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+ long after their time as child stars ended. So it’s about time we celebrate them, shall we? Let’s go!
1.
Gotta start with our girl, Raven-Symoné. She came out as gay publicly in 2013, ten years after That’s So Raven first aired. She said she’s known since she was 12, though, while she was on the show. Raven got married to her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday, in 2020!
2.
Miley Cyrus, like the absolute icon that she is, came out as pansexual in 2016. She opened up about how she’s “always hated the word ‘bisexual,'” because she felt it put her “in a box,” and also said her first-ever relationship was “with a chick.” ALL HAIL THE QUEEEEEN!
3.
Demi Lovato is a queer Disney icon, of course, but you might not remember how she came out. In 2015, she confirmed that the banger “Cool For The Summer” was about a relationship with a woman. Eventually, she came out as pansexual in 2021. She came out as nonbinary in 2021, and according to her Instagram bio, she uses both they/them and she/her pronouns.
4.
Josie Totah, who you might know from Jessie, came out as trans to the public in 2018 through an article published in Time Magazine called “My Name Is Josie Totah — And I’m Ready to Be Free.” In the article, she explains having come out to her family and starting her transition three years before, at age 14.
5.
Speaking of Jessie…Josie Totah’s costar Karan Brar, who played Ravi on the show, came out as bisexual in an essay for Teen Vogue in late 2023.
6.
Can’t forget about my personal fave, Alyson Stoner, the Camp Rock and Suite Life legend. Alyson came out in a 2018 essay for Teen Vogue, saying they’re attracted to “people of every gender identity and expression,” and also opened up about having to attend gay conversion therapy. Then, a few years later, Alyson revealed they now go by they/them pronouns.
7.
Next up, Keke Palmer, who I first saw in the 2007 DCOM Jump In! In 2016, people began speculating she was queer after the music video for her song “I Don’t Belong To You” came out (because she’s with a woman in the video). She ended up saying, “I don’t want to be stuck down to one label.” Since then, she has discussed her conflicts with her sexuality growing up, specifically around “overthinking” it, and just wanting to “explore” now.
8.
Dove Cameron! You might know her from the titular roles in Liv and Maddie. After being accused of queerbaiting in 2020, Dove came out on an Instagram live and described herself as “super queer.”
9.
Confession time: I always forget Bella Thorne started on the Disney show Shake It Up alongside Zendaya. Bella came out as bisexual in 2016 on X (then Twitter), but then said she identifies more as pansexual in 2019.
10.
OK, so technically Rowan Blanchard came out at the same time her Disney show Girl Meets World was on air — like the icon she is — but I couldn’t not add her to this list. In 2016, two years into the show, she came out as queer on X.
11.
Garrett Clayton, *that* hunk from Teen Beach Movie (who you might also know from Hairspray Live), announced he was gay in 2018 in an Instagram post. In the same post, he announced he was dating his then-boyfriend, now-husband, writer Blake Knight. How adorable!!
12.
I can’t forget about Michael Seater — not just because he’s a Canadian legend, but also because he starred in one of the greatest Disney shows ever, Life With Derek. Michael Seater (*the* Derek) is queer. Although we don’t know too much about his dating life, we celebrate him anyway (and we love a private king).
14.
Corey Fogelmanis from Girl Meets World came out as queer in 2020. It was three years after the show ended, and he reportedly made the announcement through an Instagram post for his first LA Pride parade.
15.
Last but not least, we have Matthew Scott Montgomery, who starred in So Random! He explained that “no one” in the cast knew at the time, and described his “very, very conservative” parents’ reaction to his coming out as a “nightmare.” He even agreed to go to conversion therapy afterward. “You’re taught that you deserve to be punished all the time,” he said.
Who’s your fave from this list? Know any other child stars who eventually came out as LGBTQ+? Tell me in the comments below!
Looking for more LGBTQ+ or Pride content? Then check out all of BuzzFeed’s posts celebrating Pride 2025.
Related
Discover more from InstiWitty Media Studios
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
