Youngsters from the '00s were so fond of some celebs that their bedroom walls were covered in posters. If someone dug up a time capsule from the time, they'd find pictures of at least a handful of these stars.
In a twist, these 30 stars shocked their fans by coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The good news is some of them are swinging both ways, so you might still stand a chance despite your personal orientation. Wink wink!
Jonathan Bennett
Having made his acting debut in 2001, Jonathan Bennett was committed to building his career in the early '00s. Thanks to his fierce looks, he became a teen heartthrob after starring in "Mean Girls."
Young girls were particularly fond of him, unaware they were in for some disappointing news years later. Bennett, who has also served as a host in competition series like "Cake Wars," came out as gay oh-so-casually through an "Instagram" photo in 2017, posting a picture with then-boyfriend James Vaughan (now husband).
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer put her feet in both ponds—singing and acting, although she thrived the most in the latter. With lead roles in projects like "Jump In!" and "True Jackson, VP," she won the hearts of many.
Her music video, "I Don't Belong to You," is probably the most memorable one among the lot for Palmer. Because she nonchalantly depicted herself with both a man and a woman, revealing herself as bi. In 2019, Palmer told PrideSource that love could come in any way or form, whenever, wherever.
Matt Dallas
We only knew Matt Dallas as the boy searching for his missing belly button on "Kyle XY." What we were unaware of was that he was also in search of his actual personal orientation.
Perhaps he knew it all along and only decided to reveal it to the world in 2013. Dallas did so by posting a picture of himself with his then-fiancé, Blue Hamilton, on "Twitter." They have since tied the knot and are parents of two adopted children, Crow and Rosa.
Ricky Martin
Only someone with genuine talent could earn the title of the "King of Latin Pop." With that said, we're not surprised no one doubts Ricky Martin's mastery of his craft.
After being the subject of rumors for many years, the "La Copa de la Vida" singer only officially came out in 2010. Martin did so with a message on his website, revealing that he's gay. A father of two, Martin married the Syrian-Swedish painter Jwan Yosef in 2017 and had two more children.
Alia Shawkat
Between 2016 and 2022, we watched Alia Shawkat star as Dory Sief in "Search Party." However, she became a household name long before, having played Maeby Fünke in "Arrested Development."
Shawkat's beauty is easily noticeable, particularly due to her full face of freckles. They're still a fair part of her identity. Another part of her identity is her attraction to both men and women. Energies from both genders supposedly helped her grow in her career, according to her 2017 interview with Out Magazine.
Zachary Quinto
A prominent actor to have given life to Spock's character after Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto was a long-time celebrity crush of many. He played the said character in the 2009 "Star Trek" movie.
Quinto also graced our screens with projects such as "Heroes," "24," and "American Horror Story: Asylum." His coming out story was influenced by a gay teen who took his own life in 2011. Quinto decided to come out and give some celebrity representation of the LGBTQ+ community to those that need it.
Kevin McHale
Kevin McHale first came under the spotlight as a member of "NLT," an abbreviation of the boy band named 'Not Like Them.' However, he became something of a crush only after starring in "Glee."
McHale used Ariana Grande's 2018 track "No Tears Left to Cry" to come up when he tweeted that the song was "gayer than me and I ACCEPT." His fans must've been surprised but supported him regardless. McHale has been in a relationship with actor Austin P. McKenzie since 2016.
Raven-Symoné
If it weren't from "The Cosby Show," you'd have known Raven-Symoné from the "Dr. Doolittle" films, at the least. Well, that chatty little girl has been a married woman since 2020, and her wife is Miranda Maday.
Raven-Symoné became a crush among teens in the '00s when she starred in "That's So Raven" and released the subsequent music albums. Having kept her personal life and preferences hidden from her peers, she only came out in August 2013 after gay marriage was legalized in multiple states.
Tyler Posey
Cue the Q in LGBTQ+ as we look at Tyler Posey—the cute kid we saw on "Doc" and "Maid in Manhattan," who then resurfaced as the dashing young Scott McCall on "Teen Wolf."
"Teen Wolf" ended in 2017, but the stardom didn't fade away. Posey first admitted to having been intimate with men in 2020. A year later, he told the world that he was part of the queer community, praising Phem, his girlfriend at the time, for helping him to come to that realization about himself.
Tom Lenk
Remember Andrew Wells from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off "Angel?" Of course! How could one forget such an early representation of a queer character? Well, here's Tom Lenk, everyone.
Lenk is proud of himself for taking on one of the earliest queer characters on the screens and portraying it so well. However, his personal orientation in real life is limited to the same gender. Even though he wasn't out when the series was on television, Lenk came out in 2008 through The Advocate magazine.
Jena Malone
From "Donnie Darko" to "Pride & Prejudice," and of course, "The Hunger Games" movies, Jena Malone stole our hearts in more ways than one. Today, she has multiple awards to show for her skillful work.
As of 2022, Malone has a six-year-old son with her ex-fiancé, Ethan DeLorenzo. While she uses social media platforms to inform fans of her feelings, such as struggles with her identity and personal orientation, in 2022, Malone finally revealed her omni-preferences. That is, she is attracted to any gender.
Mae Whitman
Another one of our celebrity crushes, Mae Whitman, disclosed that she is attracted to persons of all genders across the gender spectrum. At least that ensures no fans are disappointed, right?
Whitman, too, like many others, used the “Twitter” platform to reveal this personal piece of information to her fans in 2021. Her face has been consistent on the screens since the early '90s. However, Whitman only grabbed the most attention from shows like "JAG" and "Arrested Development." She is also an incredible voice actress!
Leonardo Nam
From playing a racer in "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" and showing his geeky side as Brian McBrian in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," Leonardo Nam can take on any challenge.
In a similar manner, Nam knocked his personal life's challenges out of the park, too. While there's no moment to pinpoint his coming out, Nam told Out Magazine that he met his husband, Michael Dodge, at the gym in 2008. They are now parents of twin boys.
Lee Pace
Lee Pace first grabbed everyone's attention as Ned "The Pie-Maker" on "Pushing Boundaries." Even though the series only lasted two seasons, his career didn't fade, having starred in "Halt and Catch Fire," among others.
Pace's most prominent project is "The Hobbit" trilogy. At a press event for its first movie in 2012, Sir Ian McKellan unintentionally revealed Pace's personal orientation. However, he did not admit it to the public until 2018. He belongs to the queer community, according to his “Twitter.”
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart is full of talent. Looking at her trophy cabinet with over 70 pieces will reaffirm that thought. She had already appeared in productions like "Panic Room" and "Speak" before securing international stardom.
Even though it has been a decade since Stewart last played Bella Swan in "The Twilight Saga," she is still loved just as much, if not more, by her fans. In 2017, she casually admitted to being "so gay" while hosting "Saturday Night Live" but had since confirmed to be bi.
T.R. Knight
When T. R. Knight appeared as Dr. George O'Malley in "Grey's Anatomy," our hearts skipped a beat. Perhaps we were indirectly hoping to get checked by him!
Life hasn't been easy for Knight as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. According to People magazine, his personal orientation made him a victim of verbal abuse at the hands of certain co-workers on set. It was one such incident that encouraged him to come out in 2007. Knight chose the same magazine to deliver an exclusive interview.
David Archuleta
Speaking of our crushes from the '00s, how could we forget the singer behind the hit 2008 track "Crush?" He was barely an adult when he secured second place in "American Idol's" seventh season.
While there were hundreds, if not thousands, fangirling for Archuleta, he knew just how to keep them secured while coming forward with his personal preferences (swinging both ways) for romantic relationships. Even though “Twitter” was the platform for such revelations, Archuleta decided to do so on “Instagram” in 2014.
Tessa Thompson
A few years before her breakthrough on "Mississippi Damned," Tessa Thompson wowed the young generations with her beauty, playing Jackie Cook on "Veronica Mars." A lot has changed since then.
For starters, Thompson told Porter magazine in 2018 that she is interested in both men and women, although she chooses to avoid any labels society allocates for such groups. Secondly, she has both her feet in the Hollywood door, and we couldn't be prouder. Thompson's most certainly aging like fine wine!
Wentworth Miller
"Prison Break" is arguably one of the greatest shows of all time. The screenwriters did an incredible job with the storyline, but it wouldn't have been the same without Wentworth Miller. His name by itself sounds hot, and the character's rulebreaking nature made fangirls even more fond of Miller.
Nevertheless, they were in for heartbreak because Miller is gay. He admitted it when declining an invitation to the St. Petersburg International Film Festival in Russia in 2013 because he didn't condone the country's anti-LGBTQ+ attitude.
Clea DuVall
Clea DuVall succeeded in winning roles on both big and small screens. The latter brought her the most fame with work in "Carnivàle," "Heroes," and, in recent years, "Veep" and "The Handmaid's Tale."
Another factor we've caught on to in recent years is DuVall's personal orientation. You probably guessed it—she's into women! She directed her first movie, "The Intervention," in 2016, which was when she disclosed this very private detail to Advocate magazine. DuVall is married, and although unconfirmed, her partner reportedly is Mia Weier.
Daniel Franzese
Daniel Franzese's physical appearance and sense of style have constantly changed over the years. What's been stable is his loyal fan base, who first fell in love with him on "Mean Girls."
What's not to love? He's got a great sense of humor and superb talent. However, his love steered towards men, as he came out in 2014, publishing an emotionally written letter via IndieWire. We know his female fans love him regardless—if not as a celebrity crush, at least as a great human.
Alyson Stoner
You could pick a random screen production from the '00s, and there's a good chance you'd see Alyson Stoner acting in it. What can we say except; it was a prosperous decade for her?
In addition to appearing in Missy Elliott's music videos, Stoner was also known for her work in "Cheaper by the Dozen," "Camp Rock," and "Step Up" films. In 2018, however, she also became the talk of the town after writing a piece for Seventeen magazine, in which she came out as queer.
Charlie Carver
Another young stud and werewolf from "Teen Wolf," Charlie Carver, gave life to Ethan Steiner's character in the supernatural series. However, he'd been active in the industry for at least a decade prior.
Instead of THE coming out platform "Twitter," Carver chose the "Instagram" platform to inform his followers that he was gay. Any female who may be disappointed by this news need not worry too much as "The Leftovers" actor has an identical twin named Max Carver. Look him up!
Billy Gilman
Having started his public performances at the mere age of seven, Billy Gilman was directed toward success. His first song, "One Voice," came out in May 2000; the rest is history.
Something else came out 14 years later. Gilman revealed himself as a gay person through a "YouTube" video, describing the challenges of being gay in his industry. His coming out was inspired by fellow country singer Ty Herndon. In 2016, Gilman competed in "The Voice" and became the runner-up.
Rajiv Surendra
Anyone from South Asia knows all too well about the struggles that come with being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in the subcontinent. Luckily for Rajiv Surendra, he was born and raised in Canada.
However, the actor from "Mean Girls" did not come out until he started living in Munich, Germany, where he experienced the euphoria of living freely and happily. Surendra no longer acts and now resides in New York City and reportedly runs a calligraphy business named 'Letters In Ink.'
Heather Matarazzo
From Dawn Wiener in "Welcome to the Dollhouse" to Lilly in "The Princess Diaries" films, Heather Matarazzo has been gracing our screens since the '90s. Her mesmerizing blue eyes made many male and female spectators develop a celebrity crush on her.
However, those eyes were only focused on one gender the whole time. In 2004, Matarazzo emerged as a lesbian in a "New York Daily News" article. She has been married since 2018, coincidently to another with the same first name.
Thomas Dekker
Remember the early '00s when emo hair was everything that youngsters knew? While some of you may have saved yourselves from some awkward pictures, actor Thomas Dekker was moving with the trend among the lot.
A winner of multiple Young Artist Awards, Dekker delivered noteworthy portrayals in "The Secret Circle" and "Heroes." It was through the latter's screenwriter that he was outed as gay in 2017, which was the same year he married the love of his life, Jesse Haddock.
Reid Ewing
All Reid Ewing had to do to secure a fan base in the '00s was to exist. He was a charming young lad who came under the spotlight with his portrayal of Dylan Marshall in "Modern Family."
Ewing publicly admitted to being a member of the LGBTQ+ community on a "Good Morning America" episode in 2015. The whole scenario went like so; Ewing called Eugene Bata "hot," a fan questioned if he just came out, to which he replied, "I was never in."
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato has constantly been hitting the headlines in recent years for different reasons. But let's rewind and cherish the simpler times of the first decade of the 21st century.
For instance, when she appeared in the kids' TV show "Barney & Friends," starred in the "Camp Rock" films, and released singles like "This Is Me" and "Skyscraper." During a 2018 podcast episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Lovato publicly labeled herself a pan, subsequently being welcomed to the queer community by her fans.
Lance Bass
"NSYNC" maybe no more, but who could forget the stylish golden spiked hair that Lance Bass had? The bass singer had heaps of fangirls drooling when he had zero interest in them.
Why? Because his eyes were on men the whole time. That's right, Bass came out like a boss on the cover of a 2006 People magazine issue, highlighting the words "I'M GAY," and yes, in uppercase. After three years of dating, Bass married Michael Turchin in 2014 and now shares two surrogate kids.
