Tim thoughtfully addressed all the rumors and explained calling fellow cast member Kenny 'Daddy.'
90 Day Fiancé veteran Tim Malcolm isn't bothered by some of the franchise's fans -- and even some of its cast members -- questioning his sexuality. ET's Melicia Johnson spoke to Tim ahead of the new season of 90 Day: The Single Life in which he attempts to find love again after his infamous failed attempt with Jeniffer on a past season of 90 Day Fiancé, and he addressed the rumors bluntly.
Fans questioning Tim's sexuality started on his season of 90 Day Fiancé, when he didn't want to get intimate with Jeniffer, a Colombian model. Later, Jeniffer started dating fellow cast member Jesse, who also inferred that Tim was gay. Most recently, during the 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way tell-all special, cast member Armando called out Tim for referring to his husband, Kenny, as "Daddy," though both Kenny and Tim insisted they were just good friends that liked to joke around. Tim admitted to ET that he's a bit "tired" of the persistent rumors.
"So, that started my first season like midway through the season of 90 Day Fiancé season 3," he notes. "So, it's like, I thought by this point that, you know, those jokes and those comments online would have died down. And I understand. For example, people will comment to me, 'You're not doing anything to help it, you know,' but I'm not going to change who I am because of comments, so like, it doesn't offend me. But sometimes I feel like people are just very ignorant by just using only stereotypes to judge a sexuality. And there are people online that will, no matter what proof you present, they will not believe that I am not lying about my sexuality. ... They feel like they just know, right ... they know that I am gay, and I'm hiding it for some reason, and that's very irritating to me that strangers try to accuse me of being a liar."
"In today's times there's really no reason to lie about it," he continues. "I mean, I clearly am very comfortable with my sexuality, and if I were into men I would be openly into men. I mean, there would be no reason to lie about it."
Tim said he isn't bothered by the comments given that he's learned to like who he is.
"I'm 43 now, and I've talked to a lot of cast members, especially like their first season, you know, because it's an adjustment when you kind of get millions of people all of a sudden watching some of the most embarrassing and personal details of your life," he shares. "And some people deal with it much better than others, so I always say, like, I could have never done this when I was 25. I didn't have the self-confidence. It would have destroyed me."
At the end of the day, Tim is proud of the way he's been presented on TV.
"People are used to me by now, and they're used to my quirkiness," he says. "You know, I am an eccentric guy. I am a little bit of a weirdo and a kind of a nerd, but at the end of the day, I'm a nice guy, and I think that's what people have started to kind of see as well. You know, I may not date a guy that looks like him, or dresses like him, or sits like him, but like he's respectful, and he's always, you know, nice, and tries to give educated statements when he speaks. He doesn't just attack people for no reason. So, I feel like my good qualities have kind of helped to balance the scale."
As for his close friendship with Kenny, Tim said calling him "Daddy" is way more innocent than it seems.
"Kenny is a great guy. I love the friendship that we have and I'm very comfortable in my own skin and you know, people can say what they want, but I mean, it's more of a joke with Kenny ... I always call him Gramps," he explains. "Because, you know, skin is perfect. I'm always like, man, give me your skincare secrets, and you know, I'll always have to point out that he's a significant amount of years older than me. So, it used to be 'Gramps' and then I started calling him 'Daddy.' And then, like, you know, that just sounds really bad. It sounds way worse than it really is."
Cameras are following Tim as he looks for love on the new season of 90 Day: The Single Life, which premieres Jan. 1. on TLC. Tim said the rumors about his sexuality have not affected his dating life whatsoever.
"I mean, I don't date fans, number one," he stresses. "Number two, honestly, like, obviously, I entered the show with Jeniffer. That relationship ended fairly quickly after the show was airing or whatever and then I was in a long-term relationship up until about seven, eight months ago. So, I have not really dated at all since being on TV. I don't even know how to do it, like, I have no idea how to even try today."
Tim admits that this season of 90 Day: The Single Life was "awkward" for him.
"And I really was taken out of my comfort zone, so to speak, with kind of exactly what we were just talking about, because, like the last couple of girlfriends I had, I met online and and this is a whole new approach," he explains.
Still, he isn't letting any negative comments get him down.
"You know, I feel like being self-aware is very mentally healthy," he notes. "You know if you can make fun of yourself then no one can really hurt your feelings."
"But ... everything about the whole process was not how I had ever done it before," he adds of his experience on 90 Day: The Single Life. "So, there is a lot of awkwardness. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of funny and embarrassing moments and at the end of the day all I can say is, I think a lot of people will find my story very funny."
For a first look at the new season of 90 Day: The Single Life, watch the video below.
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