Rashida Jones apologizes for saying John Travolta should admit he’s gay

We're not sure if Rashida Jones has ever actually met John Travolta, but if they eventually bump into each other, it's sure to be an awkward moment. The "Parks and Recreation" star gave the 58-year-old actor some very personal advice in an interview recently that he might not find all that helpful: She wants him to come out of the closet.

While speaking to the website Spinning Platters (which dubs itself "a community of Bay Area music nerds"), along with Will McCormack, her co-star in her upcoming flick "Celeste and Jesse Forever," the conversation turned to Frank Ocean, the musician who recently announced he's bisexual. After McCormack said he believes the world needs a professional athlete to reveal he or she is gay, Jones chimed in: "And a movie star! It's time," she added. "Like John Travolta. Come out! Come on. How many masseurs have to come forward? Let's do this."

Jones, 36, was referencing a pair of lawsuits filed by two male massage therapists against Travolta earlier this year. One claimed the "Grease" star propositioned him for sex and the other alleged that Travolta tried to force the masseur to touch him, exposed himself, and then began masturbating. Travolta has flat-out denied the accusations and both men have since dropped their suits, but in June a former cruise ship attendant filed a suit claiming he was sexually assaulted by Travolta in 2009. Despite the fact Travolta has been married to a woman — actress Kelly Preston — for 21 years and has had three children with her (21-month-old son Ben, 12-year-old daughter Ella, and son Jett, who passed away in 2009 at age 16), the actor has been plagued by rumors that he's gay for years.

Though many read Jones' comments as a joke, the headline "Rashida Jones urges John Travolta to come out of the closet" was all over the mainstream media early this week, prompting the "Parks and Recreation" star to issue an apology via Twitter on Tuesday. "Made a thoughtless comment about John Travolta. I sincerely apologize. Nobody's personal life is my business."

Whether or not the apology was needed is still up for debate in the Twitterverse: "@iamrashidajones Comedians never need to apologize--all good:)," one follower wrote. "We all make mistakes; to own up to them is what matters," another posted.

And as for whether Mr. Travolta has accepted her apology, well, he can't respond via Twitter since he doesn't have an account, so we'll just have to wait for an uncomfortable encounter between the two actors.

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