The internet is a weird place. One day you’re reading about a massive geopolitical shift, and the next, you’re scrolling through a thread of people asking: is James Comey gay? It’s one of those questions that seems to pop up whenever a public figure is in the crosshairs of a major political scandal. Honestly, in the case of James Brien Comey Jr., the answer is pretty straightforward, but the reason people keep asking says a lot more about our current political climate than it does about his actual life.
Let’s get the facts out of the way first. No, James Comey is not gay. He has been married to his wife, Patrice Failor, since 1987. That is nearly four decades of marriage. They met as freshmen at the College of William & Mary, and if you’ve ever read his memoir, A Higher Loyalty, he spends a significant amount of time talking about her influence on his life and moral compass.
Why Does This Question Even Exist?
You’ve probably noticed that in the modern political arena, questioning someone’s sexuality is often used as a weird, outdated tool for "othering" them. For James Comey, the speculation usually ramps up when he’s being criticized by either the far right or the far left.
During his 2017 Senate testimony, some critics tried to "feminize" him. They pointed to his height—he’s a towering 6'8"—and tried to contrast his physical stature with what they called a "lack of strength" in his interactions with Donald Trump. It was a classic move to undermine his credibility by attacking his masculinity.
"Independence has been Comey's accustomed position... and it is not surprising that Comey describes what happened at that January dinner as the result of his lacking, perhaps, a certain strength." — Bonnie Honig, Boston Review
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It’s a bit of a reach, right? Basically, because he wasn't aggressive in the way some people wanted him to be, they started reaching for tropes.
A Family Life in the Public Eye
Comey and Patrice have five living children: Maurene, Katherine, Brien, Claire, and Abby. They also had a son, Collin, who tragically passed away from a Group B strep infection shortly after birth in 1995. This event was a massive turning point for the family. Patrice actually became a major advocate for Group B strep testing for pregnant women, turning their personal grief into a public health crusade.
The kids aren't exactly hiding from the spotlight, either.
- Maurene Comey: She followed in her father's footsteps as a federal prosecutor. She was actually a lead prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases.
- Claire Comey: She was the editor-in-chief of her university newspaper and has been spotted at her father's recent court appearances.
Wait, court appearances? Yeah. If you haven't checked the news lately (specifically in late 2025 and early 2026), Comey has been back in the headlines for less-than-ideal reasons. He was indicted on charges of making false statements and obstruction, and through it all, his wife and daughters have been right there at the courthouse with him.
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The "J. Edgar Hoover" Comparison
Sometimes the "is James Comey gay" rumor gets fueled by lazy historical comparisons. People love to compare any FBI Director to J. Edgar Hoover, who led the Bureau for decades and was famously the subject of lifelong rumors regarding his relationship with his deputy, Clyde Tolson.
But Comey isn't Hoover. Their leadership styles, personal lives, and even their relationships with the Presidents they served couldn't be more different. Comey is a Methodist who taught Sunday school; Hoover was... well, Hoover.
His Stance on LGBTQ+ Rights
If the question comes from a place of wondering about his politics rather than his personal life, there's more to look at. Interestingly, Comey was one of the 131 Republicans who signed a friend-of-the-court brief in 2013 urging the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage.
At the time, he was considered a fairly progressive Republican on social issues. In speeches as FBI Director, he often mentioned the Bureau's duty to protect all citizens regardless of their sexual orientation. This might be why some people associate his name with LGBTQ+ topics—not because of who he goes home to, but because of the legal stances he took while in power.
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Reality vs. Internet Rumors
When you look at the evidence, the "James Comey gay" search query is a classic example of how the internet tries to find "hidden" details about people we see on the news every day.
- Married: Since 1987.
- Children: Six (five living).
- Public Record: Extensive and consistent.
It’s easy to get lost in the noise of political hit pieces, but the guy's personal life is probably the least mysterious thing about him. He’s a husband, a father, and a guy who spent a lot of time writing about "loyalty" while being accused of the opposite by almost everyone in Washington.
What to Do With This Information
If you're trying to separate fact from fiction regarding public figures, always look at the long-term patterns.
- Check the marriage records and long-term public associations.
- Look at the sources of the rumors. Are they coming from legitimate biographers or anonymous Twitter accounts?
- Understand that "masculinity" in politics is often a performance, and failing to perform it doesn't mean someone's identity is different than what they claim.
If you want to understand the actual drama surrounding him right now, you're better off looking into the September 2025 indictment details or the recent firing of his daughter, Maurene, from the DOJ. Those are the stories that are actually impacting his life today.
Next Steps:
- Read the full text of the 2025 indictment if you want to understand the current legal charges against him.
- Look into Patrice Failor's work with Group B strep advocacy to see the family's impact on public health.