Lance Loud was part of the cast of the first reality TV show, An
American Family, which followed the Louds, father Bill, and mother Pat,
their five teenage kids and two poodles. The "typical" American family,
living in California, agreed to have their lives filmed, edited, and
broadcast. Enormously popular, enormously controversial, and, once
over, almost immediately forgotten. Lance came out as gay on the show
in 1973. Members of the family tried to spin their celebrity into
careers, none found much success.