Los Angeles, CA -- "CSI" cast member Gerald McCullouch has played ballistics expert Bobby Dawson on the show since it started -- but only last night (Dec. 11) did his character reveal he is gay.

That makes him the first gay character on the top-rated show, but some fans may be wondering why it took so long to bring Bobby out of the closet.

Actor McCullouch says it's more realistic that this is the first time his gun geek character's sexual preference has been discussed on the show because -- quote -- "you wouldn't sit in the middle of a crime scene and start talking about your love life."

He has no idea what his fans are going to say about the new twist for his character, but it's not like he didn't warn them.

McCullouch says he received many concerned letters earlier in the year because he hadn't appeared on the show for a few episodes, and he wrote back telling his fans to expect him back with a big bombshell.

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