Editing Rick Mercer (section)

==Personal life==
Mercer was born in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] and raised in [[Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove|Middle Cove]]. His mother, Patricia Cook, is a nurse and his father, Kenneth Mercer, is an executive in the fisheries ministry.<ref>{{cite news|author=Posner, Michael|date=2012-10-04|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/rick-mercer-the-man-behind-the-rants/article4589671/|title=Rick Mercer: the man behind the rants|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|access-date=2012-10-12|location=Toronto}}</ref> Growing up he attended Macdonald Drive Elementary and dropped out of Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John's before completing his diploma requirements. He was a member of the [[Royal Canadian Sea Cadets]] during his teen years.

Mercer's spouse since 1990 is television producer Gerald Lunz. Although the romantic relationship came first, Lunz is also Mercer's long-time partner in business, who discovered him, fostered his career, and was the executive producer of ''Rick Mercer Report''. He regards his personal life as private and says little about it in public beyond acknowledging that he is gay;<ref>{{cite web|author=Jonathon Gatehouse |url=http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20040216_75361_75361 |title=Rick's Shtick |work=[[Maclean's]] |access-date=2009-02-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929030358/http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20040216_75361_75361 |archive-date=September 29, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.fabmagazine.com/features/329/mercer.html |title=Feature |work=[[Fab (magazine)|fab]] |access-date=2009-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Gordon Bowness |location= Toronto |date=September 26, 2007 |url=http://www.dailyxtra.com/toronto/arts-and-entertainment/majestys-loyal-opposition-9481 |title=Her majesty's loyal opposition |work=[[Xtra!]] |access-date=2015-09-16}}</ref> in a 2011 interview on [[CBC Radio One]]'s ''[[The Current (radio show)|The Current]]'', he clarified that he tries "to live [his] life as an out gay man" but doesn't specifically mention his sexuality on ''Rick Mercer Report'' because it's just "not what the show is about".<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1076950--rick-mercer-comes-out-again-after-his-rant-goes-viral "Rick Mercer comes out — again — after his rant goes viral"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', October 27, 2011.</ref>