Sean Avery Gay, Engaged To Andy Cohen, Report Says; NHL Star, Bravo Exec Respond To Boyfriend Rumors On Twitter

Former New York Rangers forward Sean Avery has responded to rumors that he is involved in a gay relationship with Bravo network executive Andy Cohen, and that the alleged couple is already engaged.

The rumors originated on Tuesday after gossip blog The Fame Driven posted a series of photos that depicted Avery and Cohen on vacation together in Southampton, N.Y. According to the website’s source, Avery and the openly gay Cohen have been engaged for more than a year. The site's photos of Avery and Cohen can be viewed here.

“I’m not sure if you are aware or not, but Andy Cohen has been dating former NHL Sean Avery for almost a year and a half now, it will be two years in March. And get this, they are secretly ENGAGED!” the unnamed source told The Fame Driven. “There have been rumors for years in the NHL league about Sean Avery’s sexuality, but he has always vehemently denied it.”

The source went on to allege that Avery dated former girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert to cover up his status as a gay man, and to protect against potential “backlash” from his NHL teammates. In addition, Avery has allegedly resisted Cohen’s attempts to make their relationship public.

“Andy is sprung over Sean, but the issue is that Sean Avery is not yet comfortable making their relationship public. Even though Sean is retired from the NHL, he still doesn’t want the ‘gay’ title attached to him especially after so many years he’s denied he was homosexual [sic],” The Fame Driven’s source claims. “Sean is openly gay/bisexual around close friends, but not to the public.”

Avery and Cohen each responded to rumors of their alleged relationship and engagement on Tuesday. When asked by a fan on Twitter if the rumors regarding Avery were true, Cohen simply responded by saying, “ask [Sean Avery].” Cohen also addressed the situation on his Facebook page, posting one of The Fame Driven’s photos of him and Avery along with the caption “How’d they find out!?!”

Meanwhile, Avery addressed the rumors by posting a photo of The Fame Driven’s article to his Instagram account, along with the caption “#Busted.” The post has since been deleted, but Yahoo Sports captured a screenshot, which can be viewed here.

Although he has dealt with gay rumors for years, Avery has also been linked to several high-profile women. The 33-year-old has reportedly dated Cuthbert, model Hilary Rhoda and Rachel Hunter. On the other hand, Cohen has been openly gay for several years and is regarded as Ameriaca’s first openly homosexual late-night talk-show host.

While Avery and Cohen appear to be having some fun with the rumors of their alleged gay relationship, the two have maintained a close friendship for years. In fact, NY Magazine conducted a joint interview with the celebrities in 2011 in which the two men joked about dating.