LGBTQ+ Celebrities Who Were Told to Keep Their Sexuality a Secret

Matt Bomer identifies as a gay man and came out publicly in 2012. In a 2020 feature interview with Attitude magazine, the White Collar actor detailed the heavy Hollywood industry pressure he faced early in his career to keep his sexuality a secret or risk losing leading-man roles.

Kristen Stewart, who identifies as a bisexual and queer woman, exposed Hollywood's conditional acceptance in a 2019 interview with Harper's Bazaar. She revealed that an industry figure explicitly told her not to hold hands with her girlfriend in public if she wanted to land a Marvel movie.

Colton Haynes, an openly gay man known for Teen Wolf and Arrow, chronicled his early-career "straight-coaching" in his 2022 memoir, Miss Memory Lane. He revealed how his management team tried to alter his voice, mannerisms, and public image to keep him in the closet.

Bridgerton and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey identifies as a gay man. In a 2020 interview with GQ magazine, the British actor shared the exact professional warnings he received early in his career, recalling that a fellow actor was told studios didn't want to know "if you're an alcoholic or if you're gay."

Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood identifies as a bisexual woman. During a 2020 interview with Variety, the actress outlined the harsh career backlash warnings she faced before coming out in 2011, noting she was told that being open about her bisexuality would hurt her career.

Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page identifies as a transgender and non-binary man (having first come out as gay in 2014 before coming out as trans in 2020). In his 2023 memoir Pageboy, he detailed the studio-enforced grooming, feminine dress expectations, and pressure to hide his queer identity.

Model and actress Cara Delevingne identifies as a pansexual, queer, and gender-fluid woman. In a 2015 cover profile for Vogue—and later interviews—she discussed how industry executives and Harvey Weinstein discouraged her from being open about her relationships with women.

Kyle XY star Matt Dallas identifies as a gay man. In a candid 2022 video on his official YouTube channel, the actor opened up about the strict closet mandates and staged red-carpet setups with women that handlers arranged to hide his sexuality during his breakout television run.

Glee star and bestselling author Chris Colfer identifies as a gay man. During a 2024 retrospective appearance on The View, the Golden Globe winner discussed the early warnings he received from industry handlers, who advised him not to come out publicly because it would "ruin" his career.

Former Disney Channel icon Raven-Symoné identifies as a lesbian woman. On a 2023 episode of her podcast, The Tea Time Podcast, she spoke candidly about the intense management pressures she faced as a young star to keep her sexuality hidden and maintain a heteronormative public image.

Emmy-winning The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons identifies as a gay man. In a 2020 profile interview with The New York Times, Parsons addressed the deep fears of career devastation he navigated early in his stardom before publicly coming out in 2012.

Sherlock and All of Us Strangers star Andrew Scott identifies as a gay man. In a 2023 interview with The Independent, the acclaimed Irish actor detailed the atmosphere of fear he navigated in the early 2000s when friends and colleagues warned him to keep his sexuality secret.

New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight identifies as a gay man. In a 2011 interview with Entertainment Weekly after being publicly outed, Knight addressed the strict warnings he received from his management during his boy-band peak that coming out would destroy his career.