30 Of Your 2000s Crushes Who Came Out Of The Closet
1.Jonathan Bennett
Why you were crushing: You remember Jonathan as the groolest boy in school, Aaron Samuels, in the 2004 hit, Mean Girls.
How he came out: Bennett came out in late 2017 when he casually dropped a pic on Instagram of him and his boyfriend in a Top Gun couple's Halloween costume, causing the Gay Internet™ to lose it's collective mind! We may never recover!
2.Keke Palmer
Why you were crushing: You remember Keke as everybody's favorite Joy Jumper in the DCOM classic Jump In! and taking on the world of fashion in Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP.
How she came out: Palmer came out as bisexual with the release of her 2015 music video for "I Don't Belong To You," in which the video shows her with both a man and a woman. In a 2019 interview with PrideSource she said, "I truly believe sexuality is a spectrum. I believe you’re meant to find love wherever it finds you." Certified bi-con.
3.Matt Dallas
Why you were crushing: Matt was the hunky, belly-buttonless boy in the ABC Family (now Freeform) show, Kyle, XY. (His character description is literally "teenager in search of his missing belly button," and wow does that make me giggle.)
How he came out: In the beginning of 2013, Dallas came out when he Tweeted a photo of his beau with the caption, "Starting off the year with a new fiancé, @bluehamilton. A great way to kick off 2013!" A real one-two punch!
4.Ricky Martin
Why you were crushing: I feel like I don't need to remind you why, but Ricky burst on to the US music scene with his hits like "Livin' La Vida Loca," "She Bangs," and "Nobody Wants To Be Lonely." No one can wear a leather pant quite like he can.
How he came out: Martin came out in a post on his website in 2010. How chic! The message read, “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.” And we are blessed by all these years of his gyrations.
5.Alia Shawkat
Why you were crushing: Her star shone brightly in roles like Maeby Fünke in Arrested Development and as Hannah Rayburn in the oft-forgotten about State of Grace. She has always and will always be our freckle queen (I feel like this comment feels less weird if you know that I also have a lot of freckles).
How she came out: In an interview with Out Magazine in 2017, Shawkat casually came out when discussing her role in Paint It Black, saying "Now I consider myself bisexual, and I think balancing my male and female energies has been a big part of me growing as an actor." Speaking of her growth as an actor, can we get her a retroactive Emmy for Search Party???
6.Zachary Quinto
Why you were crushing: Before he became out, Star Trek hottie, Zachary, hit our crush radars in shows like 24 and Heroes, and he's never left since.
How he came out: Ok, this one is kind of heavy, but Quinto came out in a post on his website after gay teen, Jayme Rodemeyer, committed suicide and made national news. In the post, Zachary wrote, "In light of Jamey’s death, it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality.” Thank you for allowing yourself to be seen, sir.
7.Kevin Mchale
Why you were crushing: Kevin got his start singing lead vocals in the '00s boy band, NLT (which stands for "Not Like Them" lolol), and was later known for his role as Artie Abrams in the infamous Glee.
How he came out: Using the power of Twitter, combined with the release of Ariana Grande's "No Tears Left to Cry," McHale came out to the world in 2018 when he tweeted to his followers, "#NoTearsLeftToCry is gayer than me and I ACCEPT. Ty @ArianaGrande." What a powerful song. What a powerful moment.
8.Raven-Symone
Why you were crushing: Raven was the FACE of the Disney Channel from 2002 to 2007, setting the crush alarm bells in shows like That's So Raven and Kim Possible, and in DCOMs like The Cheetah Girls and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. The it-girl of the it-girls.
How she came out: Raven came out as a lesbian in August of 2013 after several US states legalized same-sex marriage. She took to Twitter (ok, I guess it's THE place to come out) saying, "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you." Last year, on an episode of the Pride podcast, she reflected on her time in the industry being closeted, stating, "The talk of my personal life was never something I was allowed or comfortable to talk about. But it feels good to be able to do it now." We're so happy for you, girl!
9.Tyler Posey
Why you were crushing: Tyler, Tyler, Tyler. He first stole our hearts in shows like NBC's Brothers & Sisters, the Billy Ray Cyrus vehicle, Doc, and eventually awakened us all in Teen Wolf. Awoooooo! (My pathetic attempt at a wolf call. Sorry.)
How he came out: In a 2021 interview with NME, he discussed his journey with his sexuality, and how his current GF, Phem, has helped him. "I’ve been with everybody under the sun, and right now I’m in the best relationship that I’ve ever been in with a woman, and she’s queer too," he said. “She’s helped me realize that I fit under the queer umbrella and that I’m sexually fluid." Welcome to the fam, Tyler!
10.Tom Lenk
Why you were crushing: You remember Tom as Andrew Wells in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel. Very formative shows for all of us queers out here. Thank you for your service, Tom.
How he came out: Lenk came out as gay in a 2008 issue of The Advocate (like the real, physical magazine if you can imagine). Although he wasn't publicly out at the time of filming, Tom's sexuality was the catalyst for making his character queer in the show, and discussing it in an interview with Pink News he said, "There was not a lot of queer representation on TV so that was hugely groundbreaking."
11.Jena Malone
Why you were crushing: Ol' Jena was making your heart race in movies like Donnie Darko, Pride & Prejudice, and the completely underrated Saved!. "I am FILLED with christ's love!!!!!!"
How she came out: Malone came out as pansexual just this August! In an Instagram post she wrote, "It felt like I was a heterosexual man in a woman’s body... But this was never the whole of the story that was meant for me. So I’ve been learning a new way to tell it... my sexual identity has more to teach and to tell me. Finding words that feel more right to explore in my telling. Pansexuality. Sapiosexuality. Polyamory. A fuller spectrum of understanding that my story is demanding of me. And I’m honoring it today." So happy to be let in on the journey.
12.Mae Whitman
Why you were crushing: This is going to sound like a copy/paste from Alia Shawkat's entry, but Mae also made a big impression on all of us in State of Grace and Arrested Development (I need these two to work together one more time please). She also voiced everybody's favorite waterbender, Katara, in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Pretty badass if you ask me.
How she came out: In a post on Twitter last year (you could make a drinking game out of how many celebs came out via Twitter), she praised one of her current projects, The Owl House, in which her character, Amity, is queer. She said, "Just taking a moment to say I am SO proud to be even a small part of a show like The Owl House. Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and Luz in my life when I was growing up. Queer representation is sososo important." I couldn't agree more!
13.Leonardo Nam
Why you were crushing: Leonardo made us all swoon as the mega-nerd, Brian, in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies before revving up his bad boy side in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The range!
How he came out: There's actually not a lot of info on the how and when, I hate to tell you, but he did talk about meeting his husband, Michael Dodge, at the gym when he was bulking up for the 2008 Sisterhood sequel. In an interview with Out he said, "It’s a true basic-gay love story!” The couple posts about each other on Instagram pretty much all the time, with both pictures of each other and their twins. IT'S ALMOST TOO CUTE!
14.Lee Pace
Why you were crushing: You remember Lee as the hot-hot-hot lead in the canceled-too-soon dramedy series, Pushing Daises, and the oft-forgotten Wonderfalls. Why would you cancel shows starring a man who is so crushable??
How he came out: Although Sir Ian McKellan accidentally outed Pace back in 2012 during a press junket for The Hobbit, Lee didn't publicly comment on his sexuality until 2018. After an interview with W Magazine, the actor clarified some of his comments on Twitter (drink!) saying, "As a member of the queer community, I understand the importance of living openly, being counted, and happily owning who I am." And just last month, he revealed that he got secretly married to Matthew Foley. How chic!
15.Kristen Stewart
Why you were crushing: Kristen had a death grip on the throats of queers everywhere through the entirety of the 2000s. From Panic Room and Zathura, to Catch That Kid and OBVIOUSLY Twilight, she's been a gay fave since day one. Forget team Edward and Jacob — team K-Stew all the way!
How she came out: During her monologue as SNL's host in 2017, Stewart addressed a series of tweets that D*nald Tr*mp aimed at her in the past, joking, "If you didn't like me then, you're probably not going to like me now, cos I'm hosting SNL and I'm like, so gay, dude." She also commented on her sexuality again that same year in an interview with The Guardian where she said, "It's cool that you don't have to nail everything down any more. That whole certainty about whether you're straight or gay or whatever. You're not confused if you're bisexual. It's not confusing at all."
16.T.R. Knight
Why you were crushing: T.R. stopped hearts as Dr. George O'Malley in Grey's Anatomy starting in 2005. (I mean thank god he was a doctor so he could start them again!!)
How he came out: Knight came out in 2007 after overhearing his coworker, Isaiah Washington (who denied the claims) call him the other F-word on the set of Grey's Anatomy. In an exclusive interview with People Magazine, he said, "I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I’d like to quiet any unnecessary rumors that may be out there. While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I’m gay isn’t the most interesting part of me," and later clarified why the situation gave him the courage to come out, saying "I’ve never been called that to my face. So I think when that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself." Well, thank you for your bravery, sir!
17.David Archuleta
Why you were crushing: You remember him, of course, from when he crooned his way into your dreams on season Season 7 of American Idol and then hit the airwaves with hits like "Crush" and "Something 'Bout Love"
How he came out: In the summer of 2021, Archuleta came out in an Instagram post (ok, breaking conventions by not "taking to twitter") where he said, "I came out in 2014 as gay to my family. But then I had similar feelings for both genders so maybe a spectrum of bisexual. Then I also have learned I don’t have too much sexual desires and urges as most people... Which people call asexual when they don’t experience sexual urges.”
18.Tessa Thompson
Why you were crushing: Tessa was out there stealing hearts on the cult hit Veronica Mars and on the short-lived, lost-to-time show Hidden Palms.
How she came out: In an interview with Porter magazine in 2018, Thompson opened up about her sexuality and the suspected romance she has with singer Janelle Monáe. "[In my family] you can be anything you want to be. I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion.” We never did get confirmation on whether or not she and Janelle were dating, but what a time it was to be alive!
19.Wentworth Miller
Why you were crushing: Wentworth (I mean this name alone is HOT HOT HOT) became the bad boy of our dang dreams in 2005's Prison Break. And let us not forget his pivotal role in the early '00s miniseries, Dinotopia. Hehehe.
Just need you to get your eyes on this.
*NOW BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING*
How he came out: Miller received an offer to be honored at the St. Petersburg International Film Festival in 2013, shortly after Russia had doubled down on its anti-LGBTQ attitude. In a letter to the festival (which was published on GLAAD) he said, "As a gay man, I must decline. I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government. The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly." You tell, 'em, Wenty!
20.Clea DuVall
Why you were crushing: Clea was making queer women's (and honestly some queer men's) hearts go pitter-patter in cult classics like Can't Hardly Wait and But I'm a Cheerleader, before landing on the HBO show Carnivàle.
How she came out: DuVall came out in 2016 when discussing her directorial debut film, The Intervention. Talking about the characters in the film, she said, "I’ve played a lot of gay characters, but I haven’t really played a gay character that is gay in a way that is the gay that I feel like I am."
21.Daniel Franzese
Why you were crushing: I mean Daniel is arguably one of the funniest parts of Mean Girls, what's not to crush about him? (Not sure that that's proper English, but why would I start caring about that now?)
How he came out: Franzese came out in 2014 when he wrote an emotional later to his Mean Girls character, Damien, which was published to IndieWire. "Dear Damian," he wrote, "It’s been a long time since our last encounter. Ten years to be exact. I was twenty-six; you were sixteen. You were proud of who you were; I was an insecure actor. You became an iconic character that people looked up to; I wished I’d had you as a role model when I was younger. It might’ve been easier to be gay growing up." The whole letter is actually so sweet and you should read it and have a good cry.
22.Alyson Stoner
Why you were crushing: This girl was EVERYWHERE in the 2000s. Whether you know her from Cheaper by the Dozen, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Camp Rock, or as THAT girl dancing in Missy Elliot's music videos, Alyson had your attention.
How she came out: In March of 2018, Stoner wrote an essay for Seventeen magazine titled "How I Embraced My Sexuality." In it, she wrote, "I, Alyson, am attracted to men, women, and people who identify in other ways. I can love people of every gender identity and expression." She also said that coming out made her feel "awakened, more compassionate, and like my truest self." Live your truth, girl!
23.Charlie Carver
Why you were crushing: Y'all remember Charlie from one of the most important shows in history, Desperate Housewives. I can't be certain, but his role as Porter Scavo might be the sole reason I have such a thing for bad boys because he was the baddest.
How he came out: In January of 2016, Carver came out in a series of five lengthy Instagram posts where he shared that he felt inspired by the phrase "be who you needed when you were younger." In the caption of the photo he wrote, "So now, let the record show this- I self-identify as gay... As a young man, I needed a young man in Hollywood to say that- and without being a dick about it, I owe it to myself, more than anything, to be who I needed when I was younger.”
24.Billy Gilman
Why you were crushing: The musical prodigy earned himself a Grammy nom for "One Voice" and became the youngest person ever to have a top 40 song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Ok, color me impressed!!
How he came out: In November of 2014, Gilman came out in a since delete YouTube video, shortly after fellow country singer Ty Herndon revealed he was also gay. In the video, Billy said, "Today a fellow country artist and friend made it easier for me to make this video... Being a gay male country artist is not the best thing… It’s difficult for me to make this video, not because I’m ashamed to be a gay male artist, or a gay artist, or a gay person, but... because I’m in a genre in an industry that is ashamed of me for being me.” F the haters, Billy! We got your back.
25.Rajiv Surendra
Why you were crushing: Rajiv played the infamous math wiz/rapper in Mean Girls! (And yes, that does mark the third actor from Mean Girls on this list who came out.)
26.Heather Matarazzo
Why you were crushing: Heather was awakening queer girls everywhere in movies like Scream 3, Saved! (for the second time on this list), and of course, The Princess Diaries. "Not you! I don't even know you!" is on a constant loop in my head.
How she came out: Matarazzo came out in 2004 when talking to the New York Daily News. Talking about her then partner, she revealed, "I met the person I’m so madly crazy in love with. She’s not famous yet. She will be. She wants to do musical theater and stage, which is not as demoralizing as the movie business is.” Have always and will always love you, girl!
27.Thomas Dekker
Why you were crushing: You knew Thomas and his bangs from shows like 7th Heaven, Heroes, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. (I absolutely have this hair in my senior pics, lol.)
How he came out: Dekker was accidentally outed by Heroes script writer, Bryan Fuller, at the 2017 Outfest when discussing queer representation on screen. After the controversy, the actor wrote a lengthy message on Instagram addressing Fuller's statement. "While it is an odd situation, I thank him because it presents a prime opportunity for me to publicly say that I am indeed a man who proudly loves other men. In fact, this April, I married my husband and I could not be happier... To say the words myself. “I’m gay”. Those words are a badge of honor that no one can steal." A hero if I've ever seen one.
28.Reid Ewing
Why you were crushing: You remember Reid from Modern Family, as the dopey, well-meaning Dylan (the kind of guy I would have absolutely let RUIN MY LIFE in high school).
How he came out: Ewing publicly came out in 2015 after a Good Morning America segment aired about his plastic surgery addiction. In response to seeing his segment on TV, a Twitter exchange allowed him to be honest with the public. He said, "Saw Eugene Bata on @GMA in the Body Dysmorphia segment connected to my article and I just want to say he is hot af." A fan responded asking if he just outed himself, and the response was perfect. "I was never in."
29.Demi Lovato
Why you were crushing: This late '00s it-girl had you singing her bops like "Get Back" and "Don't Forget," and ushered in a new era of the Disney Channel with faves like Sonny with a Chance and Camp Rock.
How she came out: In a 2018 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Lovato came out as pansexual. Talking about her sexuality she said, "I’m so fluid now, and a part of the reason why I am so fluid is because I was, like, super closeted off." When asked how she identifies, she responded, "Yeah, pansexual." Love having you at the queer party, lady!
30.Lance Bass
Why you were crushing: Come on y'all. IT'S LANCE FREAKING BASS OF NSYNC FAME! What else do you need??
How he came out: Lance came out in a 2006 People Magazine cover story heard round the world. "I'M GAY!" the cover read, and I (and probably you, too) remember seeing it in the grocery store checkout line like, "Ok, wow this is huge!!! I have a chance with Lance Bass!!!" While we never dated, I do go to his bar in West Hollywood from time to time. Maybe one day.
