Lele Pons is getting candid about a moment in her childhood she will never forget.
Lele Pons is getting candid about a moment in her childhood she will never forget.
The 23-year-old YouTube star talks about her father, Luis, being gay in episode 2 of her new YouTube documentary series, The Secret Life of Lele Pons, which dropped Tuesday. Pons says she had known about her father's sexuality since she was a little girl, but when she was 10 years old, she actually walked in on him with another man.
"When I really, really found out he was gay, I came to his room and I saw him actually, like, sleeping with a man," she recalls. "And I was, like, 10 years old, and that for me was, like, 'Oh, my God, I can't believe it. Like, I saw, my dad.' And that was very traumatizing, because I didn't have to see that so vividly."
Still, she notes that now the two are "so close" -- and that he's also walked in on some things he shouldn't have.
"I've seen everything, he's seen everything," she shares. "That happened to me too -- I think he came in one time, to me. So, we owe each other, OK? We're even."
Pons later recalls openly telling everyone at her Catholic school that her father was gay, which she says was due to her OCD.
"Impulsivity is a huge part of OCD," she explains. "And when I found out that my dad was gay, I said it during a presentation in my class. And everybody was, like, 'This has nothing to do with what's going on.' And the teacher was, like -- especially, the teacher was very Catholic -- she was, like, 'Come here.'"
Pons, however, was always accepting of her dad's sexuality.
"When my dad told me he was gay, it was a surprise but I didn't judge him," she says. "I tried so hard to understand him, and eventually I did. I said, 'OK, you're gay. I want to understand how you feel and what made you decide to marry my mom and what made you decide to tell me now?' I just want to understand everything."
Meanwhile, Luis says the two have a much more open relationship than most fathers do with their kids.
"We love to talk about the things that would be uncomfortable for any other parents, son or daughter relationship," he says. "From sex to relationships, friends, behavior, society, moral issues. And she knows that I'm always super open and I won't judge."
ET recently spoke to Pons about her new YouTube documentary, and she noted how her father has always supported her, especially when it comes to her OCD. She told ET he has also inspired her with his own life struggles.
"My dad has always been the one to be with me throughout my OCD and I feel like ... I'm so proud of it, I'm so proud of what he did and what he accomplished with everything and all the obstacles that he had, and he inspired me with all the obstacles that I have with my OCD, you know?" she said. "Because he tells me stories, things of when he was a boy, and that, like, just pushed me. ... I'm so proud of him. He's like, one of my biggest idols."
Pons also candidly talked to ET about how having OCD, Tourette syndrome and ADHD have affected her life, and why she decided to open up about it after secretly disappearing for a month to seek treatment.
"When I was little I couldn't move, I was stuck in one place," she recalled of her struggles growing up. "I couldn't move and my dad had to carry me around places. There's thoughts and there's actions… There are things that you don't want to do, but your brain and your thoughts are telling you to do them."
Watch the video below for more:
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