39 Gay Celebrities Who've Come Out Since 2000
Gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transexual individuals started to gain more support in the 2000s. Gay actors, writers, and musicians have all publicly come out as gay since 2000. Many famous gay people came out in the media, while others used tools like Facebook and Twitter to make their announcements. This list of gay celebrities who came out in the 2000s has been loosely ranked by fame and popularity.
Who is the most famous gay celebrity who came out in the 2000s? Rosie O'Donnell tops our list. O'Donnell publicly came out in 2002 at an Ovarian Cancer Research benefit at Caroline's Comedy Club. She has since been a fierce advocate for gay rights, same-sex marriage, and gay adoption rights.
Jodie Foster publicly came out in 2013 during her Golden Globes acceptance speech saying, "I already did my coming out about 1,000 years ago back in the stone age, those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family and co-workers, and then gradually and proudly to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met."
Other gay celebs who recently came out include Wentworth Miller, Neil Patrick Harris, and Colton Haynes.
Do you think that the 2000s have been the easiest time to come out as gay?
After being inspired by an Ariana Grande song, Glee star Kevin McHale came out as gay on Twitter in 2018.
Kevin Michael McHale (born June 14, 1988) is an American actor, singer, dancer and radio personality. Formerly of the boy band NLT, McHale is known for his role as Artie Abrams in the Fox comedy-drama series Glee. From 2014 to 2016 he hosted the British panel show Virtually Famous on E4. McHale is currently one of the four hosts of Sick of My Own Voice on Dash Radio. ...more on Wikipedia
Age: 30
Birthplace: Texas, USA, Plano
Nationality: United States of America
Profession: Actor, Singer, Dancer
Credits: Glee, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, Glee Encore, Boychoir
In October 2017, Kevin Spacey came out as gay on his Twitter in response to a sexual assault allegation by actor Anthony Rapp. Most people largely saw this as a means of distracting the public from Rapp's allegation.
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor, producer, and singer. Spacey began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles in film and television. He gained critical acclaim in the 1990s that culminated in his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the neo-noir crime thriller The Usual Suspects (1995) and an Academy Award for Best Actor for the midlife crisis-themed drama American Beauty (1999). Spacey's other starring roles have included the comedy-drama film Swimming with Sharks (1994), the psychological thriller Seven (1995), the neo-noir crime film L.A. Confidential (1997), the drama Pay It Forward (2000), the science ...more on Wikipedia
Age: 59
Birthplace: South Orange, New Jersey, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
Profession: Theatre Director, Television producer, Film Producer, Screenwriter, Actor, + more
Credits: American Beauty, L.A. Confidential, The Usual Suspects, Moon
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In 2016, Teen Wolf and Leftovers actor Charlie Carver came out via his Instagram account. He wrote, “As a young boy, I knew I wanted to be an actor. It was around that age that I also knew, however abstractly, that I was different from some of the other boys in my grade.
Over time, this abstract ’knowing’ grew and articulated itself through a painful gestation marked by feelings of despair and alienation, ending in a climax of saying three words out loud: ’I am gay.'”
Charles Carver Martensen (born July 31, 1988), known professionally as Charlie Carver, is an American actor. His best known roles include Porter Scavo on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives, Ethan on the MTV television series Teen Wolf, and Scott Frost on the first season of the HBO television series The Leftovers. His twin brother Max Carver has frequently portrayed the twin of his characters. ...more on Wikipedia
Age: 30
Birthplace: USA, California, San Francisco
Nationality: United States of America
Profession: Actor
Credits: The Leftovers, Fred 3: Camp Fred, Bad Asses, Underdogs, I Am Michael
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Arrow star Colton Haynes came out on Tumblr in the first few days of 2016. Rumors about the Teen Wolf actor had long swirled, but Haynes had yet to confirm them. Then, a user commented, "When I found out Colton Haynes had a secret gay past I got so excited even though I know it makes absolutely no different in my life."
Haynes replied, "Was it a secret? Let's all just enjoy life & have no regrets."
Colton Lee Haynes (born July 13, 1988) is an American actor and model . He is known for his starring role as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV supernatural drama series Teen Wolf and as Roy Harper / Arsenal in the CW superhero television series Arrow. ...more on Wikipedia
Age: 30
Birthplace: Wichita, Kansas, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
Profession: Model, Actor
Credits: Arrow, San Andreas, Teen Wolf, Superhero Fight Club
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