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The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has confirmed that Daryl Dixon is in fact straight, though he promised that a "prominent gay character" will be arriving in the second half of season 5.
Kirkman previously ignited discussion when he said that the character's sexuality had been "discussed" , and it was later stoked when actor Norman Reedus said he'd been playing Daryl as "prison gay" up until now.
"Showrunner Frank Darabont] said, ‘I’ve got an idea for Daryl. He’s gay. Would you be interested in that?’" Reedus said.
"I was like, ‘Let me hear you out.’ He said, ‘Well, he’s prison gay. Like, you’ll catch him looking at a member of the same sex, but if you mention it to him, he’ll just stab you and be like, What the fuck? He will never admit it.’ I was like, ‘That’ll blow minds – let’s do that.'"
But during an appearance on The Talking Dead this week Kirkman clarified matters, though he insisted that AMC would have been fine with the character being gay if that was the way they had chosen to go with him.
The Walking Dead series 5Show all 51 1 /51The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker on the final episode of season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Ross Marquand as Aaron. Season 5, episode 16
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Ross Marquand as Aaron on Walking Dead's final episode of season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and a walker. Season 5, episode 15
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes and Katelyn Nacon as Enid. Season 5, episode 15
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Dahlia Legault as Francine and Michael Cudlitz as Abraham. Season 5, episode 14
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Ross Marquand as Aaron and Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon. Season 5, episode 13
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walkers. Season 5, episode 9
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Major Dodsen as Sam, Alexandra Breckenridge as Jessie and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes. Season 5, episode 13
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes. Season 5, episode 12
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler and Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee. Season 5, episode 12
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker. Season 5, episode 11
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The Walking Dead series 5 walking-dead5.jpg Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene and Michael Cudlitz as Abraham. Season 5, episode 10
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha. Season 5, episode 10
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Michael Cudlitz as Abraham, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. Season 5, episode 10
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker, Season 5, episode 9
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The Walking Dead series 5 walking-dead-production.jpg Greg Nicotero, Steven Yeun and Andrew Lincoln. Season 5, episode 9
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker and Andrew Lincoln in The Walking Dead episode 8, Series 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon on episode eight
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Christopher Matthew Cook as Officer Licari in episode 8, series 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Danai Gurira as Michonne on episode eight
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Christopher Matthew Cook as Officer Licari and Walker on episode seven
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus on episode seven of The Walking Dead
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker in Episode 2, Season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Maximiliano Hernandez as Lamson, Teri Wyble as Shepherd, Chad Coleman as Tyreese and Tyler James Williams as Noah on episode seven
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes on a scene from episode seven
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier in episode six
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Emily Kinney as Beth in The Walking Dead episode Slabtown
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walkers in The Walking Dead Episode 6, series 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier in episode 6
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead Episode 5, Season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker in Season 5, Episode 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker in The Walking Dead Episode 4, season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Emily Kinney as Beth Greene in episode 4, season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green, Lawrence Gilliard Jr. and Lauren Cohan in episode 3
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in episode 3
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. in Episode 3, Season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green, Lawrence Gilliard Jr. and Lauren Cohan in Episode 3, Season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha and Chad Coleman as Tyreese in episode 3
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 A walker in episode two
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Daryl Dixon, Father Gabriel, Rick Grimes, Tyreese, Maggie Greene, Carl Grimes, Michonne, Tara Chambler, Carol Peletier, Sasha, Glenn Rhee, Abraham, Dr. Eugene Porter and Bob Stookey in episode two
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel in episode two
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker in Episode 2, Season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 A scene from episode two
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler, Chad Coleman as Tyreese, Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes, Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene, Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Bob Stookey
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walkers in episode one
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walkers in Episode 1, Season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier in episode one
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Denise Crosby as Mary Episode 1, Season 5
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 A walker from episode one
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The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Andre Lincoln as Rick Grimes
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"We play Daryl Dixon being somewhat asexual on the show," he explained. "He is a very introverted character, and I think that’s some of his appeal.
"It caused quite a hubbub online. And I just wanted to make it clear that the possibility is there.
"I would have been fine with it; the network would have been fine with it; but we ultimately didn’t do that.
"I can make it official: Daryl Dixon is actually straight."
Kirman added: "Coming back in our next half of the season we are going to be introducing a very prominent gay character from the comics that’ll be debuting."
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