It was a big year for celebrities coming out stories; here are 41 celebrities who came out in 2021.
It’s been a wild year of celebrities coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community and happily living their truths in 2021. From public interviews to social media posts, to memoirs, here are all the stars who came out in 2021.
Kehlani
The 25-year-old R&B singer/songwriter opened up about her sexuality during an Instagram Live in April. Kehlani, who has identified as queer and bisexual, said, “You want to know what’s new about me? I finally know I’m a lesbian!”
The British actress well-known for playing the beloved Princess Diana on Netflix’s “The Crown” came out by posting a photo of herself in a wedding dress on Instagram. “Ur fave queer bride” she captioned the photo she shared from her feature in Pop Magazine.
The professional BMX rider came out as gay in an emotional post shared with his followers on Instagram back in March. He wrote, ”If you were to tell me a year ago that today was going to be the day where I said f**k it and let the world in on my personal life I would have told you that’s never going to happen. But thanks to the support of my family, friends, and sponsors I can finally accept the fact that I am gay and be open about it.”
The Grammy-nominated singer came out as pansexual in March while being a guest on the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “I’m so fluid now – and a part of the reason I am so fluid is because I was super closeted off,” Lovato said. In May, they took to Twitter to tell their followers that they are nonbinary and use they/them pronouns.
Actor Ronen Rubinstein, aka gay firefighter T.K. Strand on Fox’s 9-1-1 Lone Star, came out as bisexual during an interview with Variety. “I fully identify as bisexual. I literally just got goosebumps saying that. It feels so good to talk about it, it feels so good to finally be comfortable with it.”
Artist and model Nats Getty came out as nonbinary and transgender in a social media post and a video shared to their partner, Gigi Gorgeous’ YouTube channel. “It wasn’t until recently that I was even comfortable admitting this to myself, once I was able to look inwards and truly reflect on my authentic self.”
The Star Trek: Discovery actress confirmed her sexuality in an interview with StarTrek.com. She told the outlet she’s “queer and proud.”
JoJo Siwa
The dancer, singer and Dancing With the Stars finalist had been posting hints about her sexuality on social media. She later confirmed it with a photo posted to Twitter with the young star wearing a shirt that said, “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” Siwa told People Magazine that she identifies as pansexual.
Country music star and lead vocalist from Brothers Osborne told TIME Magazine he’s “very comfortable being gay.”
“I find myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don’t have a problem with. That feels so strange.”
Credit/Shutterstock
Gabbi Tuft
The retired professional wrestler came out as transgender in an Instagram post shared with her followers in February. She said, “I am no longer afraid and I am no longer fearful. I can now say with confidence, that I love myself for WHO I am.”
The Freeform star known for her role as Jole Masterson on Twisted came out as bisexual in January. While participating in the social media trend, “Post a pic of…” Hasson replied to one fan who asked her to post a photo with “gay/bi vibes.”
The 26-year-old then shared a selfie and wrote, “Hi, I’m bi and proud.”
Ella Hunt plays Sue Gilbert, the love interest of Hailee Steinfeld’s Emily Dickinson in the Apple TV series Dickinson. In an interview with Square Mile, Hunt said she identifies as queer to her friends. However, some fans didn’t like how the actress called queer an attitude in the interview, and Hunt agreed with them. She tweeted, “I actually completely agree with you and when the interviewer asked me directly if I was queer I got anxious and fumbled my answer (having not openly talked about my identity for long).”
Sports broadcaster Kayla Braxton came out as bisexual on her now-deleted Twitter account. Braxton, a Friday Night SmackDown correspondent, wrote, “Hello world. I’m Kayla. Oh. And yeah – I’m Bi.”
Kellyman rose to fame for her portrayal of Flag Smasher leader Karli Morgenthau in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Though the actress has been open about her sexuality, fans went crazy when they discovered she identifies as queer in April. On Instagram, Kellyman wrote, “IDK why it took you gays so long.”
Internet personality Trisha Paytas came out as nonbinary in a YouTube video shared to their channel in April. “I’m nonbinary and I have to give credit to TikTok and Gen-Z. That seems like the perfect label for me.”
The former Bachelor star and professional football player came out as gay in an interview with Good Morning America. Underwood said, “I’ve run from myself for a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time. I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step isn’t all of this was sort of letting people know.”
Reality TV personality and model Courtney Stodden came out as nonbinary in an Instagram post in April. They said, “They/them/theirs. I don’t identify as she or her. I’ve never felt like I ever fit in anywhere.”
The little sister to Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal came out as trans in an interview with the entertainment magazine, Ya. She said her brother has been an “important part” of her journey.
Days of Our Lives star Linsey Godfrey came out as bisexual when she posted a selfie on Instagram sporting a rainbow eyeshadow look. She wrote, “LGBTQ Proud #bipride.”
The 13 Reasons Why star came out as a transgender woman in an exclusive interview with Time Magazine in July. Dorfman said, “Coming out is always viewed as this grand reveal, but I was never not out. Today is about clarity: I am a trans woman. My pronouns are she/her. My name is Tommy.”
Marvin Cortes secured the runner-up slot in a historical season of America’s Next Top Model where both men and women competed for the title. Cortes came out as bisexual in a video he posted to his Instagram.
In her memoir, Yours Cruelly, Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark introduced the world to her partner of 19 years, Teresa “T” Wierson. Elvira, whose real name is Cassandra Peterson, said she feared what her fans would think if she came out, but ultimately decided to live her truth. “I have to live with myself, and at this point in my life, I’ve got to be truthful about who I am.”
The Ecuadorian actor, who has starred in numerous telenovelas like El Clon and Victorinos came out as gay on Instagram. The 42-year-old also revealed that he has been in a relationship with his boyfriend for the last seven years.
Minor League Baseball player Kiernan Lovegrove came out as bisexual in an interview with ESPN. As the current pitcher for the Rocket City Trash Pandas, Lovegrove is one of two publicly out LGBTQ players in professional baseball.
The Broadway star and Grammy Award-winning actor came out as HIV-positive in an Interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Porter said, “I survived so that I could tell the story. That’s what I’m here for.”
Larry Saperstein
During Pride Month, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star came out in a TikTok video. The video showed Saperstein with the caption, “Plays a character with a girlfriend on TV, is bi irl.”
The Love, Simon and tick, tick… BOOM! star came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in an emotional post on Instagram. She told her followers she didn’t come out until she was 28 and it is one of her biggest regrets. “Today I’m happy in ways I don’t think my kid self could imagine.”
The American Idol finalist and “Crush” singer came out as queer and opened up about his struggle with his sexuality and his faith. Archuleta, who is a devout Mormon, said, “Idk what to make of it all and I don’t have all the answers. I just invite you to please consider making room to be more understanding and compassionate to those who are LGBTQIA+, and those who are a part of that community and trying to find that balance with their faith which also is a huge part of their identity like myself.”
The Australian actor shared an intimate photo of them kissing their boyfriend on the cover of DNA and wrote, “FYI I AM still a human (nonbinary/bi/me/Hughman) but I’m in a monogamous relationship with another human, who I love.”
The creator of the viral video “Leave Britney Alone” came out as transgender. She said, “It’s been 33 years coming and I’m happy to be in a place where I can embrace who I am.”
Best-known for his role in the Showtime series The Real L Word, Kacy Boccumini spoke openly about his transition in an interview with The Advocate. Boccumini said, “‘Kacy, you’re a boy. You always have been a boy. You’ve always known this. Isn’t it time to just give this to yourself?’”
In a series of viral photos posted on Twitter, fans went crazy when Olympian soccer players Kristie Mewis and Sam Kerr were spotted hugging after playing against each other at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They both confirmed the relationship on Instagram by posting more photos of the two kissing.
The Harold and Kumar and House star came out as gay in his memoir “You Can’t Be Serious.” Penn also revealed that he has been in a relationship with his partner Josh for 11 years and the two are currently engaged.
The English actor, known for his roles in New Girl, Pretty Little Liars and Once Upon a Time came out as gay and introduced the world to his partner of 18 years, Landon Ross. The two later revealed they are happily married in an Instagram story shared on Ross’ account.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race star came out as trans/nonbinary in a video shared on their Instagram. Goode said she began hormone replacement therapy in January.
