CNBC Host Accidentally "Outs" Apple CEO Tim Cook As Gay

On Friday morning, a CNBC segment of “Squawk on the Street” turned awkward after co-anchor Simon Hobbs accidentally “ outed” Apple AAPL +1.18% CEO Tim Cook as being openly gay. “I think Tim Cook is fairly open about the fact that he’s gay at the head of Apple isn’t he?” asked Hobbs to columnist Jim Stewart. During the segment, The New York Times journalist was discussing his upcoming column on John Browne, the former CEO of oil giant BP whose book, The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out Is Good For Business, details his life as a closeted executive. “No,” Stewart answered after an awkward silence. “I don’t want to comment on anybody who might or might not be,” he added. “I’m not going to out anybody. I called a lot of people and no one at any major company would allow their names to be used.” Cook has never confirmed nor denied his sexual orientation. However, Apple’s chief was named the most powerful LGBT person on Out Magazine’s 2013 power list. In December, during a speech at the U.N. after receiving an achievement award from his alma mater Auburn University, he talked about growing up in Alabama and the effect on him of seeing burning crosses. Cook said, “Since these early days, I have seen and have experienced many types of discrimination and all of them were rooted in the fear of people that were different than the majority.” Cook went on to defend gay rights specifically. ”Today we have an opportunity to continue our progress with respect to race and also to embrace immigration reform and eliminate discrimination of the GLBT [sic] community,” he said. More recently, last week Cook applauded on Twitter TWTR -1.23% the White House decision to ban gay discrimination at Federal contractors, and repeated his support for the the Employment Nondiscrimination Act.