Maren Morris: Coming out was 'the last domino holding my true self back'

Singer-songwriter Maren Morris reflected on her experience coming out as bisexual in her profile for this year's Out100.

The star was chosen as one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people, and spoke to Out about the most recent turning point in her life.

"I don’t know if I’d consider it an accomplishment but it’s certainly something I’m proud of; coming out publicly," Morris explained. "It was sort of the last domino of me holding my true self back. You can say it to yourself for decades but saying it to the world is a choice. I just didn’t want any piece of myself locked in a corridor."

Throughout her career as a country and pop star, Marris has been a vocal LGBTQ+ ally. She opened up about her sexuality this past Pride Month, simply writing on Instagram, "Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+. Happy pride [rainbow emoji]."

Her public coming out came just a few months after the finalization of her split with her ex-husband of five years. Morris filed for divorce from Ryan Hurd in October 2023, and it was finalized in January 2024. They have one child together, Hayes Andrew Hurd. In 2023, she also announced that she was done with the "toxic arms" of country music.

Morris went on to tell Out that the largest obstacle she's faced was "making the conscious effort to reset a lot of 'comfortable' elements in my life that were getting very stale the last few years. I feel like the whole world was getting shaken up around me and I was desperately trying to clamp down on the few things I felt I had control of instead of just letting the world change me for the better and not fighting the nature of things."

She concluded, "It’s scary to admit that things aren’t fulfilling you anymore for fear of seeming ungrateful or problematic."

Morris feels inspired by the LGBTQ+ community's bravery in the face of "having so many people against you and choosing happiness regardless."

"It's truly a testament to what real freedom actually looks like."

Maren Morris is one of this year's Out100 honorees! For the full list, head to out.com/out100!