By Neia Balao
5:30pm PST, Dec 29, 2022
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Join Wonderwall.com as we take a look at all the celebrities who came out as members of the LGBTQ+ community in 2022, starting with this reality star…
On June 28, Leon Brown — "Sister Wives" patriarch Kody Brown's only child with Meri Brown — took to Instagram to reveal they're trans and genderqueer. "So here's me, definitely not having almost any of my s*** figured out, to let you know that i am trans. my name is Leon or Leo (i love both) and my pronouns are they/them," they wrote. "i remember the first time that i knew i wasn't a girl. i was pretty young & unfortunately i grew up in a context that was incredibly gendered & restrictive. so i continued to be socialized as a girl & later a woman. and here's the thing, i'm finally ready to share my favorite self with the world. and that self is incredibly genderqueer, trans, and unapologetic."
Keep reading for more celebs who came out in 2022…
MORE: Celebrities who came out
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On the season 5 premiere of "Red Table Talk" in April 2022, Janelle Monáe opened up about gender identity. "I'm nonbinary, so I just don't see myself as a woman, solely. I feel all of my energy," the music and movie star said. "I feel like God is so much bigger than the 'he' or the 'she.' And if I am from God, I am everything. I am everything. But I will always, always stand with women. I will always stand with Black women. But I just see everything that I am. Beyond the binary." Days later, the "Glass Onion" and "Hidden Figures" star had this to say to The Los Angeles Times concerning their preferred pronouns: "My pronouns are free-a** motherf***** and they/them, her/she."
MORE: Stars who have LGBTQ+ kids
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On June 9, "Senior Year" and "Isn't It Romantic" actress Rebel Wilson came out when she debuted her new love, girlfriend Ramona Agruma, on Instagram. "I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess #loveislove," the Australian funnywoman wrote alongside the photo, making it clear she wasn't straight.
MORE: Stars who have LGBTQ+ parents
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On May 6, "Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Stause confirmed she was in a relationship with Australian musician G Flip, who identifies as nonbinary. During the "Selling Sunset" reunion, host Tan France asked the luxury realtor who she was dating. "I recently have been spending a lot of time with someone that's very important to me. Their name is G Flip. They're nonbinary, so they go by they/them," said Chrishell. "And they are an extremely talented musician." The pair met while filming G Flip's "Get Me Outta Here" music video. Chrishell declined to label her sexuality, explaining, "I think I was probably as surprised as anyone. Nothing's really changed for me, I'm still really attracted to masculine energy and a good human. I hear people talk about these things and they're like I knew from a young age. But that's not me. I'm just — I'm very open to good energy. I don't know what my future holds, but it is a complicated issue to talk about. Even now I'm nervous… but at the end of the day, I'm so happy and so if that angers someone, then that's not really my problem."
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Model Ava Phillippe got candid about her sexuality during an Instagram Q&A in January 2022. When the daughter of Hollywood stars Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe was asked "do u like boys or girls," she responded, "I'm attracted to… people!" adding, "Gender is whatever." Ava later touched on the hate she received on Instagram after coming out. "QUICK REMINDER: I can and will block profiles commenting bigoted/hateful messages under my posts… My Instagram profile is not a place for cruelty/ hate speech and I intend to do what I can to keep it that way. Peace and love."
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Becca Tilley may have had a tumultuous run on her seasons of "The Bachelor," but she's now happily in love! After years of rumors, the Bachelor Nation alum confirmed her relationship with singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko in a touching Instagram tribute on May 20. "Hard to say if this is a hard or soft launch, but it is a launch #95p," she wrote alongside a video featuring clips of them together over the last few years. In August, Becca candidly revealed why she was initially reluctant to go public with her relationship. "First reason was because I was navigating dating a woman for the first time and that alone was something to process and I needed time," she wrote on Instagram. "Second, I was fearful of what people would say and how people would react, especially since I am publicly known for being on 'The Bachelor.'" She added, "some people don't know that you can have feelings for both men and women, but that's a different conversation for a different day."
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Grammy-nominated R&B singer Tevin Campbell publicly came out on Twitter in March 2022 then further discussed his sexuality during a conversation on the "PEOPLE Every Day" podcast in August 2022. "When I came out to my family and friends [at] about 19 or 20, that was it for me," he explained. "And then I went on the road of discovering myself. I didn't know who I was." The music star continued, "What makes me happiest right now is how far I've come in life. You know, there are a lot of child stars that don't make it. But a lot of us do, and the fact that I've embraced me."
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On Aug. 19, "Donnie Darko" and "Sucker Punch" actress Jena Malone came out as pansexual. "I guess It felt like I was a heterosexual man in a woman's body," the former child star known for her work in "Stepmom" and the "Hunger Games" franchise wrote on Instagram. "I visualized his desires and placed them on to me. But this, was never the whole of the story that was meant for me. So I've been learning a new way to tell it. Using words to guide me not define me. That my sexual identity has more to teach and to tell me. Finding words that feel more right to explore in my telling. Pansexuality. Sapiosexuality. Polyamory. A fuller spectrum of understanding that my story is demanding of me. And I'm honoring it today with this soft and sleepy little stretch of a dance. I love humans. So there's that."
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"The Carmichael Show" star Jerrod Carmichael came out as a gay man during his HBO Max standup special "Rothaniel," which was released on April 1. "After that was out in the open, I was left alone feeling like a liar, because I had a secret," said Jerrod of how he caught his father cheating on his mother when he was growing up. "One that I kept from my father, my mother, my family, my friends, and you. Professionally, personally. And the secret is that I'm gay." Continued Jerrod, "I'm accepting the love, I really appreciate the love. My ego wants to rebel against it. I rebelled against it my whole life. I thought I'd never, ever come out. At many points I thought I'd rather die than confront the truth of that, to actually say it to people. Because I know it changes some people's perceptions of me. I can't control that."
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Willow Shields came out as bisexual in an Instagram post on June 2 at the start of Pride Month. "Hi I'm bi Happy Pride!!!" wrote the "Hunger Games" actress alongside a photo showing her smiling while carrying a rainbow flag.
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Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo publicly opened up about being bisexual in a cover story for British Vogue's August 2022 Pride issue. "[LGBTQ+ people] still feel the need to be constantly justifying why we deserve to be treated as equal beings, when really the only difference is that we love differently and we express ourselves differently," the Grammy and Tony winner explained. "Rather than being chastised for that, we should be commended for being brave. That's the most important thing: giving people the space to show up fully as who they are." The English actress — whose relationship with Emmy-winning writer Lena Waithe had become increasingly public in the run-up to her Vogue cover release — added on Instagram, "Nerves and fear have gotten in the way of sharing all of who I am, and today with #pride and with wonderful people beside me I'm sharing a little more. Thank you [British Vogue editor] @edward_enninful for giving me the space and loving on me…"
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"Dear Evan Hansen" Broadway actress Jessica Phillips came out as queer in an interview with People magazine in February 2022. "When the pandemic hit, I was at the peak of all this self-discovery and exploration," said Jessica, who long identified as a cisgender woman. "The shutdown really knocked the wind out of me." After relocating to Los Angeles for a television gig, Jessica spent her time in isolation, which which helped her realize she identifies as queer. "It wasn't about changing identities, rather expanding my identity… That period of time [in L.A.] really was a beautiful experience for me and also really painful and scary and sad because, as you know, when we open ourselves to change and newness, there's loss attached to that, and there was a lot of loss for me."
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Years after being put on the spot about his sexuality on "I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here," during which he said he was straight, Sanjaya Malakar publicly came out as bisexual in 2022. "At the time, I did not not know, which was why it was so weird for me," the musician who found fame on "American Idol" in 2006 and now works as a pastry chef and bartender said on "The Adam Sank Show" podcast in August 2022. "I was raised by women, I was in theater, I had a hard time figuring out how to interact with young boys." He added, "Everyone [kept] telling me that I'm gay, and I'm like, 7. I'm like, I don't even have any attraction to anyone, so why are you telling me this? At this point, I don't care what people know of my sexuality."
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On June 26, Bachelor Nation alum Elizabeth Corrigan, who appeared on Clayton Echard's season, took to Instagram to reveal she's bisexual. "It's important to me today to share with you all that I am queer. More specifically I am, always have been, and always will be-bisexual. If you know me personally you probably know this," she wrote alongside a photo of herself in a rainbow-striped bandeau top. "Everytime I tell someone new this information I experience fear. Fear that it will end a business transaction, fear that I will make someone uncomfortable, fear that I would be ostracized from my family …. Etc etc etc. what's more important to me at the end of the day — is to be me. Authentic. Genuine. Raw. So maybe one person will feel less alone… If you're that one. I've got you. I'm here-I'll answer. You are NOT alone."
