10 LGBTQ celebrities who came out in 2024

There are many commemorations that mark important milestones for queer people and their allies: Pride Month, LGBTQ History Month, Lesbian Visibility Week, and Transgender Day of Remembrance, among others.

The festivities surrounding many of these events often make them a headline-grabbing display of community pride. But on National Coming Out Day, celebrated every year on October 11, queer people mark a more private, first step in celebrating who they are at every point in their journey.

But for celebrities and other people in the public spotlight, coming out also means sharing their sexuality or gender identity with millions of people around the world. Some superstars like Reneé Rapp and Chappell Roan used their rapid rise to stardom this year as an opportunity to offer more insight into their identities (both singers were embraced as part of the lesbian pop renaissance). Others said they were part of the LGBTQ community for the first time.

Here are some of the people who have come out so far in 2024.

Sophia Bush

In an April cover story for Glamor magazine, Sophia Bush revealed that she identifies as a queer woman and confirmed her relationship with soccer player Ashlyn Harris.

“I have experienced so much safety, respect, and love as an ally in the queer community throughout my life that when I returned to myself, I felt like it was my home,” she wrote for the magazine. “Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. Actually, I can't say it without smiling. And that feels pretty awesome.”

Amber Ruffin

Comedian Amber Ruffin posted a happy photo of herself wearing a T-shirt that read “Queer” on the last night of Pride Month. “Be proud of who you are, little babies! I know it's me!” Ruffin wrote as part of the post, adding that the news will come as a shock to “exactly zero people.”

Julia Fox

Actress and author Julia Fox appeared to come out as a lesbian in a TikTok video shared in July. Fox jokingly announced, “I was that lesbian” in response to a viral video in which comedian Emily Gracin joked that she saw “a lesbian with her boyfriend.” Fox was previously married to a man and had a brief but high-profile relationship with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in 2022. “Sorry, guys,” Fox said in the video.

Maren Morris

Singer Maren Morris shared on Instagram during Pride Month that she was “happy to be the B in LGBTQ+.” The country singer has been vocal about her support for the LGBTQ community in the past. In 2022, she raised $100,000 for organizations supporting transgender rights after Fox News host Tucker Carlson called her a “crazy country musician” for her criticism of anti-transgender statements.

Trey Cunningham

Shortly after competing in the U.S. Olympics, track and field star Trey Cunningham decided to come out as gay in an interview with The New York Times. Although he's been out with friends and family for about five years, Cunningham told the Times that coming out was “the scariest thing I've ever done.”

Louisa Jacobson

Actress Louisa Jacobson's family had a lot to celebrate in June. Jacobson came out as a lesbian in a stylish Instagram carousel that included a screenshot of a New York Times article titled “We're Entering a Joyful New Era of Lesbian Fashion.” The post coincided with the 75th birthday of her mother, acclaimed Oscar winner Meryl Streep.

Sasheer Zamata

The self-described “late lesbian” and former “Saturday Night Live” star came out as gay in an interview with Them, an LGBTQ news outlet, last month. Zamata explained that after consistently being cast in queer roles throughout her comedy career, she began to ask herself, “What are these casting directors seeing that I'm not seeing?”

Amanda Tori Meating

The RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 alum shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in January that participating in the show allowed her to “feel more comfortable with re-creating my identity.” Meating, who identified as non-binary for years, said at the time that while she wasn't entirely comfortable calling herself a trans woman, she considered herself “a T-girl” at the moment.

Maya Massafera

Brazilian social media sensation Maya Massafera came out as a trans woman to her 5.5 million Instagram followers in May. The post published her new name and a photo of what appeared to be a legal document showing that her government IDs now list her gender as female. In a June essay published in the Pride issue of Vogue Brazil, Massafera wrote poignantly: “There is a saying that life begins at 40. Mine literally started at 43.”

Bruce Joel Rubin

“Ghost” screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin proved in June that it's never too late to come out. The 81-year-old Hollywood veteran shared in his memoir It's Only a Movie that he knew he was gay for decades. He added that his wife had known about his sexuality throughout their marriage and that he had also come out to his children and grandchildren, according to The Guardian.