19 Celebs Who Have Talked About Being Bisexual (or Pansexual)
Famous people deserve privacy, just like the rest of us. But it's always a bit thrilling when they decide to share a bit about their personal lives, isn't it? That's especially true when a celeb proudly owns being bisexual—an identity that is too often marginalized in Hollywood (and within the LGBTQIA+ community itself). To celebrate these inspiring, out-and-proud stars, we've put together a list of celebs who have talked openly about being bi (or pan). Take a look!
Celebrities Who Have Talked About Beig Bisexual
IMAGO / YAY Images
True Blood fans were very excited when the show’s leads, Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, took their epic love story offscreen. By 2010, the series was a hit and the two were happily engaged. This may be why it seemed so surprising when Paquin came out as bisexual that same year in a PSA for the “Give a Damn” campaign, a project started by Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund, fighting for LGBTQIA+ equality.
These days, the Oscar winner is still very vocal about her sexuality and raising awareness for the bisexual community. At the start of Pride Month in 2021, she posted a slide on Instagram that read, "I'm a #proudbisexual who is married to a wonderful human who happens to be a man.”
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Any ‘90s kid will remember the talented force of nature that is Wayne Brady from his hilarious star-making run on Whose Line Is It Anyway? The triple-threat has gone on to have an illustrious career in television, both as an actor and host, and on stage in Broadway shows like Chicago and Kinky Boots. Most recently, Brady made headlines for courageously coming out publicly as pansexual at the age of 51.
Pansexuality and bisexuality are similar, but subtly different. Our Spectrum describes the two as, “Bi people would say they experience attraction to multiple genders while Pansexual people would say they experience attraction regardless of gender or despite gender.” Or as Brady described it facetiously, “Bisexual—but with an open mind!”
Brady elaborated, “I’m pansexual. In doing my research, both with myself and just with the world, I couldn't say if I was bisexual, because I had to really see what that was, especially because I really have not gotten a chance to act on anything. So, I came to pansexual because—and I know that I'm completely messing up the dictionary meaning— but to me, pan means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual or non-binary. Being able to be attracted across the board. And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place. I took pan to mean that not only can I be attracted to any of these people or types physically, but I could be attracted to the person that is there.”
He included the poignant statement, “I love all people equally, and now that includes myself.”
Related: What Does 'Pansexual' Mean? Plus, How Pansexuality Differs from Bisexuality
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Superstar Lady Gaga has been open about her bisexuality since she came into the spotlight in the late ‘00s with “Just Dance.” In fact, her hit song “Poker Face” is actually about her attraction to men and women.
During her Las Vegas residency, she told the crowd, “Bet you didn’t know that this song was about sleeping with men and thinking about women the whole time.” She added, “Now that’s a good poker face.”
In 2019, at a WorldPride event in New York, Gaga addressed the troubling bisexual exclusion that sometimes exists in the queer community. "I may not, to some people, be considered a part of this community, even though I like girls sometimes. I would never degrade the fight you have endured."
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Kit Connor’s coming out story is unfortunately the result of bullying. Connor initially responded to questions about his sexual identity during an appearance on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast where he stated, “I mean, for me, I feel like I'm perfectly confident and comfortable with my sexuality. I'm not too big on labels and things like that. I'm not massive about that, and I don't feel like I need to label myself, especially publicly."
Sadly, that did not seem to quell the discourse around his sexuality and his wishes were not respected. After the Heartstopper actor was accused of queer baiting, he reluctantly took to Twitter to clarify his sexual identity, posting, “back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. bye.”
The actor’s story serves as a reminder that we cannot know everything about even our favorite celebs and we need to allow people to come out if and when they choose to, on their own terms.
Late night host Lilly Singh came out as bisexual in a Twitter post back in 2019. The comedian posted:
“? Female
? Coloured
? Bisexual
Throughout my life these have proven to be obstacles from time to time. But now I’m fully embracing them as my superpowers.
No matter how many “boxes” you check, I encourage you to do the same x
??????????”
A year later, Singh discussed the experience she had coming out in such a public way. Her statement read in part, “Coming out was one of the scariest experiences of my life. I’d love to tell you that everyone was supportive and that people didn’t treat me differently but I’d be lying. Coming out lifted a weight off my shoulders but at the same time it placed the weight of judgement on my chest. Maybe that’s the culture I was raised in or maybe it’s all in my head but either way for me it’s real.”
![<p>IMAGO / PicturePerfect</p><p>Singer <strong>Halsey</strong>, whose pronouns include she/they, has been openly bisexual since before they broke into the music world, and have used their fame to bring bisexuality more into the mainstream with songs like “Heaven in Hiding” and the duet with <strong>Lauren Jauregui</strong>, “Strangers.”</p><p><a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/halsey-team-feared-song-about-bisexuality-banned-on-radio-b1087551.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:The singer has talked;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The singer has talked</a> about how their team was worried about releasing the hit song “Bad At Love” due to the explicit reference to their romancing both genders. “There was concern about the lyrics, and mostly everyone was incredibly supportive, but the conversation did come up quite a bit, which was like, ‘I don’t know if they’re going to play this in middle America.’ … ‘Why, is it the part about coke? Is it the riding part? Is it because I said b---h?’ And everyone said, ‘No, it’s the second part.’ I was like, ‘Oh, so it’s the queer stuff. Got it.’ So, I was a little nervous too [about releasing it]."</p><p>Luckily, the song was successful, causing Halsey to reflect, “Nobody cared though. They said, ‘She’s Bi? That’s cool. We don’t give a f--k.'"</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/k_1F_YDGd9r_OqLknykT7Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDQ-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/parade_250/cb739a1d235eb012b7148f34458a990e)
IMAGO / PicturePerfect
Singer Halsey, whose pronouns include she/they, has been openly bisexual since before they broke into the music world, and have used their fame to bring bisexuality more into the mainstream with songs like “Heaven in Hiding” and the duet with Lauren Jauregui, “Strangers.”
The singer has talked about how their team was worried about releasing the hit song “Bad At Love” due to the explicit reference to their romancing both genders. “There was concern about the lyrics, and mostly everyone was incredibly supportive, but the conversation did come up quite a bit, which was like, ‘I don’t know if they’re going to play this in middle America.’ … ‘Why, is it the part about coke? Is it the riding part? Is it because I said b---h?’ And everyone said, ‘No, it’s the second part.’ I was like, ‘Oh, so it’s the queer stuff. Got it.’ So, I was a little nervous too [about releasing it]."
Luckily, the song was successful, causing Halsey to reflect, “Nobody cared though. They said, ‘She’s Bi? That’s cool. We don’t give a f--k.'"
![<p>IMAGO / Cover-Images</p><p><strong>Tessa Thompson</strong> has been open about her attraction to both men and women. Long speculated to have been in a relationship with <strong>Janelle Monáe</strong>, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/tessa-thompson-opens-up-relationship-janelle-monae-1124272/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:she addressed their relationship;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">she addressed their relationship</a> in 2018, stating, “We’re so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, that’s okay. It doesn’t bother me.”</p><p>When it comes to her fluid sexuality, <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/948178/tessa-thompson-says-she-s-attracted-to-both-men-and-women" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:she has said;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">she has said</a>, "I can take things for granted because of my family—it's so free and you can be anything that you want to be. I'm attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don't even have to have the discussion."</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jQNbVr6X.p5OAyFUxeWz4Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/parade_250/c64beb7bbaaf5b2b892bdff2318a5187)
IMAGO / Cover-Images
Tessa Thompson has been open about her attraction to both men and women. Long speculated to have been in a relationship with Janelle Monáe, she addressed their relationship in 2018, stating, “We’re so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, that’s okay. It doesn’t bother me.”
When it comes to her fluid sexuality, she has said, "I can take things for granted because of my family—it's so free and you can be anything that you want to be. I'm attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don't even have to have the discussion."
IMAGO / NurPhoto
Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart had some trepidation when it came to openly talking about her bisexuality at first. The actress was worried she would be accused of attention-seeking due to the fact that she had never been in an official relationship with a woman.
She addressed the issue in an interview, “I knew full well that I was attracted to women from a young age. I felt that since I’ve exclusively been in hetero-normative relationships, it would be too easy for any outsider, especially the media, to vilify me and accuse me of faking it to get attention. That’s not something I wanted to deal with. But to my close friends, and those in my life, my bisexuality has been no secret."
![<p>IMAGO / NurPhoto</p><p>Rapper <strong>Cardi B </strong>is not one to shy away from a fight. After she was accused of queer baiting, the Grammy-nominee <a href="https://twitter.com/iamcardib/status/1418639551514378241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1418639551514378241%7Ctwgr%5E9cc2ae154455843a8dcaa60d326a8436080ac0c6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.them.us%2Fstory%2Fcardi-b-bisexual-tweet-ate-bitches-out-before-you-was-born" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Tweeted in part;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Tweeted in part</a>, “Also I’m married to a man but I have express [sic] soo much about my bisexuality and my experiences wit girls. All of a sudden “queer baiting” is the new word & people use it to the ground!”</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/iamcardib/status/996411830913421314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E996411830913421314%7Ctwgr%5E9cc2ae154455843a8dcaa60d326a8436080ac0c6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.them.us%2Fstory%2Fcardi-b-bisexual-tweet-ate-bitches-out-before-you-was-born" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:She further elaborated;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">She further elaborated</a> on her bisexuality in another Tweet, “Listen to ‘GIRLS’ by Rita Ora ft me. "...We never try to cause harm or had bad intentions with the song. I personally myself had experiences with other woman, shiieeett with a lot of woman [sic]! I though the song was a good song and i remember my experience.”</p><p><strong>>>> </strong><a href="https://parade.com/newsletters/daily" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Sign up for Parade's Daily newsletter and get the scoop on the latest TV news and celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><strong>Sign up for Parade's Daily newsletter and get the scoop on the latest TV news and celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox</strong></a><strong> <<<</strong></p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/PmYcnQ6Oc.H8N6Moog0o3Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/parade_250/bf443b5bd4141bc1878f9363c4c174e7)
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Rapper Cardi B is not one to shy away from a fight. After she was accused of queer baiting, the Grammy-nominee Tweeted in part, “Also I’m married to a man but I have express [sic] soo much about my bisexuality and my experiences wit girls. All of a sudden “queer baiting” is the new word & people use it to the ground!”
She further elaborated on her bisexuality in another Tweet, “Listen to ‘GIRLS’ by Rita Ora ft me. "...We never try to cause harm or had bad intentions with the song. I personally myself had experiences with other woman, shiieeett with a lot of woman [sic]! I though the song was a good song and i remember my experience.”
IMAGO / agefotostock
In 2016, Younger star Nico Tortorella came out as bisexual in an interview with Vulture. They discussed their initial hesitancy to use the label, “The more I’m having these conversations, the more comfortable I am identifying as bisexual. I’ve been so hesitant about using the word for so long, because it does have a negative connotation in our generation. People fought for so long for that ‘B’ in LGBT, and I refuse to be the person that’s going to throw that away because I think I have a more colorful word."
Musician Phoebe Bridgers formed the visibly queer band boygenius alongside Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. The singer has expressed what it is like to be openly bisexual during a time when there is so much anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment. “I'm so proud of our group dynamic, and as a bisexual woman in straight relationships, it feels weird to talk about it so much.”
She added, “That said, I wish there were more types of queer people visible to me when I was growing up, and when it comes to our band and our shared dynamic, I have no shame about stepping forward and being like, 'This is what we look like and how we feel and what we believe in.’”
![<p>IMAGO / YAY Images</p><p>When <strong>Stephanie Beatriz</strong>’s character Rosa Diaz on <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</em> came out as bisexual, the actress was able to pull from her own experience. <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/stephanie-beatriz-bisexual-awakening-on-screen-and-off.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Beatriz explained;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Beatriz explained</a>, “[<strong>Dan Goor</strong>] called me and said, ‘Would you be open to us exploring a story where Rosa comes out as bisexual?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely. Yes. I’m so excited! Yes! Yes! Yes!’ It was like, tens, tens, tens across the board.”</p><p>The actress wasn’t always so open about her sexuality, but since coming out <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/06/11/stephanie-beatriz-explains-why-she-kept-bisexual-identity-hidden-for-so-long/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:has explained;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">has explained</a> why she kept it under wraps for some time. “I thought, ‘Oh it may affect my career, it might have an effect on some of my relationships. And it did, and probably does.”</p><p>She has since owned her bisexuality and <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/06/11/stephanie-beatriz-explains-why-she-kept-bisexual-identity-hidden-for-so-long/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:worn it proudly;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">worn it proudly</a>, “[S]aying to the world, ‘This is me, all of me. Take it or leave it, baby.’ And, ‘I’m here, sharing the same space as you. So what’s up.’”</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/grUapS1sWxxGe10Rc4DliQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/parade_250/39235a97ef1acfdc57c7391d732b9b6d)
IMAGO / YAY Images
When Stephanie Beatriz’s character Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine came out as bisexual, the actress was able to pull from her own experience. Beatriz explained, “[Dan Goor] called me and said, ‘Would you be open to us exploring a story where Rosa comes out as bisexual?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely. Yes. I’m so excited! Yes! Yes! Yes!’ It was like, tens, tens, tens across the board.”
The actress wasn’t always so open about her sexuality, but since coming out has explained why she kept it under wraps for some time. “I thought, ‘Oh it may affect my career, it might have an effect on some of my relationships. And it did, and probably does.”
She has since owned her bisexuality and worn it proudly, “[S]aying to the world, ‘This is me, all of me. Take it or leave it, baby.’ And, ‘I’m here, sharing the same space as you. So what’s up.’”
Actress Reneé Rapp saw a lot of herself in the coming out story her character Leighton went through on Sex Lives of College Girls.
“I'm a white, bisexual woman, so there's a sense in which my queerness is very palatable. Truly, though, so much of Leighton is me, and so much of Leighton has helped me understand myself. I don't think that I had an amazing relationship to my queerness, but through playing Leighton, I feel like I'm being much more openly queer, because it is a public part of who I am, and I'm very proud of that."
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Megan Fox has talked many times about her bisexuality throughout her career. In 2008, she discussed her attraction to both men and women in an interview with GQ. “I just think that all humans are born with the ability to be attracted to both sexes. I mean, I could see myself in a relationship with a girl."
She further discussed her beliefs surrounding sexuality with Esquire, saying, "I think people are born bisexual and they make subconscious choices based on the pressures of society. I have no question in my mind about being bisexual."
Related: Megan Fox's Book 'Pretty Boys Are Poisonous' Adds 'Author' and 'Poet' to Her Resumé
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Actress Michelle Rodriguez electrified her avid queer fanbase when she revealed she has been in relationships with both men and women, and her 2014 relationship with Cara Delevingne helped to bring bisexual awareness to the mainstream at the time.
Rodriguez spoke about her sexuality bluntly with Entertainment Weekly in 2013. "I've gone both ways. I do as I please. I am too fucking curious to sit here and not try when I can. Men are intriguing. So are chicks."
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Despite coming out as bisexual in a 2012 Tweet, actress Evan Rachel Wood has since clarified that she prefers the term queer. "I prefer 'queer.’ Bisexual works too except I don't exclude transgender people. This is why labels are tricky."
Wood has discussed why she felt the need to come out publicly. "I also wanted to inspire people to be who they are. Maybe help another struggling terrified 12 year old know it's ok. And I didn't want to feel like I had to hide the women in my life."
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Janelle Monáe is now an icon in the queer community. However, the singer had a journey to figure out her own sexual identity. She initially identified as bisexual, but has since identified as pansexual.
She spoke about her evolution with Rolling Stone in 2018. “Being a queer black woman in America, someone who has been in relationships with both men and women—I consider myself to be a free-ass motherf-cker.”
She further explained, “But then later I read about pansexuality and was like, 'Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I'm open to learning more about who I am."
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Arrested Development actress Alia Shawkat has been exploring her identity since she was a child. She explained to Out Magazine, “I was a tomboy growing up, and I remember my mom asking me when I was 10, 'Are you attracted to boys or girls?' I said 'I don't know.’ Now I consider myself bisexual, and I think balancing my male and female energies has been a big part of me growing as an actor."
She feels it is important to use her voice for the queer community. “As a woman, an Arab-American, and a member of the LGBTQ community, I have to use whatever voice I have. There’s no more delicacy in being quiet.”
![<p>IMAGO / Future Image</p><p>Hugely influential record producer <strong>Clive Davis </strong>surprised the world when he came out as bisexual in his 2013 memoir <em>The Soundtrack Of My Life</em>. <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/clive-davis-comes-out-bisexual_n_2716661" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:He wrote;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">He wrote</a>, "The adage is that you're either straight or gay or lying, but that's not my experience. To call me anything other than bisexual would be inaccurate."</p><p>He explained later that he had not hidden his sexuality in his private life, describing it as “[S]omething that my children and close friends have always known, but that I knew I would need to discuss in a biography.”</p><p><strong>Next, <a href="https://www.acmesponge.com/lifestyle/25-lgbtq-books-national-coming-151204200.html" data-ylk="slk:29 LGBTQ+ Books for Pride Month (and Beyond) That Inform and Entertain;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;" class="link yahoo-link">29 LGBTQ+ Books for Pride Month (and Beyond) That Inform and Entertain</a></strong></p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/D48Yo5uJmU06i9Wn8Ay1NA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/parade_250/cb11342e4ee745598dd8124e77eff319)
IMAGO / Future Image
Hugely influential record producer Clive Davis surprised the world when he came out as bisexual in his 2013 memoir The Soundtrack Of My Life. He wrote, "The adage is that you're either straight or gay or lying, but that's not my experience. To call me anything other than bisexual would be inaccurate."
He explained later that he had not hidden his sexuality in his private life, describing it as “[S]omething that my children and close friends have always known, but that I knew I would need to discuss in a biography.”
Next, 29 LGBTQ+ Books for Pride Month (and Beyond) That Inform and Entertain
