Azariah Southworth, host of the popular Christian youth show The Remix, announced Wednesday that he has come out of the closet.

"This has been a long time coming. I'm in a place where I'm at peace with my faith, friends, family and more importantly myself. I know this will end my career in Christian television, but I must now live my life openly and honestly with everyone. This is my reason for doing this," Southworth tells Out & About.

"I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community, and if so, then they didn't get the point of the life of Christ. I believe by me living my life honestly and authentically now, I am able to be a better person and a better Christian. We all know there are so many other gay people in the Christian industry; they're just all scared. I was scared, but now I'm no longer afraid," says Southworth.

Southworth has been hosting and producing the popular Christian TV show, The Remix for a year and a half, Out & About writes. It is in syndication and can be seen in more than 128 million homes worldwide. It averages more than 200,000 viewers weekly on one of three networks. Southworth has been featured in national publications such as Charisma Magazine and many other national Christian media outlets.

Last update: 04-16-2008 21:12