25 actors who've come out after playing an LGBTQ+ character

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images Film and TV representation of LGBTQ+ individuals has advanced in leaps and bounds in recent decades, and this long-overdue movement has already translated into significant social progress in the real world. From veteran performers like Ellen DeGeneres to younger actors like Noah Schnapp, many celebrities have publicly come out after playing an LGBTQ+ character on screen, marking an important milestone in the entertainment industry. Whereas LGBTQ+ creatives like Dan Levy and Sean Hayes once concealed their sexuality for fear of discrimination, many actors today have come out without facing damage to their careers or personal lives. Several celebrities have gone on to play additional LGBTQ+ roles after coming out, providing further representation of the community both on- and off-screen. To recognize these actors and their impact, Stacker compiled a list of 25 celebrities who have come out after playing an LGBTQ+ character, using interviews from such publications as Variety and Out Magazine and IMDb data to confirm these actors’ filmography. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Many more performers, like Aubrey Plaza, Maulik Pancholy, and Wayne Brady, have come out after playing LGBTQ+ roles. Ronen Rubinstein Rodin Eckenroth // Getty Images Ronen Rubinstein won over countless “9-1-1: Lone Star” viewers in his role as T.K. Strand, an openly gay paramedic in a relationship with police officer Carlos Reyes (Rafael L. Silva). T.K. provided an opportunity for Rubinstein to embrace his own sexuality, and the actor publicly came out as bisexual in April 2021. In an interview with Variety, he explained that fans’ positive reactions to “Tarlos” encouraged him to come out. Noah Schnapp Kevin Winter // Getty Images Noah Schnapp shot to fame after playing Will Byers on Netflix’s ’80s-set supernatural series “Stranger Things.” Though fans had long speculated on Byers’ sexuality, noting the dynamics between him and other characters, Schnapp confirmed in July 2022 that Byers is gay but still closeted. Schnapp himself publicly came out as gay a few months later; to see whether Byers will do the same, we’ll have to keep an eye out for the fifth season of “Stranger Things.” Samira Wiley Bryan Bedder // Getty Images for Glamour Samira Wiley played the lesbian character Poussey Washington on “Orange Is the New Black” and came out publicly as a lesbian in 2014. Unfortunately, it wasn’t by choice: Wiley revealed in 2018 that an unnamed castmate from the series accidentally outed her in an interview, leading her to come out sooner than she’d initially planned. Bella Ramsey Lionel Hahn // Getty Images Seven years after making their professional acting debut on “Game of Thrones,” nonbinary actor Bella Ramsey became a household name for starring on another hit HBO series, “The Last of Us.” Based on the popular video game series of the same name, “The Last of Us” takes place in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a mind-controlling fungus, following survivors Ellie (Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) on a quest across the former United States. Though Ellie’s sexuality hasn’t been explicitly discussed on “The Last of Us” yet, Ellie shared an on-screen kiss with friend Riley (Storm Reid) in Season 1. Ramsey also described their own sexuality as “not 100 per cent straight” in an interview with British Vogue a few months after the show’s premiere. Kit Connor Lia Toby // Getty Images for BFI An adaptation of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series, teen drama “Heartstopper” quickly became one of the most popular Netflix series when it premiered in 2022. But all that fame came at a cost for Kit Connor, who plays the bisexual character Nick Nelson on the show. Connor came out as bisexual on Twitter (now called X) in November 2022 after revealing he’d been “forced” to come out to field accusations of queerbaiting. Mae Whitman Noam Galai // Getty Images After voicing lesbian witch Amity Blight on Disney’s animated series “The Owl House,” which premiered in 2020, Mae Whitman came out as pansexual in 2021. “Just taking a moment to say I am SO proud to be even a small part of a show like ‘The Owl House,'” Whitman wrote on X. “Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and [bisexual character] Luz in my life when I was growing up.” Chris Colfer Kevin Winter // Getty Images for Netflix Chris Colfer is perhaps best known for playing Kurt Hummel, an openly gay character on “Glee.” Though Kurt came out as gay during the show’s first season, Colfer himself wasn’t yet out of the closet at the time and spent much of those early shoots “terrified” as a result. Colfer eventually came out as gay after the series debuted in 2009. Still, he has since compared his coming-out experience to that of Kit Connor, saying he felt similarly pushed to go public with his sexuality before he was ready. Renee Rapp John Lamparski/WireImage // Getty Images Until she departed from the series in 2023, Broadway actor Reneé Rapp starred on “The Sex Lives of College Girls” as Leighton Murray, a closeted lesbian who comes out publicly during the show’s second season. While Murray struggled with her sexuality throughout the series’ first season, Rapp was going through some struggles of her own, saying in later interviews that she felt insecure as a bisexual woman playing a lesbian character. Despite saying she “hated the first year of filming” as a result, Rapp has described the series as her coming-out experience. Jake Borelli Mark Von Holden/Variety via Getty Images “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jake Borelli came out on Instagram at the same time his character, Dr. Levi Schmitt, came out on screen. When the episode in which Schmitt kisses fellow doctor Nico Kim (Alex Landi) aired in 2018, Borelli posted a photo with the caption, “As a gay guy myself, tonight’s episode was so special to me.” The episode was also special for “Grey’s Anatomy,” marking the start of the first gay male romance on the long-running medical show. Sara Ramirez Amy Sussman // Getty Images Though most fans know Dan Levy for playing the openly pansexual character David Rose on the hit comedy “Schitt’s Creek,” he hasn’t always been so public about his sexuality. He stated in a past interview that he kept quiet about being gay when he first began working in the entertainment industry, fearing a hit to his career. The actor-comedian officially came out in 2020 on an episode of “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” Kristen Stewart Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images Kristen Stewart’s romantic life has been subject to public scrutiny since the early days of her “Twilight” stardom, and her role as Valentine in the 2014 film “Clouds of Sils Maria” only further fueled the rumor mill. But the actor confirmed those rumors in 2017 by calling out Donald Trump in an opening monologue for “Saturday Night Live,” saying that the then-president of the United States wouldn’t like her because “I’m, like, so gay, dude.” Stewart has since come out as bisexual and has played several more LGBTQ+ film roles, including starring opposite Mackenzie Davis in the lesbian holiday rom-com “Happiest Season.” Victor Garber