creator and former showrunner] Frank Darabont, after the first season, we were at a party in L.A. He said, ‘I’ve got an idea for Daryl. He’s gay. Would you be interested in that?’ I was like, ‘Let me hear you out.’ He said, ‘Well, he’s prison gay. Like, you’ll catch him looking at a member of the same sex, but if you mention it to him, he’ll just stab you and be like, What the fuck? He will never admit it.’ I was like, ‘That’ll blow minds – let’s do that.’ And he said, ‘I knew I hired you for a reason.’”

Whether Daryl’s sexuality ever comes to light or is directly addressed within the narrative of THE WALKING DEAD remains to be seen, but the fact that Darabont and Reedus discussed this as motivation on his performance as the character definitely makes it an intriguing conversation. The writers could elect to give Daryl a romantic subplot in any upcoming season that may or may not influence if he is gay or straight, but even if they don’t I am sure fans will continue to speculate either way.

The fifth season of THE WALKING DEAD debuts on AMC on Sunday, October 12th.