Is publicist Howard Bragman developing coming out TV show? THAT would be must-see TV!

That’s the word from Deadline Hollywood which reports that Howard Bragman is developing a TV show tentatively titled Coming Out.

The man best known for helping such stars as Meredith Baxter, Chely Wright and former NBA player John Amaechi come out publicly is reportedly working with  JUMA Entertainment and A&E on the project project which will feature multiple public figures coming out of the closet.

If this comes to pass, wouldn’t that be GREAT! People lining up to come out rather than hide in the shadows.

I saw Howard over the weekend at the Coming Out In Hollywood panel at Outfest and while he did not provide me with this scoop (dammit) but did drop a hint during the panel that if anyone knows a high-profile celebrity coming out of the closet he has a great TV opportunity.

I was so busy chasing Don Roos after the panel didn’t think to follow-up with Howard on that.

Here is more of what Howard said during the Outfest panel: “If there are superstar male actors who are in the closet and they are worth $100 million and they have this whole fake life, there’s just nothing sadder.”

Cheyenne Jackson: “[He’s] has never been in the closet, credibly plays Tina Fey’s boyfriend on 30 Rock, nobody questions it. If you saw him in Xanadu, little girls didn’t go ‘Oh he;’s gay, he doesn’t turn me on.’ He turned everybody on. It was the shorts in Xanadu.”

On whether or not to come pout: “It’s your personal life versus the professional. I always find it ironic I’ll meet a 20-something attractive actor and he’s like, ‘Well, I could never come out because I’m the leading man type. It’s like you have a better chance of winning the California Lottery and in the end, you’re going to be much happier in your personal life if you come out. But you have to do what’s inside your soul.”

“The number of working actors that are out of the closet is pretty much something you can count on your hands and your ties. It’s still a miniscule number. It’s getting better every day. Since Meredith [Baxter] came out it;s been the biggest time for celebrities coming out in popular history between Meredith and Chely [Wright] and Sean [Hayes] and Ricky Martin. … But it’s just scratching the surface.”

Anyway, all of this got me thinking about all the wonderful famous people who have come out in recent years and whatever happens down the road, they deserve such credit for paving the way. They include: Chad Allen, T.R. Knight, Luke Macfarlane, Cynthia Nixon,  Jonathan Groff, Meredith Baxter, Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Urie, Anthony Rapp, Kd Lang, Amanda Bearse, Ricky Martin, Scott Evans, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sir Ian McKellen, Gavin Creel, John Barrowman, Chris Colfer, Sean Hayes, David Hyde Pierce, Cheyenne Jackson, Robert Gant, Wilson Cruz, Peter Paige, Harvey Fierstein, Randy Harrison, Leslie Jordan, Martina Navratilova, Darryl Stephens, Portia de Rossi, Jane Lynch, Nick Adams,  Mario Cantone, Sam Harris, Bryan Batt, Doug Spearman, Sarah Paulson, Thom Bierdz,  Gerald McCullough, Rosie O’Donnell, John Waters, Jason Stuart, Bruce Vilanch, Matthew Montgomery, Stephen Guarino, Tab Hunter, Steve Callahan, Charlie David, Mitchell Anderson, Ellen DeGeneres, Lance Bass, Phillip Keene, David Pevsner, John Partridge, Richard Chamberlain, Dan Butler, Alan Cumming, Jim J. Bullock, David Burtka, Greg Louganis, Rupert Everett, Bill Brochtrup, Malcolm Gets, Jonathan Slavin, Nate Berkis, Cherry Jones, and Adam Lambert.

I look forward to adding to this list!