'Agents of SHIELD' star J August Richards comes out as gay

Actor J August Richards, best known for his roles in Marvel's "Agents of SHIELD" and "Angels", has come out as gay and thanked fans for their unwavering suppoort.

The actor addressed his sexuality for the first time in an Instagram Live with his "Council of Dads" co-star Sarah Wayne Callies.

Richards, who plays Dr Oliver Post, the best friend of Callies' character and an openly gay man, said taking on the role on the NBC series made him want to be open about his experiences.

Saying that he felt a "pressure and responsibility" in portraying the character, he said, "You have an opportunity to put an image into millions of homes and I wanted that image to be honest and correct. It required me to show up in a way that I haven't always when I was working."
"I've never done that with the people that I worked with. I knew how important it is to other people out there like me, who would need to see that role model, so I took that responsibility very seriously."