All the tea on LGBTQ+ Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd – including what his next project will be
Richard Gadd attends the screening of “CODE 404″series 2 at Ham Yard Hotel on August 19, 2021 in London, England. (Getty)
Richard Gadd has been launched into fame lately thanks to his hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer – but who is this actor and creative tour-de-force, and is he married? Let’s find out.
Gadd has thoroughly entertained audiences with his one-man comedy shows but off stage, he has been rather private about his personal life – as is his right.
Though with the release of Baby Reindeer, Gadd is opening up more about his sexuality and the real-life events that have inspired his show. Here’s what we know about him.
Who is Richard Gadd?
Gadd is a 34-year-old Scottish writer, actor and comedian who has been performing since 2013.
He made a name for himself in 2016 with his Edinburgh Fringe Festival show Monkey See Monkey Do.
In the show, he discussed being a sexual assault survivor, mental health and gay shame. Monkey See Monkey Do went on to win the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award.
However, Gadd is predominantly known for Baby Reindeer which premiered at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
He has also stared in the 2017 BAFTA-nominated BBC Two drama Against the Law, BBC Three’s Clique and Sky Arts’s One Normal Night.
As well as performing on stage, Gadd has done his fair share of work behind the camera.
He was a screenwriter on Netflix’s Sex Education and wrote several episodes of Dave’s Ultimate Worrier and Channel 4’s The Last Leg.
What is Richard Gadd’s sexuality?
Gadd has shared publicly he identifies as bisexual.
Gadd told Attitude that his journey with his sexuality continues to be just that: a journey.
“I sometimes change with the tide. I feel very strongly for both. I think we’re just learning to see the world in different ways and not be so rigid about it. And I feel like I’m constantly in a state of flux with my sexuality.
“Some days I feel a certain way and other days I feel other ways. But every time I land on one, my brain flies off to the other. It’s almost like a restlessness. But maybe that’s what bisexuality is.
Gadd shares that early on he used to think you have to be one or the other and thought he would have to pick a gender to be attracted to and a sexuality that is gay or straight. However, this proved very restricting.
“I tried to identify both ways in my time, and it never worked for me as much as bisexual, really,” Gadd adds.
Additionally, Gadd is an ambassador for We Are Survivors, a UK charity dedicated to helping male survivors of sexual abuse.
Speaking about the charity, Gadd told the Guardian: “I’ll always give them a shout out because they’ve helped me tremendously down the years, and they say breaking the silence is the first step.
“Sometimes I speak to male survivors, and I’m not an advice giver or a professional, but the first advice is: break the silence.
“Talk to someone, and if that’s too scary, just write it down, process it into something. Because I think the more you get it out, the smaller it becomes.”
Is Richard Gadd married?
The comedian hasn’t shared much about his dating life or personal romantic relationships.
Therefore, it’s assumed that Gadd isn’t in a relationship or married.
Is Baby Reindeer a true story?
Gadd’s Netflix show Baby Reindeer originated as an autobiographical one-man show.
At the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Baby Reindeer won the Scotsman Fringe First Award for New Writing and a Stage Award for Acting Excellence. The show then had a five-week run in London before transferring to the West End, but was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.
However, the play won the prestigious Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre and has now become the basis of a seven-episode Netflix drama.
Based on Gadd’s real life, Baby Reindeer follows Donny (Gadd) as he is physically and virtually stalked by Martha (Pride star Jessica Gunning), a mentally ill woman.
The show follows how Donny’s single act of kindness to Martha leads to a harrowing experience where she attempts to infiltrate every aspect of his life.
Writing for Netflix’s Tudum, Gadd revealed that documenting the onslaught of Martha’s stalking “became my life.”
“Listening, logging, and annotating every single voicemail she ever left me in the hope of bringing it all to an end. Praying that she would say something incriminating so that the situation could be dealt with properly and effectively.”
Gadd explains the show’s aim for him personally: “All I ever wanted to do was capture something complicated about the human condition. That we all make mistakes. That no person is ever good or bad. That we are all lost souls looking for love in our own weird way.”
Does Baby Reindeer have a trans character?
Generation’s trans actress Nava Mau plays Teri, an American therapist, in Baby Reindeer.
Gadd has shared Teri is based on a real trans woman he was seeing at the time, explaining that she “was the voice of reason in my life at that point.”
Speaking to Digital Spy, Mau shared that she did feel pressure when it came to portraying a real woman in Gadd’s life.
“I knew that it was based on real life and it seemed really important to show people that trans women exist in real life and in relationships with real people. I could see Richard’s heart in the writing and I hope that people will see it too.
“I felt a great sense of responsibility, and I cared a lot about telling the story in the best way possible.”
The critically acclaimed show currently holds an immensely impressive 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88% audience score.
The show has been widely praised for its nuanced and raw depiction of stalking, sexual abuse, mental illness, and the trans experience.
What will Richard Gadd’s next project be?
Richard is currently working on a new project for the BBC called Lions.
Baby Reindeer is available for streaming on Netflix now.
