Neil Patrick Harris is gay – and wants to quell recent reports that he had denied it. The actor tells PEOPLE exclusively:

"The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships.

"So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love."

Harris, 33, currently stars in the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. He shot to fame in 1989 at age 16 when he played a teen-prodigy doctor on the hit Doogie Howser, M.D. "It was a very fast but wonderful education," he told PEOPLE in 1998.

After the show went off the air in 1993, he shook off his teen image with roles in the musicals Rent and Assassins and a wild turn as an unhinged version himself in the 2004 movie Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.

"I'm enjoying my 30s," he told PEOPLE in 2004. "I feel like I know where I'm going. And I like where I'm going."

http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1554852,00.html

Good for him!

(Not that I'm surprised. I'd always kinda suspected.)

Well what do you know...I always thought Doogie was kind of gay...lol

Great news.

I'm glad that he came out and said he was gay.

Seems like there is a new actor coming out every month now.

Finally it seems like it isn't a 'death sentence' to come out in Hollywood anymore.

Yay!

AM a little surprised, but honestly don't care. It's not my business. When I first heard this, my first thought was I wondered how Dr WIll Kirby of BB would take this since he is so in love with NPH

Perez Hilton must be very happy..

AM a little surprised, but honestly don't care. It's not my business. When I first heard this, my first thought was I wondered how Dr WIll Kirby of BB would take this since he is so in love with NPH

LOL - I thought the same thing...I wondered if Dr. Will would still admire him and try to be him now that he knew he was gay. I doubt Dr. Will cares, but still curious.

Doogie Howser is gay though - interesting.

Perez Hilton must be very happy..

I thought the same thing. Now the fat !@#$%^&*] can force someone else out of the closet.

I REALLY HATE PEREZ!

I thought the same thing. Now the fat !@#$%^&*] can force someone else out of the closet.

I REALLY HATE PEREZ!

He asked people to post any Neil Patrick Harris sex stories they knew.

Surprised, but pleased. It seems like coming out in Hollywood is all the rage now, lol.

Will from Big Brother must be going crazy!

It was never that big a secret.

Will from Big Brother must be going crazy!

Well for those who love BB as much as I do and NPH as much as Will does, I found this on youtube.com. It's when NPH came to the BBhouse for Christmas in August.

Credit to smirnoff54.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYdApXyiuRo

I wasn't surprised.

The kid who played Angela's son on Who's The Boss? (Danny Pintauro) is gay too.

Good for them for coming out.

Good for him. I always suspected, and I thought he had come out a while back ... lol. He never denied it when asked.

I guess coming out is the new rage in Hollywood. That and getting divorced at an alarming rate

Divorce has been a Hollywood fan for eons