The full interview will air on the Sept. 14 season premiere for the nationally televised talk show. But an excerpt released on Good Morning America appears to confirm the validity of a photograph showing Gillum with no clothes.
“When that photo came out, I didn’t recognize the person on the floor,” Gillum said. “That was anything more than a person being at their most vulnerable state. Unconscious, having given no consent, and someone decided to use a moment where I was literally lying in my own vomit.”
The March incident, in which police responded to calls of a crystal meth overdose at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel, raised numerous questions about Gillum’s private life. He was found in the hotel room intoxicated and maintained he only consumed alcohol that night. The man who needed medical attention, Travis Dyson, was quickly revealed to be a reputed escort. Police released photos in April of bags apparently holding methamphetamines.
A photo was also leaked to the Central Florida Post that showed Gillum nude on the floor. The picture was shared on Twitter by actor James Woods, which prompted a brief suspension of the actor’s account. The veracity of the photo has been frequently questioned.
Host Tamron Hall, who conducted the sit-down, told Good Morning America that Gillum made clear he could not discuss the incident in full detail because of legal concerns involving the other two men in the room. He has not faced any legal charges himself.
But Gillum does discuss the events more candidly than before. It’s the first media interview Gillum has participated in since the March incident.
“The reason why I went to that room is probably no different than how somebody might communicate with someone they are in a friendship, relationship, whatever with,” he said. “I understand very well what people assume about that.”
Hall, at one point, asks how Gillum is “still standing” after the photographs published. Gillum entered rehab for alcohol abuse shortly after the events unfolded. In July, he posted a video on Instagram saying that losing the Governor’s race in 2018 sent him into a depression.
“I’m still here by the grace of God,” Gillum told Hall. “So much of my recovery has been about trying to get over shame.”
Hall also sat down with Gillum alongside wife R. Jai, and said the matter of Gillum’s political future was also discussed.
This article first appeared at Florida Politics.
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This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2020.