These are all the celebrities who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023

2023 was a great year for celebrity coming-out stories!

So many A-listers took the time to publicly live their truths in 2023 — and that's something we'll ALWAYS love to see!

Here are all the celebrities who are living their best lives and who have come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community in 2023!

Alexander Lincoln

The British actor, who is probably best known for playing Jamie Tate in Emmerdale Farm and Mark Newton in In From the Side, publicly came out in January.

Though he didn't specifically label himself, he confirmed via an Instagram comment to a fan that he is, in his own words, "not straight."

Noah Schnapp

The actor, who is best known for playing Will Byers in Netflix's incredibly popular sci-fi thriller series Stranger Things, publicly came out as gay in a January TikTok.

Using the viral 'You know what it never was? That serious' audio on the popular app, Schnapp captioned the post: "When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know.'"

Lil Nas X

Though the Grammy-winning rapper has been out as gay for years, in January, X opened up on Twitter about possibly identifying as bisexual.

"Be fr would y'all be mad at me if I thought I was a little bisexual," he tweeted.

Though he is famous for trolling and joking around on the internet, X followed up that tweet, saying, "That was my last time coming out the closet I promise."

Photo: Getty Images

Bella Ramsey

The actor, who shot to fame in 2023 after starring in HBO's popular and critically-acclaimed live-action adaption of The Last of Us, opened up in a January interview with The New York Times about how their gender has "always been very fluid."

"Someone would call me 'she' or 'her' and I would think about it, but I knew that if someone called me 'he' it was a bit exciting," they said, also stating they opt for the nonbinary option on a form whenever they have the opportunity. "I'm very much just a person."

"Being gendered isn't something that I particularly like," they continued, talking about being nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award (a gender-neutral category) for Best Young Performer. "But in terms of pronouns, I really couldn't care less."

Then, in June, the star opened up to British Vogue about their sexuality, saying they are "not 100 percent straight."

"Being called ‘they’ is the most truthful thing for me. That’s who I am the most," they explained. "You never fully know who you are, it’s ever-evolving. But I certainly think that people have gathered that I’m not 100 percent straight. I’m a little bit wavy, you know? That’s what I like to say."

Jakub Jankto

The Czech professional soccer player made history in February when he became the first active international soccer player to publicly come out as gay.

"Like everybody else, I have my strengths, I have my weaknesses, I have my family, I have my friends," he said in a video posted to social media. "Like everybody else, I also want to live my life in freedom. Without fears. Without prejudice. Without violence. But with love. I’m homosexual and I no longer want to hide myself."

Diplo

During a March interview on Emily Ratajkowski’s High Low podcast, Diplo opened about his own sexuality.

"I’m sure I’ve gotten a blowjob from a guy before. For sure. 100 percent, yeah," the DJ and producer said, though he noted he wasn't aroused much by men.

When asked by Ratajkowski about how he identifies within the sexuality spectrum, Diplo then answered:

"I think the best answer I have is I’m not not gay. There are a couple of guys (…) I could date, life partner-wise."

Alison Brie

The beloved actress and former Community star casually and publicly came out as bisexual in February while filming a video for BuzzFeed with hubby Dave Franco.

"Listen, I am bisexual for a reason, and that reason is strictly to be used in a threesome by Dave Franco and Alison Brie," a Franco said in the video, reading a tweet from a fan.

After giving each other high fives, Brie revealed, "That’s also why I’m bisexual!"

Jeff Molina

The UFC flyweight division fighter publicly came out as bisexual in March after an unfortunate incident where an intimate video of Molina with another man leaked online.

"Welp... this f*cking sucks. TLDR: I’m bi. Not the way I wanted to do this, but the chance to do it when I was ready was taken from me," he said in a statement on social media following the leak. "I’ve tried to keep my dating life private from social media. I’ve dated girls my whole life and suppressed feelings I had throughout high school being on the wrestling team, throughout college pursuing MMA, and even after making part of the dream happen and getting into the UFC."

He continued:

"I’m a pretty masculine dude and that bro-y banter and [suspect] sense of humor has always been how I am. The thought of my buddies, teammates, and [people] I look up to looking at me different, let alone treating me different, for something I can't control was something I couldn’t fathom. In a sport like this where a majority of the fans being the homophobic c*cksuckers they are, I didn’t see myself doing this during this part of my career. I wanted to be known for my skills and what I’ve dedicated the last 11 years of my life to not and not the 'bi UFC fighter' that I’m sure would just be translated to 'gay UFC fighter.'"

Mo'Nique

The Oscar-winning actress and stand-up comic seemingly came out during her April Netflix My Name Is Mo’Nique.

After telling her story about her queer Uncle Tina and the dynamics within her family, especially her conservative, church-going grandmother, Mo’Nique opened up about her journey with sexuality in the comedy special. For years she said she buried her queer desires by ignoring them and sleeping with men. Mo’Nique “didn’t want her [grandmother] to love me privately” but she did come out to her father and recalled the story:

"I said, 'Daddy, I want to be with another woman sexually.' And he looked at me, so beautifully and so patient and so loving, and he said, 'B*tch, me too!'"

Richard Armitage

During an April interview with Radio Times, the 51-year-old Netflix Obsession star publicly opened up about his sexuality and the fact that he has a male partner, though he says he has been out to his close friends and family since the age of 19.

"[It] happened when I was 19 – to anybody who mattered – and I was always waiting for that question to punch me in the face, and it never did," he said. "I thought, 'Are people being polite, or is it that they don’t want to know?'"

Yung Miami

The City Girls rappers confirmed her bisexuality — and her ongoing flirtationship with fellow emcee Megan Thee Stallion — in a May episode of Jason Lee's Revolt show.

After saying she'd "smash" Thee Stallion while a game of "Smash or Pass," Lee asked Miami of she had ever slept with women before, to which she replied:

"Sexually I have been with a woman before. I love it. I really do like girls, [but] I won’t be in a relationship with a girl."

Josh Seiter

In June, the former Bachelorette contestant came out as bisexual after having previously identified as pansexual. He also revealed that he is in a relationship with a man named David.

"I believe my upbringing, in the homeschooled Christian niche that we were brought up in, stayed with me, both consciously and unconsciously, for years after leaving home for college," he said. "I always knew as an early teen I was different sexually, I just don’t think I had the vocabulary to articulate what the difference was."

Josh Kiszka

In June, the Greta Van Fleet lead singer took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message about the current wave of anti-LGBTQ+ hate and legislation that is sweeping the country in places like his home state of Tennessee. It was in that Instagram post that Kiszka also publicly revealed that he has been in a same-sex relationship for the past eight years.

"Where I’ve settled a home in Tennessee, legislators are proposing bills that threaten the freedom of love," he wrote. "It’s imperative that I speak my truth for not only myself, but in hopes to change hearts, minds, and laws in Tennessee and beyond."

"These issues are especially close to my heart as I’ve been in a loving, same-sex relationship with my partner for the past 8 years," he continued, though not labeling himself. "Those close to me are well aware, but it’s important to me to share publicly."

Lauv

Though he didn't specifically label himself, the singer-songwriter, who is best known for his bops like "I Like Me Better," "Mean It," and the Troye Sivan collab "i'm so tired," took to his TikTok account in June, seemingly coming out as liking both women and men.

"when ur dating a girl but ur also a lil bit into men," the in-video caption of Lauv riding in a dark car at night read.

"Does it have to be that big of a deal?" he captioned the post. "I havent done much aside from kiss so tbh don’t wannna jump the gun but tbh I feel things and I dont wanna pretend i dont. :)"

Then, in July, he posted a video to his YouTube and Instagram accounts where he talked openly and candidly about his life, upcoming music, and his identity.

"I’m going through an interesting time, where for years, you may know I’ve struggled with OCD and anxiety really badly," he says in the video. "And one of the things I’ve obsessed about has been my sexuality."

He said that he started thinking about his sexuality in childhood, but really began exploring it in his 20s.

"I don’t really have any particular answers yet, other than it’s something that I’m exploring in my music and exploring in my mind, and I’m going to be exploring in my life."

Miss Benny

In June, the star of Netflix's queer TV series Glamorous penned an essay for Time where she came out as a trans woman, updating her pronouns to she/her.

“The gap is quickly closing between now and June 22: the day that my television series Glamorous will come out on Netflix,” she wrote in the essay. “And along with it, I too will come out as the transgender woman I’ve been privately living as for the last few years.”

In the essay, Benny also mentioned how the HBO series Veneno about a Spanish trans woman named Cristina Ortiz who shot to fame in the ’90s when a newscaster interviewed her, changed the way she looked at herself.

“There’s a scene in the series where the main character, a young queer person, meets their icon, an elder transgender woman who goes by the stage name La Veneno. The young queer person gets to ask her, ‘When did you start transitioning?’ And Veneno answers and turns to her admirer to ask, ‘And when will you start?’” Benny remembers.

“It was a punch to the gut,” she continues. “Because I knew that if somebody asked me that question, I would become painfully aware of how much time I felt I had wasted by not transitioning sooner.”

Taylor Armstrong

The Bravolebrity, of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives of Orange County fame, publicly came out as bisexual in a June episode of RHOC, revealing she was in a five-year relationship with another woman before she got married to her first husband Russell Armstrong.

“Most people are surprised to find out that I’m bisexual probably just because of stereotypes,” she explained in the episode. “I mean, it’s not something I broadcast, but I'm open to all people who have great souls that you can love.”

Nicola Porcella 

The Peruvian actor and former pro footballer publicly came out in a July episode of the Mexican reality show La Casa de los Famosos México, which is analogous to Celebrity Big Brother.

In the episode, Porcella (who has over 2.5 million followers on Instagram) was having a conversation with trans influencer Wendy Guevara and bisexual singer Apio Quijano, who were both encouraging him and offered to hold hands. As the three held hands, Guevara and Quijano said their names and that they accept their identities as a trans woman and bisexual man. That’s when Porcella got the courage to speak his own truth.

“Hi, I’m Nicola and I accept that I am pansexual,” he said.

Kevin Maxen

In July, Kevin Maxen, the assistant strength coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, publicly came out in an interview with Outsports, making history as the first male coach in a US professional league to come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Before joining the Jaguars organization, Maxen worked for the Baylor Bears and the Vanderbilt Commodores. He also played football himself during his college years when he was a linebacker for Western Connecticut State University.

"I don’t want to feel like I have to think about it anymore," Maxen, who also revealed he had been in a relationship with another man for two years, told Outsports. "I don’t want to feel like I have to lie about who I am seeing, or why I am living with someone else. I want to be vocal in support of people living how they want to live, but I also want to just live and not feel fear about how people will react."

Kris Tyson

Kris Tyson (right), a personality on MrBeast’s popular YouTube channel who also hosts Beast Reacts, publicly come out as a transgender woman in a July interview with fellow YouTuber Anthony Padilla (left)

"I am a woman," said during their interview. "I've never said that publicly, but I've been fully confident in that decision for over a year now."

In April, Tyson announced publicly that she had begun Hormone Replacement Therapy two months earlier when a "fan" made a tweet asking what happened when her appearance changed.

She followed up that tweet by saying, "Informed consent HRT saved my and many others’ lives. The hurdles GNC people have to jump through to get life-saving gender-affirming healthcare in a 1st world country is wild to me. Just let people make informed decisions about their own bodies."

"For a while, I was trying gender fluid," Tyson then told Padilla. "I was like, what's making me feel like I'm bi-gender? What is tying me to this masculinity? And really, it was after a lot of talking with a therapist and a lot of self-reflection, I realized it was really just the societal pressure of, 'You're Chris from MrBeast. You're the guy that starts the fires. You're the guy that builds the stuff.' And like, my whole life, I've enjoyed doing those things, but I've never really felt like 'the guy.'"

Tyson also announced that she will continue going by Kris on the internet, but has a new name among family and friends.

"For the longest time, even to say it to some of the closest friends, it would make my hands shake. I would get so nervous. But now, I can say I’m a woman. I’m happy to say I'm a woman. It’s something that’s honestly so freeing."

Shinjiro Atae

In a bold move, the Japanese pop star publicly came out of the closet in front of 2,000 fans during a July concert in Tokyo.

After taking a two-year hiatus from live shows, Atae (who is best known for being a part of the J-pop group AAA, which dissolved in 2021) performed to the crowd and made a surprising but impactful statement to them, saying:

"I respect you and believe you deserve to hear this directly from me. For years, I struggled to accept a part of myself. But now, after all I have been through, I finally have the courage to open up to you about something. I am a gay man."

Adore Delano

The RuPaul's Drag Race legend took to Instagram in late July to publicly share with her fans that she is transgender.

"There's been a lot of talk about my body and questions about my gender going around the internet and in my comment sections and stuff," Delano said in her Instagram video post. "But yeah I just want to explain everything that's been happening these last few months."

"So yeah, I wanted to let everyone know that I am transitioning," she continued. "It's made me probably the happiest I've ever been in my adult life."

Gabby Windey

In August, Windey, who is most known for ABC's The Bachelorette, publicly revealed on Instagram that she was in a romantic relationship with another woman, comedian and writer Robby Hoffman.

"It’s hard to get it out all right now but I know everyone’s been really curious about who I’m dating," the realotuy TV star said in an Instagram Story post. "You know I love to stir the pot and tease, but I did want to wait until I was ready, because it is a larger conversation — because I’m dating a girl."

"It’s been honestly truly, like really, the best experience over these last three months," she cotninued. "And I’ve been in a relationship like I feel like I’ve never had before."

Tomás González

Tomás González, an Olympic gymnast from Santiago, Chile, publicly came out as gay in August via his autobiography entitled Champion: Lessons, Triumphs, and Falls of an Olympic Gymnast.

During an interview with La Tercera promoting his autobiography, González talked more about coming out, saying, “I suppose it’s no longer an issue. But yes, I’m gay. And if I’m going to make it public, I prefer to do it in this book.”

Joe Locke

​For the first time publicly, the Heartstopper star specifically labeled his sexuality (gay) during an interview with Teen Vogue that was published in August.

"People have assumed and written it, and I haven’t ever corrected anyone because I haven’t felt the need to. But I’ve never specifically stated my sexuality," he said.

"I have been openly gay since I was, like, 12," he continued.

Wayne Brady

The Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Let’s Make a Deal star came out as pansexual during an August interview with People Magazine.

"In doing my research, both with myself and just with the world, I couldn’t say if I was bisexual, because I had to really see what that was, especially because I really have not gotten a chance to act on anything," he said. "So, I came to pansexual because – and I know that I’m completely messing up the dictionary meaning – but to me, pan means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, [transgender], or non-binary. Being able to be attracted across the board. And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place. I took pan to mean that not only can I be attracted to any of these people or types physically, but I could be attracted to the person that is there."

Paulie Calafiore

The Big Brother and The Challenge star publicly came out as bisexual in an August episode of The Challenge: USA. During an interview with Us Weekly, the reality TV star further explained his experiences prior to coming out:

“When I went on national television for the first time, I was like, ‘Let me definitely bottle this up inside.’ And by doing that, I kind of showed, like, that really aggressive athletic side of me. And I never got to also show the softer side of me, which I feel came from suppressing that again.”

He also told the publication that fellow Big Brother alum Frankie Grande and fitness influencer Shaun T helped him process his feelings and gather the courage to come out.

“They really kind of helped me along the way,” he revealed. “They knew way before everybody else.”

Ncuti Gatwa

In an August interview for the cover of Elle UK, the Sex Education star publicly came out as queer.

“I remember being at Manchester Pride, going through the streets with all my boys, shaking my cha-chas, living it up when I saw this woman who looked exactly like my auntie,” Gatwa said, recalling a special moment he had with a stranger when attending a Pride celebration in Manchester. “We were holding hands, and she said to me, ‘I don’t really know why I’m here. I’m just here.’ I told her, ‘Honey, you don’t need to know. You absolutely. Do not. Need. To. Know. You’re here. Be proud of who you are.’”

“I had never met another queer Rwandan person before,” Gatwa continued. “I thought I was the only one in the world.”

Johnnie Garcia

The reality TV personality came out as bisexual during an August episode of Love Island USA season five and started a little showmance with costar Kassy Castillo. Given the franchise’s complicated history with LGBTQ+ contestants, this was a very exciting moment for queer fans of the series.

Sufjan Stevens

Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens came out in an October Instagram post dedicating his latest album Javelin to his former partner Evan Richardson, who sadly passed away in April.

Stevens posted a picture of Richardson smiling and lying on a bed along with the post.

“This album is dedicated to the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend Evans Richardson, who passed away in April,” he wrote. “He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity, and joy. He was one of those rare and beautiful ones you find only once in a lifetime—precious, impeccable, and absolutely exceptional in every way.”

Jade Jolie

In an October post made to X (formerly Twitter), the beloved drag performer (who is most known for competing on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the fourth season of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula) came out as trans and announced that she is "deciding to choose" herself and moving forward with her transition.

Amaury Lorenzo

After starring in the Brazilian soap opera Terra e Paixão, where he plays the fan-favorite character of Ramiro – a closeted queer cowboy from the countryside who falls in love with a man, actor Amaury Lorenzo publicly opened up about his own sexuality in an October interview with Extra.

“I consider myself an LGBTQ+ man,” he said. “It’s possible that in the future I could marry another man, cis or trans, or a woman, cis or trans. I know audiences are curious to know my sexuality. I don’t have a problem with that. I just hope that topic doesn’t overshadow my work as an actor.”

Karan Brar

The former Disney publicly came out as bisexual in a moving essay for Teen Vogue in November about mental health and asking for help.

In the essay, Brar talked about moving out of his parents’ place – something that was difficult for him as an Indian-American – and how that ultimately led to him coming out to friends.

In 2019, Brar moved in with his fellow Disney actors Cameron Boyce and Sophie Reynolds, and says in the essay he was able to stop compartmentalizing “public Karan and private Karan.” He recalls a night he was drunk and he came out as bisexual to his roommates, fearing that it would forever change how they saw him.

“The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted it. I could barely see straight, but I ended up trying to do some damage control anyway,” he wrote. Brar then offered to move out, but said his roommates “interrupted me by hugging me from behind. Again, I told them I should move out. They told me I was being stupid. I told them I’d cover for them if people asked why we didn’t live together anymore. They said to shut the fuck up. I told them that they probably hated me. They said my bisexuality changed nothing for them.”

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish revealed that she’s physically attracted to women during a cover story for Variety‘s Power of Women issue. The Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning singer explained:

“I’ve never really felt like I could relate to girls very well. I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real. I have deep connections with women in my life, the friends in my life, the family in my life. I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”

At a red carpet event, Eilish was asked to clarify if she considered that a coming-out statement. She told the reporter:

“I kind of thought, ‘Wasn’t it obvious’? I didn’t realize people didn’t know. I just don’t really believe in it. I’m just like, ‘Why can’t we just exist’? I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I just didn’t talk about it. Whoops. But I saw the article and I was like, ‘Oh I guess I came out today.’ Okay, cool. It’s exciting to me because I guess people didn’t know. But it’s cool that they know. I am for the girls.”

Farrah Moan

The Drag Race legend publicly came out as a trans woman in a December interview with fellow Drag Race queen Maddy Morphosis on her show Give It to Me Straight.

"In 2019, unbeknownst to my following, that’s when I made the decision to live my life as a woman," she said told Morphosis. "It was [coming] forever. The times in my life where I tried to suppress my trans identity, it was because I felt if I ever did it, I would never be on Drag Race, I’d never be successful, I’d never be able to have a job. Back in the day, the trans people that were brave enough to be open and out were very ostracized from society, in my perception."

She continued:

"I think what my breaking point was, where I couldn’t take it anymore, was having a male persona [that] felt more like drag than having to do drag. That was when I couldn’t do it anymore. (…) Trying to figure out how to be a cute boy was so much harder for me and came so much more unnaturally, to the point where I was like, ‘I wish I could just go out in drag right now.’ The thought of dressing like a boy was so stressful to me. It stressed me out so much. I resented every masculine feature my whole life."

Parvati Shallow

The Survivor winner came out as queer in a late December post on Instagram where she shared pictures of herself kissing comedian Mae Martin, announcing their relationship.

"We’re here. We’re queer. Happy new year," she wrote in the caption: