[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/andy-griffith-actor-jim-nabors-marries-longtime-partner\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/andy-griffith-actor-jim-nabors-marries-longtime-partner\/","headline":"\u2018Andy Griffith\u2019 actor Jim Nabors marries longtime partner","name":"\u2018Andy Griffith\u2019 actor Jim Nabors marries longtime partner","description":"\u2018Andy Griffith\u2019 actor Jim Nabors marries longtime partner","datePublished":"2013-01-31","dateModified":"2021-06-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/eweditors\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/eweditors\/","identifier":3,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gomer-pyle-jim-nabors-marries-partner.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gomer-pyle-jim-nabors-marries-partner.jpg","height":466,"width":349},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/andy-griffith-actor-jim-nabors-marries-longtime-partner\/","about":["Marriage Equality News"],"wordCount":404,"articleBody":" After a long and happy 38-year relationship, actor Jim Nabors, best known for his iconic role as the loveable Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show, and his partner Stan Cadwallader, flew from their home in Honolulu, Hawaii to marry in Washington.\u201cI think every person on this earth has a choice of who they want to spend their life with,\u201d he told the Hawaii News Now. “I’m very happy that I’ve had a partner of 38 years and I feel very blessed. And, what can I tell you, I’m just very happy.”He went on to explain how he and Mr. Cadwallader \u201chad no rights as a couple\u201d before they were married, \u201cyet when you\u2019ve been together 38 years, I think something\u2019s got to happen there, you\u2019ve got to solidify something.\u201d Mr. Nabors added, \u201cAnd at my age, it\u2019s probably the best thing to do.\u201dThey exchanged vows in a short and sweet ceremony conducted by a judge friend in a Seattle hotel room a few weeks after Washington\u2019s law went into effect. \u201cMy friend and I, my partner, we went through all of this 38 years ago,\u201d said Mr. Nabors. \u201cSo I mean, we made our vows and that was it. It was to each other, but nevertheless, we were a couple.\u201dThe couple met in 1975 when Mr. Cadwallader was a Honolulu firefighter and later began working for Nabors handling his business affairs and eventually turned romantic. \u201cHe\u2019s my best friend,\u201d Mr. Nabors said.Their exciting marriage announcement marks the first time that Mr. Nabors has acknowledged being gay to the public. Though proudly open with friends and co-workers, he opted to not speak of it to the media because it was \u201csuch a personal thing.\u201d“I’m not a debater. And everybody has their own opinion about this and actually I’m not an activist, so I’ve never gotten involved in any of this,” Mr. Nabors continued.With Washington being one of the latest states to recognize same-sex marriage (and closest to Hawaii), it gave the couple the perfect excuse to take their relationship to the next level. \u201cI like the weather,\u201d he said. \u201cStill, I froze my butt off there.\u201dGolly, what a \u201csurprise, surprise, surprise!\u201d We\u2019re thrilled for the happy couple! (Note to our younger readers, watch an episode of Andy Griffith to understand those references.)Photo credit: hollywoodreporter.com"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u2018Andy Griffith\u2019 actor Jim Nabors marries longtime partner","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/andy-griffith-actor-jim-nabors-marries-longtime-partner\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]