Aaron Hernandez’s Fiancée Opens Up About His Sexuality

If you’re a True Crime fanatic, you’ve probably already watched the docuseries Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez on Netflix. It’s a riveting look at the late former NFL Patriots player who committed suicide in 2017. While the docuseries has all the elements that an excellent True Crime story needs, some are saying filmmakers went too far. 

Hernandez’s fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, said in an interview with ABC News that the docuseries was extremely painful to watch, mainly when his sexuality was discussed. 

“You can’t describe someone’s sexuality without them being here,” Jenkins-Hernandez told ABC News. “Although I have a child with Aaron, I still can’t tell you how he was feeling inside. No one can.”

The 3-part episode goes into detail about Hernandez’s personal relationships with other men, the abuse he suffered as a child, and even a possible boyfriend while he was in jail for murder. Jenkins-Hernandez said discussing those things was painful to hear but even worse because Hernandez isn’t alive to explain it himself. 

“If he did feel that way or if he felt the urge, I wish that I — I was told,” Jenkins-Hernandez told the network. “And I wish that he — you know, he would’ve told me ’cause I wouldn’t — I would not have loved him any differently. I would have understood. It’s not shameful, and I don’t think anybody should be ashamed of who they are inside, regardless of who they love. I think it’s a beautiful thing, I just wish I was able to tell him that.”

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Hernandez’s lawyer Jose Baez also said that the filmmakers told him they were not going to discuss his sexuality in the docuseries but did anyway after his involvement. 

Baez was interviewed for the docuseries but never said anything about whether or not Hernandez was gay or bisexual. One of the theories presented in the show was that Hernandez committed suicide because he was outed as gay. The show also suggests he killed himself in order to overturn his guilty conviction of the murder of Odin Lloyd so his fiancee could acquire funds from the Patriots. But Baez said Hernandez killing himself is the primary symptom of CTE, which is what Hernandez had. 

After watching the docuseries, there’s no doubt all of the details in it would be painful to hear for anyone close to Hernandez but more so for Jenkins-Hernandez because she was literally the only one supporting him. The docuseries was compelling to watch but there’s no way of knowing why Hernandez did what he did or whether he was gay or not, especially if he isn’t here to defend himself.