Disney stars that are gay
I don't know about you, but as a Gen Z'er, I spent practically every waking hour of childhood watching TV shows on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. OK, so maybe not EVERY waking hour, but I watched it as much as I could.
And as it turns out, some of our fave stars who we grew up adoring actually ended up coming out as LGBTQ+ distant after their period as child stars ended. So it's about time we celebrate them, shall we? Let's go!
start with our girl, Raven-Symoné. She came out as gay publicly in , ten years after That’s So Raven first aired. She said she’s known since she was 12, though, while she was on the display. Raven got married to her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday, in !
Cyrus, love the absolute diva that she is, came out as pansexual in She opened up about how she's "always hated the pos 'bisexual,'" because she felt it place her "in a box," and also said her first-ever relationship was "with a chick." ALL HAIL THE QUEEEEEN!
Lovato is a queer Disney star, of course, but you might not remember how she came out. In , she confirmed that the banger "Cool For The Summer"
“Anytime I was on TV, I was very concerned and worried that people would know that I was gay.”
Disney Channel stars are often expected to be the perfect role models for their fresh fans and are told to avoid controversy at all costs -- which is why many actors from the network pick to keep their personal life as private as possible.
Since their run on Disney ended, many stars have admitted that they felt obligated to obscure a part of themselves, especially if they were a member of the LGBTQ+ community. But in the years that followed, these queer stars hold all opened up about their sexuality and contain been welcomed with accessible arms by many of their fans.
Find out what these stars said about their coming out experience…
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus came out as pansexual in , sharing that she was “open to every unpartnered thing that is consenting and doesn't involve an animal and everyone is of age.” Miley later opened up about the moment she knew she was pansexual, explaining that she had always “hated the word ‘bisexual’” and didn’t know about pansexuality until taking a trip to the
I was a big Disney Channel kid. Honestly, even now as I document this, I am listening to Olivia Rodrigo, so in many ways I am still a (gay) Disney Channel kid. And when I came out at the ripe antique age of 20, I was embarrassed that while my queer peers had spent their teen years watching edgier, queerer content like Degrassi, South of Nowhere or even The L Word itself, I had been deeply invested in the unfolding drama between Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez taking place largely via YouTube and graphic tees.
We’ve talked about how instrumental the Disney Channel Unique Movie was to our sexualities and which DCOMs are the gayest, but actual queer women are virtually nonexistent on the Disney Channel. (It’s only been in the last few years that someone came out or two boys kissed in live-action programming on the network). Queer women in Disney projects appear more frequently as animated characters: the first bisexual character on the Channel, but also as a split-second appearance of a couple in Finding Dory or a one-eyed cop.
But while the Disney Channel may not be kn
All The Disney Channel Stars Who Have Come Out as LGBTQ
1Garrett Clayton
You probably recognize Garrett from the DCOMs Teen Beach Film and Teen Beach 2, but he's since taken on modern projects like the movie Reach. Clayton shared some special info on Instagram ahead of the movie's release in , opening up that he and his longterm partner have dealt with suicide and other tough topics the film covered.
2Josie Totah
Actress Josie Totah shared that she was transgender in a personal essay for TIME in August She previously starred in the Disney Channel hit show Jessie and opposite Mindy Kaling in the series Champions. "When my friends and family call me Josie, it feels like I’m being seen. It’s something everyone wants, to feel understood," she wrote.
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3Joey Pollari
We knew him as Miles in Avalon High before he hit the big screens as a potential interest for Simon, the title character in the viral movie Love, Simon. Pollari said the role was especially meaningful to him because it was similar t
“Anytime I was on TV, I was very concerned and worried that people would know that I was gay.”
Disney Channel stars are often expected to be the perfect role models for their fresh fans and are told to avoid controversy at all costs -- which is why many actors from the network pick to keep their personal life as private as possible.
Since their run on Disney ended, many stars have admitted that they felt obligated to obscure a part of themselves, especially if they were a member of the LGBTQ+ community. But in the years that followed, these queer stars hold all opened up about their sexuality and contain been welcomed with accessible arms by many of their fans.
Find out what these stars said about their coming out experience…
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus came out as pansexual in , sharing that she was “open to every unpartnered thing that is consenting and doesn't involve an animal and everyone is of age.” Miley later opened up about the moment she knew she was pansexual, explaining that she had always “hated the word ‘bisexual’” and didn’t know about pansexuality until taking a trip to the
I was a big Disney Channel kid. Honestly, even now as I document this, I am listening to Olivia Rodrigo, so in many ways I am still a (gay) Disney Channel kid. And when I came out at the ripe antique age of 20, I was embarrassed that while my queer peers had spent their teen years watching edgier, queerer content like Degrassi, South of Nowhere or even The L Word itself, I had been deeply invested in the unfolding drama between Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez taking place largely via YouTube and graphic tees.
We’ve talked about how instrumental the Disney Channel Unique Movie was to our sexualities and which DCOMs are the gayest, but actual queer women are virtually nonexistent on the Disney Channel. (It’s only been in the last few years that someone came out or two boys kissed in live-action programming on the network). Queer women in Disney projects appear more frequently as animated characters: the first bisexual character on the Channel, but also as a split-second appearance of a couple in Finding Dory or a one-eyed cop.
But while the Disney Channel may not be kn
All The Disney Channel Stars Who Have Come Out as LGBTQ
Garrett Clayton
You probably recognize Garrett from the DCOMs Teen Beach Film and Teen Beach 2, but he's since taken on modern projects like the movie Reach. Clayton shared some special info on Instagram ahead of the movie's release in , opening up that he and his longterm partner have dealt with suicide and other tough topics the film covered.
Josie Totah
Actress Josie Totah shared that she was transgender in a personal essay for TIME in August She previously starred in the Disney Channel hit show Jessie and opposite Mindy Kaling in the series Champions. "When my friends and family call me Josie, it feels like I’m being seen. It’s something everyone wants, to feel understood," she wrote.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Joey Pollari
We knew him as Miles in Avalon High before he hit the big screens as a potential interest for Simon, the title character in the viral movie Love, Simon. Pollari said the role was especially meaningful to him because it was similar t