1. Ricky Martin before he publicly came out:
Ricky Martin when he publicly came out in 2010:
What he said when he 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."
And here he is today:
2. Jim Parsons before he publicly came out:
Jim Parsons when he publicly came out in 2012:
He essentially publicly came out when a 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."
And here he is today:
3. Sir Ian McKellen before he publicly came out:
Sir Ian McKellen when he publicly came out in 1988:
What he said when he came out: Ian came out on a BBC program when he was asked about a controversial government bill against "promoting homosexuality."
When asked about his opinion of the bill, he said: "It’s offensive to anyone who is — like myself — homosexual, apart from the whole business of what can and cannot be taught to children.”
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!
And here he is today:
4. George Takei before he publicly came out:
George Takei when he publicly came out in 2005:
What he said when he 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.”
And here he is today:
5. Raven-Symoné before publicly coming out:
Raven-Symoné when she publicly came out in 2013:
What she said when she 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."
And here she is today:
6. Kristen Stewart before she publicly came out:
She publicly came out in her 2017 opening monologue on SNL.
View this video on YouTube
If you remember, Kristen said she was, like, so gay.
And here she is today:
7. Lil Nas X before he publicly came out:
Lil Nas X publicly came out on Twitter in 2019:
some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure. 🌈🤩✨
And here he is today:
8. Anderson Cooper before he publicly came out:
Anderson Cooper when he publicly came out in 2012:
What he said when he 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."
And here he is today:
9. Robin Roberts before she publicly came out:
Robin Roberts when she publicly came out in 2013:
What she said when she 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."
And here she is today:
10. Sarah Paulson before she publicly came out:
How she came out: Sarah "came out" when she kissed her then girlfriend Cherry Jones after she won a Tony award in 2005.
View this video on YouTube
And here she is today:
11. Ellen before she publicly came out:
Ellen when she publicly came out in 1997:
What she said when she came out: "I never wanted to be 'the lesbian actress.' I never wanted to be the spokesperson for the gay community. Ever. I did it for my own truth."
And here she is today:
12. Lance Bass before he publicly came out:
Lance Bass when he publicly came out in 2006:
What he said when he came out: "I'm not ashamed. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life."
And here he is today:
13. Don Lemon before he publicly came out:
Don Lemon when he publicly came out in 2011:
What he said when he 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."
And here he is today:
14. Neil Patrick Harris before he publicly came out:
Neil Patrick Harris when he publicly came out in 2006:
What he said when he 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.”
And here he is today:
15. Tom Daley before he publicly came out:
Tom Daley when he came out in 2013:
What he said when he 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."
And here he is today:
16. Matt Bomer before publicly coming out:
Matt Bomer when he publicly came out in 2012:
What he said when he came out: Matt thanked his partner in an acceptance speech for an award for activism. 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."
And here he is today:
17. Michael Stipe before he publicly came out:
Michael Stipe when he publicly came out in 1994:
What he said about coming out: "Any longstanding R.E.M. fan who had not figured out I was queer before that point wasn’t looking very hard."
And here he is today:
18. JoJo Siwa before she publicly came out:
JoJo came out gradually in a series of social media posts in early 2021.
And here she is today:
19. Rosie O'Donnell before she publicly came out:
Rosie O'Donnell when she came out in 2002:
What she said when she came out: 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).”
And here she is today:
20. Wanda Sykes before she publicly came out:
Wanda Sykes when she publicly came out in 2008:
What she said when she 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."
And here she is today:
21. Kevin McHale before publicly coming out:
Kevin McHale when he publicly came out in 2018:
#NoTearsLeftToCry is gayer than me and I ACCEPT. Ty @ArianaGrande.
And here he is today:
22. Sam Smith before they publicly came out:
Sam Smith when they came out as non-binary in 2019:
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.
And here they are today:
23. Zachary Quinto before he came out:
Zachary Quinto when he publicly came out in 2011:
What he said when he 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.”
And here he is today:
24. Gus Kenworthy before he publicly came out:
Gus Kenworthy when he publicly came out in 2015:
What he said when he came out: In an interview with ESPN magazine, he said: "I guess I should start by saying, 'I'm gay.'"
And here he is today:
25. Eddie Izzard before coming out:
Eddie Izzard when she came out in 2020:
What she said when she came out: Eddie has been talking about being trans for the past few years. He told the Hollywood Reporter he has boy mode and girl mode and is "essentially trans." At the end of 2020, Eddie announced that she is using "she/her" pronouns.
And here she is now:
26. Clay Aiken before publicly coming out:
Clay Aiken when he publicly came out in 2008:
What he said when he 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.”
And here he is today:
27. Elton John before coming out:
Elton John when he publicly came out as gay in 1988:
And here he is today:
Looking for more ways to get involved? Check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2022.
