On February 4, 2006, while wrestling on an independent show for BSE in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Kanyon stated that he was tired of living in "the closet" and announced that he was a homosexual. He went on to say that he was fired from WWE not due to cutbacks, but because of his sexual orientation. Proclaiming himself to be the first ever active openly gay professional wrestler in the wrestling industry, Kanyon told the audience that he chose to be "the real Chris Kanyon", and that they could choose whether they wanted to boo or cheer him, commenting that, "life is about choices".
Kanyon went on to reveal that his February 4, 2006, announcement of homosexuality was strictly about the character, Kanyon, but that his real sexual orientation, that of Christopher Klucsaritis, the person behind the character, was really nobody's business, although he did say that he would probably reveal his real sexual preference "sooner or later." On March 5, 2006, Kanyon revealed that he was legitimately homosexual and that the ambiguity between his February 4, 2006 announcement and his March 5, 2006 announcement was intentional in order to attract mainstream attention, receive bookings on bigger shows and possibly even obtain a long-term contract with WWE or TNA. His homosexuality has been confirmed by a number of sources and has been covered in the top circulated gay news magazine, The Advocate (May 9 issue), as well as the Chicago Tribune and numerous talk radio shows and gay newspapers.
On September 8, 2006 he showed up at a WWE house show in Tampa, Florida and ran up to the rail during DX's intro and held up a sign that said "Triple H, ask Vince why he fired me" on one side and "Shawn, pray for my gay soul" on the other side. DX member Triple H responded by saying "Who invited Kanyon?" and "We Are Better than Kanyon!" in reference to his catch phrase. Security then escorted Kanyon from the arena, even though he paid for his ticket to attend the event.
Kanyon later gave his own account of his appearance on his MySpace page along with a plea to be rehired by WWE, and would also appear on both a radio show to promote his stunt[1] and on Howard Stern's Sirius Satellite Radio Show where he talked openly about his homosexuality. This once again raised speculation that his homosexuality is a work for publicity and employment. Shortly after his appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Kanyon attempted to commit suicide by trying to jump in front of a train, then checked himself in to a mental insitution for severe depression.
In October 2006, Kanyon joined Tha O Show as a regular columnist, and is in the middle of filming a documentary. On one edition of the show, he claimed that Bret Hart told him that Hart, Vince McMahon, and Pat Patterson were all in on the Montreal Screwjob.[2][3]
On April 5, 2007, Kanyon announced on his MySpace page that he was retiring from wrestling.