Survivor’s Bret LaBelle Was Mistaken for His Boyfriend Father

Survivor alum Bret LaBelle and his boyfriend Chris Stanley’s age gap led to an awkward moment while shopping for a Christmas tree.

“Well, it happened again today,” Stanley, 23, began a recent TikTok video. “As I was checking out yesterday buying this beautiful tree — yes, it’s real — my boyfriend is handing the cashier his credit card, but I’m like, ‘No, no, no. Let me pay for this.’ So, I get out my credit card and I hand it to her.”

His action prompted an “excited” reaction from the woman. “She’s like, ‘Oh yeah, nice.’ And I’m like, ‘Why is she so excited that I’m paying?’ And she’s like, ‘I believe the more you give, the more you get this holiday season,’” Stanley explained. “And I’m still kind of like, ‘Why is she saying this?’ She must have seen the look on my face because she’s like, ‘This is your dad, right?’”

Stanley, who is 27 years LaBelle’s junior, looked over at his partner to see if they should tell the cashier that they are boyfriends. Deciding to keep their relationship status to themselves, Stanley said, “‘Yeah, yeah, that’s my dad,’ and I’m left wondering what the look would have been like on her face if I had told her.”

LaBelle, 50, appeared on season 33 of Survivor, Millennials Vs. Gen-X, in 2016. He notably came out to his costar Zeke Smith, who is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, on the show.

“I didn’t grow up in a time when it was normal to talk about being gay, and the millennials do not care,” LaBelle shared in a confessional. “Zeke finds comfort in being himself, and I think that’s great. And I’m hoping that as my life goes on, from here on out, I can be that way.”

LaBelle and Stanley began dating after Stanley messaged the reality star via Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Sometimes people make the outrageous claim that I was ‘groomed’ or something, which not only isn’t the case,” Stanley told The Advocate in August. “In reality, I am the one who pursued him. They think we’re both weird.”

LaBelle added: “If I were a millionaire, I might understand them calling me a sugar daddy. But I have a working-class job. Plus, Chris does very well for himself.”

The pair often poke fun at their age gap via social media. Last month, the pair parodied Gossip Girl’s infamous Thanksgiving dinner scene — in which several characters angrily leave the dinner table as Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say” plays — by pretending to leave during Thanksgiving dinner after someone asks, “What’s your age gap again?”

Stanley also recently revealed via TikTok that he lost 1,000 Instagram followers after sharing a photo of him and LaBelle kissing in front of their Christmas tree earlier this month. “I know we’re not the most conventional couple, but y’all knew I like daddies,” the YouTuber explained on Monday, December 4. “And people keep saying I look really young when I’m 23 years old. Love is love.”