Kristy McNichol, the actress from ‘Family’ and ‘Empty Nest,’ announced that she is a lesbian over the weekend.
McNichol played Buddy Lawrence in the show ‘Family,’ which aired during the 70s, winning an Emmy for her work. She also played Barbara Weston on the spin-off of the ‘Golden Girls,’ ‘Empty Nest.’ McNichol revealed that she is a lesbian because “I am approaching 50 and I want to be open about who I am.”
McNichol has lived with her partner, Martie Allen, for close to 20 years now. She said that she chose to come out of the closet now because she “is very sad about kids being bullied… and she hopes that coming out can help kids who need support,” according to her publicist, Jeff Ballard. “She would like to help others who feel different.”
The career for McNichol began with guest roles on ‘Starsky and Hutch’ and ‘The Biomnic Woman.’ McNichol has not appeared in a television series as a regular since the middle of the 1990s. She quit acting to “focus on my health and to enjoy tennis, yoga, travel and raising my beloved miniature dachshunds.”
