There were many highs and lows over the course of #20GayTeen, but one thing’s for certain: this year was full of exciting celebrity coming out stories. Here are a whopping 26 actors, musicians, and athletes who came out as members of the LGBTQ community during 2018.
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Janelle Monáe
Erika Goldring/FilmMagic2018 was a big year for Janelle Monáe, who dropped Dirty Computer, her biggest studio album yet, and came out as pansexual in an interview with Rolling Stone. The actress and singer confirmed she’s had relationships with both men and women and described herself as “a free-ass motherfucker.”
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Josie Totah
Jerod Harris/Getty Images for The Trevor ProjectIn August, this Champions star came out as transgender in a moving essay for Time. “I can only imagine how much more fun it’s going to be to play someone who shares my identity, rather than having to contort myself to play a boy,” Totah wrote. “I’m going to gun for those roles, be it a transgender female or a cisgender female. Because it’s a clean slate—and a new world.”
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Abbi Jacobson
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for NetflixThe Broad City star and co-creator came out as queer in an April interview with Vanity Fair.
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Kehlani
Andrew Chin/Getty ImagesThis pop star, who collabed with “Lesbian Jesus” Hayley Kiyoko for “What I Need,” came out as queer, “not bi, not straight,” in April.
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Sasha Lane
JB Lacroix/WireImageThe Miseducation of Cameron Post star came out as a gay in an interview leading up to the film’s release.
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Cory Michael Smith
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Hamptons International Film FestivalThe Gotham star, who played a closeted gay man in the AIDS drama 1985, came out as queer in an interview with The Daily Beast from March.
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Tessa Thompson
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicThe Creed actress, who famously co-starred in Monáe’s super sapphic “Pynk” music video, confirmed that she identifies as bisexual in an interview with Net-a-Porter in June. “I can take things for granted because of my family—it’s so free and you can be anything that you want to be,” she revealed. “I’m attracted to men and also to women.”
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Bex Taylor-Klaus
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicThe 23-year-old Arrow and Scream star came out as non-binary via Twitter in July.
Rebecca Sugar
Albert L. Ortega/Getty ImagesThe Steven Universe creator came out as non-binary earlier this year after previously opening up about being bisexual.
Kevin McHale
David Livingston/Getty ImagesThe Glee star officially came out as gay in May, opening up publicly about his relationship with actor Austin McKenzie for the first time.
Max Bemis
Daniel Boczarski/Redferns via Getty ImagesThe Say Anything singer came out as “bi-ish or queer” in August in an emotional letter to fans addressing his sexuality, his mental health, and the band’s indefinite hiatus.
Rita Ora
Gotham/FilmMagicFollowing a queer-baiting controversy about one of her songs, Ora came out as bisexual on social media in her apology.
Jake Atlas
Shortly after being named Rookie of the Year, the pro wrestler and California native came out as gay.
Brendon Urie
Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesThough the Panic! At The Disco frontman’s sexuality has been the subject of speculation for years, Brendon Urie confirmed he identifies as pansexual in an interview with Paper magazine this July. “I’m very much in love with [my wife] but I’m not opposed to a man because to me, I like a person,” he said. “Yeah, I guess you could qualify me as pansexual because I really don’t care. If a person is great, then a person is great. I just like good people, if your heart’s in the right place…It’s just people that I am attracted to.”
Collin Martin
Victor Decolongon/Getty ImagesMinnesota United midfielder Collin Martin came out as gay in June, making the 23-year-old the only gay male athlete from any of United States’ five major sports leagues (MLS, NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB.)
Lee Pace
VCG/VCG via Getty ImagesThe former Angels in America star has always been relatively private about his personal life, but this year, he confirmed that he “happily owns” being a member of the LGBTQ community.
Felix Jaehn
Isa Foltin/Getty ImagesSuperstar German DJ Felix Jaehn came out as bisexual in February, noting that he’s been attracted to both men and women.
Garrett Clayton
Michael Tran/FilmMagicThe Reach star came out as gay leading up to the release of the film in August, opening up to fans about his struggles with mental illness.
Andrea Russett
Leon Bennett/Getty ImagesIn a moving Instagram post in September addressing her friend’s homophobic attitudes, the actress and social media star came out as bisexual.
Derek Chadwick
Presley Ann/Getty ImagesActor and model Derek Chadwick (above, far right) came out as gay in a July issue of Gay Times telling the magazine, “I have a very private life, and because I haven’t been out… I didn’t want [people] to jump to conclusions about me without knowing my whole story.”
Amandla Stenberg
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty ImagesThe Hunger Games star, who previously identified as non-binary and used they/them pronouns, came out as gay in a cover story for Wonderland magazine.
Zander Hodgson
Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesThis British actor, who appeared in an explicit scene as a gay hustler in an episode of Ray Donovan, came out as gay in a YouTube video this April. “I wanted to tell everyone that I am gay,” he said, “and although that doesn’t change anything for me, and hopefully not for you, I just thought it was a really important thing to share with everyone.”
Alyson Stoner
SMXRF/Star Max/GC ImagesFormer Disney Channel star and Missy Elliott video girl, singer Alyson Stoner came out as queer in a moving personal essay for Teen Vogue in April.
Joey Pollari
Paras Griffin/Getty ImagesJoey Pollari, who stole our hearts as an adorable Waffle House employee in gay teen rom-com Love, Simon, came out as gay in March.
Hurley Haywood
Hoch Zwei/Getty ImagesThis 69-year-old racing legend came out as gay in his tell-all autobiography, Hurley! From The Beginning, published earlier this year.
Jason Mraz
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty ImagesThe popular singer came out in an interview with Billboard in July, confirming that he’s had experiences with both men and women—and using the indigenous term “two-spirit” to explain his sexuality, to the dismay of some LGBTQ Native Americans.
