Hollywood actor John Travolta has addressed for the first time the rumors that he was in a romantic relationship with his ex-pilot Douglas Gotterba in the 1980s, according to Daily Mirror.
In a recent interview with the Daily Beast primarily about the actor's new film "The Forger," as well as his personal life, Travolta said the claims by his former employee was "about people wanting money."
"This is every celebrity's Achilles heel... That's all. It happens on many levels," the actor replied when asked about the alleged relationship he maintained with Gotterba.
The Daily Beast also asked how Travolta felt about being supposedly "targeted" far more often than any celebrity with allegations regarding sexual orientation.
"Also, I don't care that much about it. Other people may attack it back more than I do, but I let all the media stuff go a long time ago because I can't control it. I think that's why it persists, to some degree," he said.
The rumors surfaced when Gotterba, who worked for six years for Travolta, claimed his relationship with the actor was beyond professional. He defended himself against accusations of malicious intent by claiming he was "unwilling thrust" into public attention by another Travolta employee, according to a July 2014 story by The Hollywood Reporter.
Upon learning of Gotterba's plan to write a book detailing events of his life, including his years asc an employee of the actor, Travolta's lawyer quickly sent a cease-and-desist letter. He admonished Gotterba about breaching the confidentiality provision of his termination agreement with the actor.
The pilot responded by saying the agreement is not authentic and is merely an early draft of another agreement. He then filed a lawsuit against Travolta asking for judicial declaration about whether confidentiality can indeed be implemented.
In his Daily Beast interview, Travolta admitted being offended by media speculations about the events in his personal life, especially the loss of his son.
"I felt like that was the lowest I'd ever felt. Sex stuff is always going to be interesting to somebody, but you stay away from family. You really should. With that, I always felt like the media - not all of the media, but parts of it - went too low there."