Nathan Lane shares how Robin Williams protected him from being outed on Oprah
Nathan Lane and Robin Williams appeared on Oprah Winfrey's talk show following the release of The Birdcage

After starring in the 1996 queer classic, The Birdcage, star Nathan Lane says his on-screen partner Robin Williams helped him avoid the pressures of coming out as gay following the film’s release, even when the heat was coming from Oprah Winfrey.
Lane, then known largely for his Broadway performances, co-starred in The Birdcage as Albert, the more feminine, sensitive counterpart to Williams’ Armand. When their son (Dan Futterman) brings home the woman he wants to marry, the two put on a ruse to earn the approval of her conservative parents (Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest).
While Lane had been out to friends and family since he was 21, he understandably admits he was not prepared to make this public intel for ‘90s audiences.
“I certainly wasn’t ready to go from table-to-table and tell them all I was gay,” Lane says, but understands the general conversation was “sort of unavoidable because of the nature of the film and the character.”