1. Ricky Martin publicly came out in 2010 at 39:
What he said when he publicly came out: "This is just what I need, especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed."
This was him then:
And this is him now at 50:
Here he is with his super hot husband:
And here are his teenage kids getting surfing lessons:
2. Jim Parsons publicly came out in 2012 at 39:
A 2012 New York Times profile mentioned that he had been in a relationship with a man for 10 years.
He later said about this interview, "I was doing an interview (in 2012) the summer after I had been in The Normal Heart on Broadway. I was doing Harvey in New York, and I was interviewed by Patrick Healy of the New York Times. I can't remember the exact question, but he asked about something to the effect of, ‘Was it more meaningful to be a part of The Normal Heart being gay?’ I said yes. I remember leaving there going, well, I sort of just took the back door out, as it were. I remember thinking it was kind of poetically perfect."
This was him then:
And this is him now at 49:
Here he is with his longtime partner Todd Spiewak:
They got married in 2017.
3. Sir Ian McKellen publicly came out in 1988 at 49:
Ian came out on a BBC program when he was asked about a controversial government bill against "promoting homosexuality."
He said this about this bill: "It’s offensive to anyone who is — like myself — homosexual, apart from the whole business of what can and cannot be taught to children.”
This was him then:
And here he is now at 83:
He just announced a UK tour of the pantomime Mother Goose.
BTW, here's what he said about coming out in 2018:
I’ve never met a gay person who regretted coming out – including myself. Life at last begins to make sense, when you are open and honest. Today is the 30th anniversary of the BBC radio discussion when I publically said I was gay. So I’m celebrating!
4. George Takei publicly came out in 2005 at 68:
What he said when he publicly came out: "The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for being gay. The issue of gay marriage is now a political issue. That would have been unthinkable when I was young.”
This was him then:
And here he is now at 85:
He's been with his husband Brad for over 35 years.
5. Raven-Symoné publicly came out in 2013 at 28:
What she said when she publicly came out: After marriage equality was legalized, Raven said: "I was excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage. I, however, am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to."
This was her then:
And here she is now at 36:
She got married in 2020.
6. Kristen Stewart publicly came out in 2017 at 27:
She publicly came out in her opening monologue on SNL.
View this video on YouTube
"I am, like, so gay."
This was her then:
And here she is now at 32:
In 2021, she told Howard Stern she was engaged to be married.
7. Anderson Cooper publicly came out in 2012 at 45:
What he said when he publicly came out: "The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."
This was him then:
And here he is now at 55:
He has two kids.
8. Robin Roberts came out publicly in 2013 at 53:
What she said when she publicly came out: Robin wrote on Facebook, "I am grateful for my entire family, my longtime girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together." It was the first time she publicly acknowledged she was gay.
This was her then:
And here she is now at 61:
Here's a picture of her celebrating her partner's 48th birthday:
They've been together for 17 years.
9. Sarah Paulson publicly came out in 2005 at 31:
Sarah "came out" when she kissed her then girlfriend Cherry Jones after she won a Tony award.
View this video on YouTube
This was her then:
And here she is now at 47:
She's been with Holland Taylor since 2015.
10. Lance Bass publicly came out in 2006 at 27:
What he said when he publicly came out: "I'm not ashamed. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life."
This was him then:
And here he is now at 43:
He got married in 2014.
And he and his husband have two kids.
11. Don Lemon publicly came out in 2011 at 45:
What he said when he publicly came out: “I think if I had seen more people like me who are out and proud, it wouldn’t have taken me 45 years to say it."
This was him then:
And here he is now at 56:
He's engaged to his partner, Tim.
12. Neil Patrick Harris publicly came out in 2006 at 33:
What he said when he publicly came out: “The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently, I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now, it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships."
"So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, 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.”
This was him then:
And here he is now at 49:
He's been married since 2014.
And has two kids.
13. Tom Daley when he publicly came out in 2013 at 19:
What he said when he publicly came out: Tom came out in a YouTube video and said, "In Spring this year, my life changed massively when I met someone, and they make me feel so happy, so safe, and everything just feels great. That someone is a guy."
This was him then:
And here he is now at 28:
He's been married to Dustin Lance Black since 2017.
They have one son together.
14. JoJo Siwa publicly came out in 2021 at 18.
She did it through a series of social media posts.
This was her then:
And here she is now at 19:
Here she is with her girlfriend Avery.
15. Rosie O'Donnell publicly came out in 2002 at 40:
Rosie said this about her Tom Cruise obsession, "I said I wanted him to mow my lawn and bring me a lemonade. I never said I wanted (to have sex with him).”
This was her then:
And here she is now at 60:
Here she is with her partner Aimee.
She's also always posting about her five kids.
16. Wanda Sykes publicly came out in 2008 at 44:
What she said when she publicly came out: Wanda came out when she attended a 2008 rally against Prop 8: "When I came out, it wasn't a planned thing at all. It was a national day of protest against the passage of Prop 8. I said, 'Okay, where's the rally, we are going to go to the rally.' And I did. And in my speech, I said that I got married and I'm pissed."
This was her then:
And here she is now at 58:
She got married to her wife Alex in 2008.
They have two kids together.
17. Kevin McHale publicly came out in 2018 at 30.
He came out on Twitter:
#NoTearsLeftToCry is gayer than me and I ACCEPT. Ty @ArianaGrande.
This was him then:
And here he is now at 34:
He's been with his boyfriend since 2016.
And he was just on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race.
18. Sam Smith publicly came out as nonbinary at 27:
They came out in this series of tweets:
Today is a good day so here goes. I’ve decided I am changing my pronouns to THEY/THEM ❤ after a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out...
I understand there will be many mistakes and mis gendering but all I ask is you please please try. I hope you can see me like I see myself now. Thank you.
This was them then:
And this is them now at 30:
They currently have the #2 song in the US.
19. Zachary Quinto publicly came out in 2011 at 34:
What he said when he publicly came out: “In light of Jamey (Rodemeyer's 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.”
This was him then:
And here he now at 45:
He's always walking his two dogs around NYC.
20. Gus Kenworthy publicly came out in 2015 at 24:
What he said when he publicly came out: In an interview with ESPN magazine, he said: "I guess I should start by saying, 'I'm gay.'"
This was him then:
And here he is now at 31:
He's also on that gay uncle grind.
21. Eddie Izzard publicly came out in 2020 at 58:
Eddie has been talking about being trans for the past few years. She told the Hollywood Reporter she has boy mode and girl mode and is "essentially trans." At the end of 2020, Eddie announced that she is using "she/her" pronouns.
This was her then:
And here she is now at 60:
She's currently touring with her show Wunderbar.
22. Clay Aiken publicly came out in 2008 at 30:
What he said when he publicly came out: Clay came out when he had his son. He told People, "It was the first decision I made as a father. 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.”
This was him then:
And here he is now at 43:
I believe this is his boyfriend:
23. Elton John publicly came out as gay in 1988 at 41:
This was him then:
And here he is now at 75:
He's been with his husband for almost 30 years.
And his song with Britney Spears is one of his biggest hits in decades.
View this video on YouTube
24. And last but not least, Lil Nas X publicly came out in 2019 at 20:
He did it on Twitter:
it’s true i am a guy https://t.co/7hsG0TEm8i
This is him then:
And here he is now at 23:
He's currently on a world tour...
...and tweeting good ole' sweet nothings like this:
i hope i die with my dick on hard so that im serving print in the casket
Join BuzzFeed as we celebrate National Coming Out Day from Oct. 10-16. You can explore more coming out and queer content over on our LGBTQ page.
