20 stars who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023

Celebrities including Bella Ramsay and Billie Eilish who came out in 2023

2023 has been a year of highs and lows for the LGBTQ+ community, but the power of celebrities and those with public platforms coming out and sharing their truth with the world can’t be understated.

This year, we’ve witnessed a wave of celebrities stepping into their truth and coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community, including Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp, YouTuber Kris Tyson, The Last of Us actor Bella Ramsey, and incoming Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa.

Here are 20 celebrities who bravely told the world about their LGBTQ+ identity in 2023.

Noah Schnapp in a white blazer and blue and white pinstriped shirt.
Noah Schnapp came out as gay in a TikTok video. (Getty/Stephane Cardinale-Corbis)

Noah Schnapp

Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp came out publicly as gay in a TikTok video in January.

The actor, who turned 19 at the beginning of the year, plays gay character Will Byers in the hit Netflix series and has since reflected on the support he received from cast mates and fans alike.


Wayne Brady smiles while wearing a black hat and black shirt.
Wayne Brady danced for joy after coming out as pansexual. (Getty/Frazer Harrison)

Wayne Brady

Actor and gameshow host Wayne Brady celebrated coming out as pansexual in August.

The 51-year-old How I Met Your Mother star made a TikTok video, dancing under rainbow confetti and opened up about feeling more liberated than ever.


Drag Race star Adore Delano has come out as trans. (Getty)
Drag Race star Adore Delano used a lengthy Instagram post to come out as trans. (Getty)

Adore Delano

RuPaul’s Drag Race season six finalist Adore Delano came out as transgender in July in a lengthy Instagram video. Fellow drag queens were quick to share their joy at the 31-year-old star’s news.


Drag Race star Jade Jolie comes out as trans.
Taylor Swift impersonator Jade Jolie came out as trans. (Instagram/@missjadejolie)

Jade Jolie

Another RuPaul’s Drag Race star, Jade Jolie shared an update on social media in October to announce that she was trans.

The Taylor Swift impersonator, 36, told supportive followers that said she was “deciding to choose myself”. 


Ncuti Gatwa in a black and white shirt and black and yellow neck tie.
A meeting at Manchester Pride was the stimulus for Ncuti Gatwa to come out as queer. (Getty/ Raimonda Kulikauskiene)

Ncuti Gatwa

Incoming Doctor Who star Gatwa casually came out as queer in an interview in September after sharing a moving story about attending Manchester Pride.

The actor, who turns 31 later this week, also played Eric in Sex Education, and spoke about the impact seeing a fellow queer Rwandan person during the celebrations had on him. 


side by side pictures of Paulie Calafiore, one from his run on The Challenge: USA and another of him shirtless on a beach-like setting
Paulie Calafiore finally feels “free and seen” after coming out as bisexual. (Paramount Plus/Instagram/@paulcalafiore_)

Paulie Calafiore

The Challenge: USA star Calafiore shared his joy at coming out as bisexual in August.

He spoke about tackling “toxic masculinity” with GLAAD, and told his followers on Instagram that at the age of 34 he “finally feels free and seen”.


Greta Van Fleet's Josh Kiszka performs on stage, holding a microphone.
Josh Kiszka has been in a “loving same-sex relationship” for eight years. (Getty/Scott Legato)

Josh Kiszka

Rock singer and founding member of the Grammy-award-winning band Greta van Fleet, Josh Kiszka, came out as queer in June.

The 27-year-old Tennessee-based singer spoke out in response to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being rolled out across the state. He revealed that he has been in a “loving, same-sex relationship” for eight years. 


Mo'Nique
Comedian Mo’Nique came out in her Netlfix special. (Netflix)

Mo’Nique

US comedian Mo’Nique came out as queer during her Netflix specialMy Name is Mo’Nique, in April.

The 55-year-old TV personality opened up on stage about her struggle to accept her sexuality and memories of a gender-non-confirming relative, “Uncle Tina”. 


Bachelorette star Gabby Windey attends the Los Angeles premiere of Freeform's "Cruel Summer" season 2
Gabby Windey announced she was in a relationship with writer Robby Hoffman. (Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

Gabby Windey

In August, The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey, 32, announced her relationship with writer Robby Hoffman in an Instagram post captioned: “Told you I’m a girl’s girl.”

Since then, she has spoken about feeling more “liberated” in the bedroom, while fellow queer Bachelor cast mates have shared their support


Glamorous star Miss Benny comes out as transgender
Glamorous star Miss Benny came out as transgender in June. (Getty)

Miss Benny

Actress and singer Miss Benny, 24, came out as a trans woman in June, days after her new show Glamorous was released on Netflix.

In a personal essay, she wrote about “praying every night” when she was younger, hoping that she would wake up like her sisters. In a scene at the end of Glamorous season one, it was revealed that her character, Marco, is also transgender.


MrBeast star Kris Tyson gives positive six month HRT update.
Kris Tyson revealed she has been undergoing hormone replacement therapy. (Instagram/@chris_thememegod/YouTube)

Kris Tyson

Kris Tyson, the long-time collaborator of YouTube favourite MrBeast, revealed in April that she had been accessing hormone replacement therapy.

In an update in July, the 27 year old confirmed that she would be using she/her pronouns from now on.


Reality star Chloe Veitch comes out as bisexual.
Chloe Veitch is looking forward to dating as a bisexual woman. (Getty)

Chloe Veitch

Too Hot To Handle’s Chloe Veitch opened up about being bisexual earlier this year, explaining that her time on The Big Celebrity Detox – a show where celebrities undergo self-improvement exercises – helped her realise her sexuality.

Since then, the 24-year-old English model has revealed that she is “itching” to jump back into the dating world as a bi woman.


Joe Locke in a brown top and beige blazer, looking directly at the camera.
Joe Locke said he knew he was gay at the age of nine. (Getty/WWD)

Joe Locke

Heartstopper favourite Joe Locke made an excellent point during an interview in August, explaining that although many people assumed that he’s gay, because he plays sweet gay teen Charlie Spring in the Netflix series, he had never publicly confirmed his sexuality.

The actor – now 20 – told Teen Vogue that he knew he was gay when he was about nine years old and was open about his sexuality from the age of 12. 


Sufjan Stevens wears a pink and black striped suit jacket as he plays the guitar and sings into a microphone on stage
Sufjan Stevens dedicated his album to his late partner Evans Richardson. (Getty)

Sufjan Stevens

In October, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Stevens appeared to come out as LGBTQ+ via an Instagram post, in which he dedicated his new album Javelin to his late partner Evans Richardson. 

“He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity and joy,” Stevens, 48, wrote. 

“He was one of those rare and beautiful ones you find only once in a life time: precious, impeccable and absolutely exceptional in every way.”


The Bachelor Australia's Brooke Cleal announces she is now in a same-sex relationship.
Brooke Cleal announced she was in a same-sex relationship after being dumped by Jimmy Nicholson in the season nine finale
of The Bachelor. (Instagram/@alyssaviktoria_/Network 10)

Brooke Cleal

In August, The Bachelor Australia star Brooke Cleal revealed that she was happy and thriving in a same-sex relationship, two years on from being unceremoniously dumped by Jimmy Nicholson in the show’s finale. 

In a post, 29-year-old Cleal celebrated embarking on “one of the most loving, liberating, empowering relationships” with Alyssa Viktoria.


Alison Brie revealed her bisexuality very calmly. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Alison Brie

Community actress Alison Brie is a contender for 2023’s award for most nonchalant coming out. The 40-year-old star, also seen in Mad Men, was taking part in BuzzFeed Celeb’s popular series “Celebs Read Thirst Tweets”, and was presented with a tweet which read: “Listen, I am bisexual for a reason and that reason is strictly to be used in a threesome with Dave Franco and Alison Brie.”

Her response? “That’s also why I’m bisexual.”

Simply brilliant.


Joe Tasker during his coming out video.
Joe Tasker said he has never been happier. (YouTube)

Joe Tasker

Children’s TV presenter and YouTube star Joe Tasker came out as gay in February via a YouTube video.

The 30-year-old CBBC host called it “the biggest video [he] will probably ever release”, and introduced his boyfriend, telling viewers: “I have never been as happy as I am right now.”


Josh Seiter
Josh Seiter’s coning out was somewhat marred by a hacker. (Instagram/@josh_seiter_official)

Josh Seiter

In June, Josh Seiter, a contestant on The Bachelorette in 2015, came out as bisexual.

However, the joy around the 36 year old’s coming out was soon eclipsed after he fell victim to a death hoax, with the reality star claiming a hacker had posted a statement on his Instagram page announcing he had died.

He has since opened up about his mental-health struggles.


The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey gets candid about pressures of high-profile fame.
Bella Ramsey finds it exciting to be referred to as ‘he”. (Getty)

Bella Ramsey

20-year old Bella Ramsey has had a mammoth 2023, starring in the successful apocalypse series The Last of Us, bagging a role in BBC drama Time, and being nominated for their first Emmy Award.

They started the year by revealing that their gender is fluid and that they identify as non-binary.

“I guess my gender has always been very fluid,” Ramsey told The New York Times. “Someone would call me ‘she’ or ‘her’ and I wouldn’t think about it, but I knew that if someone called me ‘he’, it was a bit exciting.”


Billie Eilish

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: Billie Eilish attends 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/WireImage,)
Billie Eilish. (Getty)

Billie Eilish came out publicly in Variety’s November 2023 cover story, with the “Bad Guy” hitmaker confirming that she is “physically attracted” to women.

The singer later told a Variety red carpet reporter that she doesn’t “believe” in the concept of coming out, stating: “I just don’t really believe in it. I’m just like, ‘Why can’t we just exist?’ I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I just didn’t talk about it. Whoops.

“But I saw the article and I was like, ‘Oh I guess I came out today.’ Okay, cool. It’s exciting to me because I guess people didn’t know. But it’s cool that they know. I am for the girls.”