Caitlyn Jenner, Cara Delevingne, and 10 Other Celebrities Who Publicly Came Out Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Vanity Fair1/12Caitlyn Jenner
In April, former Olympian Bruce Jenner sat down with Diane Sawyer for a televised interview and announced to nearly 17 million viewers that he was transitioning from male to female. One month later, Caitlyn Jenner introduced herself to the world with her historic Vanity Fair cover.
Photo: Getty Images2/12Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster had never addressed her sexuality publicly until she got up on stage at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards to receive her Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. Her public acknowledgement seemed to be a formality for Foster. “I hope you guys weren’t hoping this would be a big coming-out speech tonight,” she said, “because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago, back in the Stone Age.”
Photo: Courtesy of Elle UK / @elleuk3/12Miley Cyrus
While Miley Cyrus has never been one to stick to labels, she did address her bisexuality in an interview with Elle U.K., stating, “I’m very open about it—I’m pansexual.”
Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue, October 20154/12Cara Delevingne
Even though she was photographed multiple times with ex-girlfriend Michelle Rodriguez, Cara Delevingne never directly addressed her sexuality until a recent interview with Vogue. “It took me a long time to accept the idea, until I first fell in love with a girl at 20 and recognized that I had to accept it,” she said.
Photo: Courtesy of TIME5/12Ellen DeGeneres
In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres appeared on an issue of Time magazine, which featured the cover line, “Yep, I’m Gay.” A few weeks after her announcement, DeGeneres’s character on her eponymous sitcom also came out.
Photo: Getty Images6/12Anderson Cooper
For many years, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper avoided directly addressing the question of his much-rumored sexuality. In 2012, in an email to writer Andrew Sullivan, the reporter confirmed he was gay. “The fact is,” he wrote, “I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.”
Photo: Getty Images7/12Neil Patrick Harris
After starring in the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris’s private life was suddenly under intense scrutiny. Harris credited this increased interest in his dating life as to why he decided to publicly come out to People in 2006. “Rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me,” he said, “I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love.”
Photo: Courtesy of People8/12Lance Bass
When Lance Bass declared he was gay—also on the cover of People magazine—he explained that he waited to come out until his ’NSync days were behind him. “I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys’ careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said [that I was gay], it would overpower everything.”
Photo: Getty Images9/12Rosie O’Donnell
Instead of appearing on the cover of a magazine, Rosie O’Donnell chose a much more casual way to announce her sexuality. In 2002, during one of her stand-up routines, the former View cohost told the audience, “I’m a dyke!”
Photo: Jeff Bottari / AP Images10/12Ellen Page
Last year, Ellen Page attended the Time to Thrive conference, a Human Rights Campaign Foundation event to promote LGBTQ youth rights. The actress gave a touching speech and said she was tired of hiding her sexuality. “I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility,” she said. “I also do it selfishly because I’m tired of hiding. And I’m tired of lying by omission. I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered, and my relationships suffered. And I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain.”
Photo: Getty Images11/12Tim Cook
As the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook is one of the most powerful people to have ever publicly acknowledged his sexuality. In a thoughtful op-ed in Bloomberg Businessweek, Cook explained that although he was openly gay with friends and family, he now felt the need to address the matter publicly in an effort to inspire others in a similar situation. “I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others,” he wrote. “So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.”
Photo: Getty Images12/12Sam Smith
Many wondered whether the Grammy winner’s songs were written about a man or a woman. Smith finally put the rumors to rest in an interview with The Fader when he explained that In the Lonely Hour was dedicated to a man. “It’s about a guy and that’s what I wanted people to know—I want to be clear that that’s what it’s about,” he said. “I’ve been treated as normal as anyone in my life; I’ve had no issues.”
