Tara Block of TrèsSugar talks about how your favorite stars made their trip out of the closet.
It’s been a good few weeks for the gay community as Obama has openly said he supports gay marriage, and yesterday, both The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons and The Biggest Loser‘s trainer Jillian Michaels came out of the closet. Jim and Jillian join celebs like Matt Bomer who have used casual references to tell the world their sexual orientation. Be inspired with some of the celebrities who’ve used magazines, talk shows, and their blogs to come out as gay. Find out now how Jim and Jillian, and more stars, have come out and what they had to say about their decision to open up.
Jim Parsons
The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons was confirmed gay in a New York Times profile that came out yesterday. In the piece, his sexual orientation is mentioned in passing, along with the fact that he’s been with his partner for 10 years.
Matt Bomer
White Collar‘s Matt Bomer came out at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards by thanking his partner, Simon Halls, and their three kids when he accepted an award for his work fighting HIV/AIDS. He said, “I’d really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry. Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment.”
Neil Patrick Harris
In 2006, NPH told People he’s gay, saying, “I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest.” The Doogie Howser, M.D and How I Met Your Motheractor is engaged to partner David Burtka and a father to twins!
Ellen DeGeneres
It was a whirlwind of coming out for comedian, actress, and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in 1997. She came out publicly on The Oprah Winfrey Show, appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the quote, “Yep, I’m gay,” and then her character on the sitcom Ellen came out to her therapist, who was played by Oprah!
Zachary Quinto
Known for his Star Trek and Heroes roles, Zachary Quinto came out in a New York magazine profile last year. He said, “In light of Jamey’s [Rodemeyer] 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. Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country.”
Ricky Martin
“Livin’ la Vida Loca” singer, Ricky Martin, came out on his blog in 2010, saying “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”
Clay Aiken
After the birth of his son, former American Idolcontestant Clay Aiken came out on the cover of People, telling the mag, “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”
Heather Matarazzo
Welcome to the Dollhouse star, Heather Matarazzo, told People in 2007 that she came out to the press when they kept hounding her about whether she’d found her Prince Charming. Her response? “No, but I have a Princess Charming.” And Heather is nowengaged to girlfriend Caroline Murphy!
Meredith Baxter
Family Ties actress Meredith Baxter came out on the Today show in 2009, telling Matt Lauer, “I am a lesbian and it was a later-in-life recognition. Some people would say, well, you’re living a lie and, you know, the truth is — not at all. This has only been for the past seven years.”
Sean Hayes
Best known for playing flamboyant character Jack onWill and Grace, it wasn’t until an Advocate interview in 2010 that Sean Hayes officially came out. He said, “I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never. I believe that nobody owes anything to anybody.”
T.R. Knight
Soon after it came out that one of the Grey’s Anatomy costars called him a gay slur, T.R. Knight told People in 2006 that he is, in fact, homosexual. He said, “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.”
Rosie O’Donnell
At an Ovarian Cancer Research benefit in 2002,Rosie O’Donnell didn’t mince words when she came out, simply stating, “I’m a dyke!”
Dick Sargent
At 61 years old, the Bewitched actor came out on National Coming Out Day in 1991.
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Photo credit: Flickr / Elsie esq.
Neil Patrick Harris is a golden god 😀
Oo for all the Firefly fans out there: Sean Maher came out awhile ago, right around the time The Playboy Club was on air.
Jim Parsons was in something of a glass closet until yesterday, and Jillian Michaels has been out for awhile now, like since January 2010. So I guess, Jillian managed to make even less of a show about it than anyone else on the list. 🙂
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/jensabella/jillian-michaels-wants-healthy-love-with-a-man-or-a-woman
I’d never heard the phrase “glass closet” before. A great expression!
I think it’s important to point out that Jillian Michaels is bisexual, not gay.