Have you ever wanted to know way too much about Silicon Valley star Thomas Middleditch’s sex life? You’re in luck. The comedian and actor made a real splash with a profile in the newest issue of Playboy. Being Playboy, the interviewer and subject clearly felt it was necessary to discuss sex. Admittedly, many of us are curious about other people’s sex lives, especially celebrities, but some of what Middleditch said is raising eyebrows.
Basically, Middleditch and his wife Mollie are “in the lifestyle,” which is the updated modern way to say “swingers.”
They have sex with other people, sometimes together, sometimes at parties, under specific parameters they both set. I personally do not find this strange or icky or bad at all. As long as everyone involved is a consenting adult, it sounds like it’s probably a lot of fun.
What is giving me, and many other people, some anxiety is how Middleditch talks about his wife. For one, he explicitly says she’s a private person before sharing all their intimate secrets in an on-the-record interview.
When asked if he’s afraid he’ll become the face of the lifestyle by talking about it, he says, “I would be honored to be the face of something. I don’t give a f*ck, but my wife is more private, so I have to juggle that. “
Is she? So why did we get this paragraph from Middleditch:
“Mollie and I have created our own rules, and compared to most of the people we’ve met who do this kind of shit, our rules are strict. We’re not off on our own; we’re together, a unit. It’s a perpetual state of management and communication, to the point where it’s like, ‘All right, we’ve got to stop. Chill.’ I’m gas, and she’s brakes.”
He also says he often wants to have sex with fans, but Mollie is uncomfortable with that, and that he basically told her he needed an open relationship after they were married—and kind of implies he’d cheat if he couldn’t be open. Blech.
Middleditch says he and Mollie are writing a comedy series about their gas and breaks dynamic, but it doesn’t sound like enthusiastic consent to me, or to anyone else on the Internet:
I’ve never witnessed a man being more disrespectful to his wife than right here. I’m not advocating for open marriage at all, but if that were the case, w/e. But he’s leaking all these details & admitting his wife will be upset that he did? What a scumbag. https://t.co/KkdBKI32ub
— Amanda Prestigiacomo (@AmandaPresto) September 18, 2019
thinking about the day thomas middleditch showed his wife the data that proved that he was famous enough to be allowed to have sex with other women
— Sigh Hersh (recalculating) (@Ugarles) September 18, 2019
This middleditch stuff really fits in with a story a female friend told me of approaching him at a fest, saying "I'm a huge fan!" and him immediately responding "Do you wanna prove it?"
— Jane Harrison (@MeJaneYouShutUp) September 17, 2019
my condolences to anyone who's attended a group sex function in the last few years and walked into a room to see a naked Thomas Middleditch wearing stag horns
— Django Gold (@django) September 18, 2019
Me reading this Middleditch article: pic.twitter.com/3XbfUO3OOg
— Lebron Trademarked My Account (@edgarmomplaisir) September 17, 2019
Thomas Middleditch, whose most successful movie role was voicing a ten-year old boy, has arranged his life around his horniness. Good for him!
— MKupperman (@MKupperman) September 17, 2019
Thomas Middleditch reminds me of half my exes who have probably asked their spouses for open marriages by now but then freak the fuck out if/when their wives enjoy it.
— Maris Kreizman (@mariskreizman) September 17, 2019
yes it certainly seems like you're listening to her feelings well https://t.co/nTmCO0yAHS pic.twitter.com/nFGj3TU2zO
— guy fieri 2020 campaign manager (@libbycwatson) September 17, 2019
I've seen it described as men wanting to have their cake and also more cake.
— Once, twice, three times a Sam (@sammhuisache) September 18, 2019
And "have to scurry in the shadows". So looks like he told her he was either going to cheat behind her back or they were going to swing
— Hannah (@coollady42) September 18, 2019
Reading that Middleditch Playboy interview like pic.twitter.com/p9jVOJdQdB
— Allison Kilkenny (@allisonkilkenny) September 17, 2019
Waiting until after you’re married to tell your wife you’ll only stay in it if you both start swinging is extremely Middleditch.
— John Gary @ Argestes (@johngary) September 18, 2019
i didn’t need to learn that thomas middleditch has convinced his reluctant wife to let him fuck fans but the internet is ruthless and seeks to destroy my brain
— bad take sommelier (@sybilcarroway) September 17, 2019
still thinking about Thomas Middleditch basically saying "yeah of course my wife is cool with my swinging I mean sure this is a decision I made unilaterally and tbh even if she wasn't cool with it I'd still probably swing but seriously she's chill"
— EA (@AbrissErik) September 18, 2019
But other people think all the negativity being directed at Middleditch has to do with their own sex-negativity and suspicion of open relationships:
Damn, so many people ready to sex and body shame Thomas Middleditch. He and his wife are two adults in a consensual relationship and exploring their sexuality however they see fit. You look bad and sex negative, just let people fuck how and who they want.
— Scott Rodgers (@MrScottRodgers) September 18, 2019
Regarding the Middleditch stuff, I don't follow him or know him that well but I will say this: the more people talk openly about different relationships, the better, I think.
— Ryan Estabrooks (@ryanestabrooks) September 18, 2019
Re: Thomas Middleditch's Playboy interview.
As long as no one is being hurt and everything is consensual, I don't care. All I ask are that the actors and comedians I enjoy aren't shitty to marginalized groups. That's really it.
— Matt "Bone Daddy" Bacon (@Matt_R_Bacon) September 17, 2019
Truly, do whatever you want in your relationship, just respect each other’s boundaries. When your wife tells you she wants to be private about your sex life, don’t blab to Playboy.