Ben Platt stopped by Ellen this week to chat about his new album, Sing to Me Instead, and now being publicly out. The Dear Evan Hansen star sang his way out of the closet in his "Ease My Mind" music video last month, and told DeGeneres that he's happy to finally have the space to be open about his sexuality, and thanked the comedian for "inspiring" him.
"I have never had the opportunity in my work or in my art to discuss my sexuality or my relationships and so to have an opportunity to do that through something personal and through a piece of work has been really wonderful and I have to say I grew up a really big fan of yours and of your stand-up and was very inspired by you because you're always, in the way that you discussed your sexuality and your relationships it became part of the art and part of what makes you so funny and...that was really inspiring to me," said Platt.
Platt added that he's hoping to "show different parts of myself" and that his fans have been "wonderfully supportive." He also shared that he hopes in the future queer artists can share their queerness through their work and that "we're past the time where it has to be this whole giant announcement and it can just be part of who you are."
"That's what it should be," our second-favorite gay Ellen replied. "It should just be like, 'oh we happen to know that that person is gay and that should be it."
In February, Platt told People he's been out since he was 12 to his family and friends and has "never sort of hidden that or been ashamed by it. It's just part of me."
Platt made a point to mention on Ellen that he's "very single," spoke a bit about his role in Ryan Murphy's upcoming Netflix show The Politician, and performed his new single "Temporary Love."
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