Christopher Walken Is Bisexual?! And 22 Other Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Bi-Cons

Getty Images

It’s Bisexual Awareness Week, and rest assured, we are aware. The beauty of bisexuality is that there are as many ways to be bi as there are bi people in the world, as proved by pretty much every character in the film Atlantis: The Lost Empire. But since the characters in that film are, in fact, animated and not actual people, we are taking this time to highlight some living breathing bi-cons who may have sparked bisexual awakenings just as powerful as those brought on by a beloved Disney movie.

For a while, bisexuality was defined as an attraction to both men and women, but bi activists have progressed the definition to a more expansive one: Today, bisexuality serves as an umbrella term that sometimes includes pansexual and sexually fluid people, and is understood as a sexual attraction toward more than one gender (often known as bi+). Visibility is such a valued aspect of the bisexual community, and many bisexual celebs, especially recently, are loudly and proudly claiming that term. But when conceived as a broader umbrella term, the bisexual family could also include a wide swath of celebrities — from scientists to Survivor contestants to Academy Award winners — who have opened up about their personal lives over the years.

Because we bisexuals are nothing if not thoughtful and inclusive, we’ll give an honorable mention to celebs who at one point identified as bisexual, but later threw in the purple-pink-blue towel. Jessi J (being bi was “a phase”), Nicki Minaj (“Used to be bi, but now I’m just hetero”), and David Bowie (who said claiming bisexuality was the “biggest mistake [he] ever made”). Bi-cons no more, but they live on in our history.

The celebrities on this list, even if they’re not hoisting the bi flag over their heads at all times, have not to our knowledge disavowed their past comments — and honestly, being quietly confidently bi+ is kind of a flex. Here, 23 bisexual icons you maybe didn’t know were bi.

Christopher Walken

Yes, this widely beloved Academy Award winner, who hails from Astoria, Queens, is a longstanding member of the bi+ population. There are many instances of his thoughts on bisexuality, but he may have most directly spoken about it in a 1973 interview with the entertainment magazine After Dark. “I suppose I think of the man I’m playing as bisexual, and I suppose that’s how I think of myself, too. I’d hate to think that I was harnessed to heterosexuality. I mean, my life is heterosexual, but I like to think that my head is bisexual, and I think it’s a good idea for everybody to start getting used to that notion because that way, one becomes aware of a lot more things,” Walken said.

Gillian Anderson

Queer people everywhere have been digging out their best trench coats to emulate Anderson's cultural icon Dana Scully from the hit show X Files since its 1993 debut. The Emmy award-winning actress first spoke candidly about her sexuality in 2012 with Out and has since shared more about her personal life and dating history.

Drew Barrymore

What isn't there to love about Drew Barrymore? The bi movie star has been forward about her sexuality for decades. In a 2003 interview, she said, “Do I like women sexually? Yeah, I do. Totally. I have always considered myself bisexual.” From early child stardom to her talk show (The Drew Barrymore Show), Barrymore is always putting her most authentic self forward.

Kesha

Kesha is a certified bi-icon both as a creator of raucous pop hits and a whistleblower against abusive music producers. In 2019, the pop star told Attitude, "I never hid [my bisexuality] from anybody. I never had a moment of feeling I had to come out about it."

Victoria Monét

In 2024, Monét shared with Variety that she initially wasn't sure whether she wanted to open up about her sexuality, but in 2018 she came out on X. “I thought that conforming would make me go further,” she told Variety. “Being picturesque, straight… It almost felt like you didn’t want to add any more weights to your ankles trying to win a race. It’s like, you’re already a woman, you’re already Black — you’d better pick a struggle.” Monet also has a very bisexual lyric in her song “Monopoly”: “I swerve both ways, dichotomy / I like women and men.”

Ozzy Lusth

If you’re a Survivor fan, the mere mention of Ozzy can elicit blushing for many. Well, there’s one more reason to love this fan-favorite of the reality game show, who hasn’t yet won a season. In 2022, he tweeted, “And for my Republican Colleagues, and anyone else who matters, Yeah, I’m Bisexual. Am I committing crimes?? If so, come get me. Let us ALL live with dignity. Ask yourself if you support people or the f*cked dogma you've been fed. #ozzyisBi.” As an avid social media participant in the Survivor community, Lusth is also active on OnlyFans.

Rita Ora

Everyone's journey with their sexuality is unique and in an ideal world, people should come out on their own terms. But as it sometimes happens, Rita Ora came out on X as bisexual in 2018 in defense against queerbaiting criticism she received for her song “Girls.” She shared that the song came from her life experiences with both women and men.

Hank Green

The internet's favorite scientist came out as bi pretty casually on X in 2023. The author, YouTuber, and educator co-founded Vlogbrothers and CrashCourse with his brother John Green.

Alison Brie

The Community actress, who is married to Dave Franco, had a chill coming-out moment last year. Brie and husband Franco were recording a video reading thirst tweets for BuzzFeed when a tweet read, “Listen, I am bisexual for a reason, and that reason is strictly to be used in a threesome by Dave Franco and Alison Brie,” Franco read. To which Brie replied, "That’s also why I’m bisexual!”

Stephanie Beatriz

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star came out on X in 2016 by reposting (another noted bisexual) Aubrey Plaza’s quote, “I fall in love with girls and guys, I can’t help it,” with a simple “yup.” She later went on to pen a full essay on the matter for GQ. “To be bi is a continual series of coming-out moments — first to yourself, maybe as you leaf through old magazines and stare at a picture of Rita Moreno's legs and come to terms with badly wanting to touch them (this is me),” Beatriz said of her sexuality. She concluded by saying, “I'll be bi till the day I die, baby, and I vow to myself to always sing that truth.”

Cardi B

This Grammy-winning rapper came out as bisexual in such an iconic way. In 2022, the rapper responded to a tweet questioning her sexuality saying, “I ate bitches out before you was born…..Sorry I don’t have razr phone pics to prove it to you.” Suffice it to say Cardi cleared things up swiftly.

Vanessa Carlton

Where would culture be without Vanessa Carlton's music? The singer of hit song “A Thousand Miles” has long been a proud member of the B in LGBTQ+. She came out to a crowd of 18,000 in 2010 at a Nashville Pride festival by saying, “I’ve never said this before, but I’m a proud bisexual woman." Carlton was 29 at the time.

Clairo

Clairo’s music is the epitome of Gen Z queer longing, so of course the singer has been open about her bisexuality for some time now. The musician shared on X that her song “B.O.M.D.” (Boy Of My Dreams) also includes G.O.M.D. (girl of my dreams). It would be Clairo Shade to not include her on this list.

Fergie

Yes, you better believe it. The Fergalicious pop star has — according to her — been open about her bisexuality for a long time. In a 2009 interview with The Advocate she shared, “I was very open and honest about that from the very beginning, and everyone was acting like it was some new trend. Go back four or five years, people, and you’ll see the same answer.”

Jason Mraz

The LGBTQ+ community can claim the hit 2008 song “I’m Yours,” from singer Jason Mraz as a queer anthem. Mraz wasn’t out at the time of this hit song, but in 2018 the singer-songwriter came out as bisexual in a poem he wrote for Billboard. "I am bi your side," the musician wrote, later confirming his experiences with different genders.

Rick Owens

Fashion designer Rick Owens, known for his long black hair and signature all-black style, has been an out and proud bisexual man for decades. The world-renowned American fashion designer is married to Michèle Lamy and the two maintain an iconic love and creative partnership.

Lady Gaga

What would a list of bisexual celebrities be without naming mother herself, Lady Gaga? Gaga has been out as bisexual for much of her career, though she initially shared her sexuality with fans via her song “Poker Face.” She even reminded fans as recently as 2023 that it was a bisexual anthem, sharing the song’s backstory during her Vegas residency. Gaga has been a thorough and strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community from her hit song “Born This Way” to her countless philanthropy efforts, to even taunting the Russian government by promoting LGBTQ+ rights at a concert there in 2012.

Calvin Klein

Where would so many thirst traps be without the truly timeless name “Calvin Klein” peeking out from jeans, pants, shirts, shorts, and underwear waistbands of crushes everywhere? The man behind the eponymous fashion brand has long been open about his bisexuality and his relationships with men and women.

Billie Joe Armstrong

The lead guitarist and singer for the legendary rock band Green Day told The Advocate in 1995, “I think I’ve always been bisexual. I mean, it’s something that I’ve always been interested in. I think people are born bisexual, and it's just that our parents and society kind of veer us off into this feeling of ‘Oh, I can’t.’ They say it’s taboo. It’s ingrained in our heads that it’s bad when it’s not bad at all. It’s a very beautiful thing.” Armstrong is widely regarded as a bi-icon for coming out early in his career, and his punk queerness has inspired queer people of all identities.

Alan Cumming

The award-winning host of The Traitors who recently ended RuPaul’s Emmys streak, has been so open about his bisexuality that he even addresses it in the FAQ section of his personal website. His thoughts on bisexuality, according to his website: “I’m not here to change people’s minds about whether they believe in bisexuality. All I’m saying is that I think my sexuality, and most people’s sexuality, is gray. I am married to a man. I have a healthy sexual appetite and a healthy imagination. I also have an attraction to women. I’ve never lost it, actually. I’ve always been attracted to both sexes, and whether I act on it or not is not anyone’s business, really. I’m not going to close myself off to the possibility of experience just because society says we must stick within these rigid boundaries.”

A few more Honorable mentions…

As queer identity in culture becomes broader and more fluid, there are many in the limelight who are bravely comfortable not claiming a label, even if the way they describe their sexuality seems to fall somewhere under the bi+ umbrella.

Hunter Schafer

Though the actress and model had previously said in a 2019 Dazed interview that she's “closer to what you might call a lesbian,” the actress took to social two years later to clarify her sexuality in response to a viral post on X ID-ing her as a lesbian. “As much as I wish this were true, I would like to vaguely clarify that, unfortunately, I am like bi or pan or something,” she replied to the post.

Ice Spice

Ice Spice confirmed her fluidity in the most unbothered way in early 2024, even if “bisexual” is not an identity marker she's owned on public record. In an interview with Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden, the rapper was asked if she dates “squares.” To which she replied, “Not squares, but I like…good boys and girls.”

Angelina Jolie

This Academy Award-winning actress, filmmaker, and advocate is one of the most revered bi-cons, though she's never used the term to describe her sexuality. In 2003, she shared with Barbara Walters, “Of course. If I fell in love with a woman tomorrow, would I feel that it's okay to want to kiss and touch her? If I fell in love with her? Absolutely! Yes!” She also boldly shared with Michelle Pfeiffer that she had a crush on the actress in her teenage years. For so many people who found her portrayal of Lara Croft or Catwoman to be their bi-awakenings, it’s serendipitous that Jolie happens to be bi herself.

Get the best of what's queer. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here.

Originally Appeared on them.