8 Celebrities Who Came Out In 2013 And Shocked Exactly No One
Before we put a fork in 2013, we're going to take a moment to look back at the celebrities who came out this year. Some, like Jason Collins, sparked discussion in arenas that had never contemplated gay colleagues. Others were more startling by the fact that everyone thought they were out already (a certain Olympic figure skater comes to mind).
Everyone comes out in their own time, and every high-profile personality who comes forward and gives a face to the LGBT community is an asset. But 2013 really felt like the year of "tell me something I don't know."
8 Celebrities Who Came Out In 2013 And Shocked Exactly No One
Bob Harper
The Biggest Loser trainer finally came out this fall, to help a contestant struggling with his weight and sexuality. “I totally understand what you’re talking about. I totally get it — I’m gay," Harper said on the show." I knew a very long time ago that I was gay, and the family that I grew up around was very much the same [as yours]— you know, there was so much repression there.”
Victor Garber
Though Garber's not exactly a household name, his face is instantly recognizable thanks to star turns on Alias and in movies from Titanic to Argo. The 63-year-old hadn't discussed his relationship with artist Rainer Andreesen before this January, but even he admits it was one of the worst kept "secrets" in Hollywood, telling blogger Greg Hernandez, "I don't really talk about it but everybody knows."
Tuc Watkins
Like many on this list, Watkins was presumed already out by many. But the actor, best known for his roles in shows like One Life To Live and Desperate Housewives, hadn’t discussed his personal life with the media—until an April episode of Marie Osmond’s Hallmark Channel talk show. An odd choice for a coming-out party, but welcome to the club, Tuc!
Robin Roberts
When hetero anchor Diane Sawyer departed Good Morning America in 2009, there was already buzz that the long-running morning show was now gayer than an Atlantis cruise. But it wasn't until last week, in a year-end Facebook post, that Roberts thanked her longtime girlfriend, Amber Laign, for supporting her through a rare life-threatening illness.
Not to be insensitive, but what if Roberts hadn't recovered? Would Amber's love and dedication have gone unmentioned forever?
Raven Symone
Rumors about the former Cosby kid's relationship with model AzMarie Livingston had been swirling for some time, but Raven-Symoné came out officially in a tweet celebrating this year's landmark Supreme Court cases. “I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you!”
What did stun us, though, is that she waited more than a month after the rulings to mention them. Hey, a girl gets busy!
Tom Daley
No T no shade: Daley's coming out was significant for the fact that he's so young, so high-profile and such a tween heartthrob. But a million catty bitches collectively rolled their eyes when Daley declared in YouTube video that he was dating a guy.
Brian Boitano
But seriously, he wasn't out already?
Jodie Foster
"You know, I'm just gonna put it out there, right? Loud and proud, right? So I'm gonna need your support on this. I am… single. Yes I am, I am single. No, I'm kidding. But I mean, I'm not really kidding, but I'm kind of kidding. Thank you for the enthusiasm. Can I get a wolf whistle or something? I hope you guys weren't hoping this would be a big coming-out speech tonight, because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago, back in the stone age. In those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family, co-workers, and then gradually, proudly to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met. But now apparently, I'm told that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance, and a prime time reality show."
With those immortal words, Jodie Foster came out during the 2013 Golden Globes back in January. If we were giving out an award for biggest hot mess of a coming-out speech, Jodie would have won it hands down.