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OUTOUT

100 Hottest Out & Proud Celebs

By Out.com Editors
Showing Pride
Showing Pride

From coming out to overcoming challenges, these actors, athletes, musicians and politicians explain why they are proud to be gay. 

Michael Sam
Michael Sam

Athlete

The kiss that changed the NFL world. We hope to see Sam back on the playing field very soon.

Photo: Richard Phibbs for Out magazine

Sam Smith
Sam Smith

Musician

Thomas Roberts
Thomas Roberts

TV Anchor & Journalist

"I am a happy, healthy, gainfully employed, educated and married man. And yes, I am gay." (MSNBC)

Tyler Glenn
Tyler Glenn

Musician

Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris

Actor, Author & TV Host

"I didn't release a statement to them, but at the first How I Met Your Mother barbecue I brought David. I feel like it's important to be proud of who you are, so I didn't feel like, 'I should bring my friend Stephanie to this barbecue, or I'll lose my job.' Thankfully, I live in a time where I don't have to worry about that." (Out)

Alexander Wang
Alexander Wang

Designer

Gregg Araki
Gregg Araki

Filmmaker

Colman Domingo
Colman Domingo

Actor & Playwright

"It’s an experience I’d like to add to the chorus that these blue-collar, macho men, like my older brother, had the capacity to say: 'I don’t care, I love you anyway.'" (Metro)

Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Actor & Activist

"It was never an issue … I never felt 'in' so it didn't feel like it was terribly difficult to be 'out.' Good actors come from a place of truth and to me it just felt like I needed to have my cards on the table. It wouldn't have felt comfortable for me to be hiding a piece of myself.” (Winnipeg Free Press)

Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin

Musician

"Something as simple as standing at that dinner and saying, 'I'm gay,' creates so may emotions I've never felt before. I didn't do it earlier because of fear, and, bottom line, it was all in my head. I was seduced by fear, and I was sabotaging most of my life." (Out)

Ben Whishaw
Ben Whishaw

Actor

Gareth Thomas
Gareth Thomas

"Now I’m walking with pride. If people recognise me now they maybe recognise me as a rugby player or an ­inspiring proud gay man. I’m proud to be recognised for who I am." (Mirror)

Wilson Cruz
Wilson Cruz

Actor & Activist

Nik Thakkar
Nik Thakkar

Designer & Model

Andrew Haigh
Andrew Haigh

Writer, Director, Producer

Known for: Looking & Weekend
Read: OUT100: Andrew Haigh

Photo: JUCO for Out

Andrew Scott
Andrew Scott

Actor

Darryl Stephens
Darryl Stephens

Actor & Model

Gavin Creel
Gavin Creel

Actor

Le1f
Le1f

Musician

"My ideal fantasy of great success would be to have a very diverse crowd, like a mosh pit of everyone; gay, black and Latino." (Bullett)

Shaun Ross
Shaun Ross

Model

Blake Skjellerup
Blake Skjellerup

Athlete & Activist

Eli Lieb
Eli Lieb

Musician

Matthew Mitcham
Matthew Mitcham

Athlete

Photo by  John MCrae

Kyle Dean Massey
Kyle Dean Massey

Actor

James Whiteside
James Whiteside

Ballet Dancer & Performer

Luke Macfarlane
Luke Macfarlane

Actor

Brian Sims
Brian Sims

Politician

"I don’t mean to sound trite when I say this, but the single most important thing that we can do as LGBT people is to come out." (Advocate)

 

Ryan Steele
Ryan Steele

Actor & Dancer

Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe

Musician

Prabal Gurung
Prabal Gurung

Designer

Nate Berkus
Nate Berkus

Designer & TV Personality

Guillermo Diaz
Guillermo Diaz

Actor

"After I did Stonewall, I was doing all this gay press. My managers wanted to put a halt on me being out,' he says. 'I just don't have the patience for that shit. It seems like so much fuckin' work to keep lying. I remember them saying, 'We need to build up your body count.' They wanted me to kill more people on film. I was like, 'You guys would rather I kill more people on film than tell people I'm gay?' Needless to say, I'm not with them anymore." (Out)

Jake Shears
Jake Shears

Musician

Conrad Ricamora
Conrad Ricamora

Actor

Zebra Katz
Zebra Katz

Musician

Tom Daley
Tom Daley

Athlete

Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson

Actor & Musician

"People may have said, “The dude's gay; how are we going to market this?” But it's not an issue for me, because being out is very freeing." (The Backlot)

Andrew Hayden-Smith
Andrew Hayden-Smith

Actor

Aiden Shaw
Aiden Shaw

Model

Matt Doyle
Matt Doyle

Actor

Chris Salvatore
Chris Salvatore

Model, Actor, Musician

Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming

Actor & Author

Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer

Actor, Author, Producer

"I think with Kurt and Blaine, I would hope would set an example of what something should be and could be. You know, two people finding each other and really loving each other and wanting to give the world to each other." (E! Online)

Eliad Cohen
Eliad Cohen

Event Producer & Entrepreneur

Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider

Musician

Xavier Dolan
Xavier Dolan

Filmmaker

David Hallberg
David Hallberg

Ballety Dancer

Photography by Bjorn Iooss

Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean

Musician

Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert

Musician

"I will not be defined or victimized by my orientation. Hallelooooooo!, It ain't a DISABILITY!! It's just a disposition ya'll. the only thing that makes it 'hard to deal with' is when folks be ignant bout it. Ha." (The Hollywood Reporter)

Photo by David Roemer

Dustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black

Screenwriter & Activist

"Listening to Harvey Milk's recording gave me my life because for the very first time I heard a leader leading with hope not fear and that vision of hope included me. I didn't know it was possible to be out of the closet or to lead with anything other than fear. It gave me to hope to start living my life." (The Windy City Times)

Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs

Designer & Entrepreneur

Matt Bomer
Matt Bomer

Actor

"I’m not going to lie and say it was a bed of roses. But with the gift of time and grace, my parents chose love. And I think it’s important for people to know that. We always hear, ‘Oh, it gets better, it gets better,’ and [then] so many people go, ‘No it doesn’t.’ I feel lucky to say that, yes, sometimes it does." (Out)

Billy Bean
Billy Bean

Businessman & Former Athlete

Billy Bean was named Major League Baseball's first "ambassador of inclusion" in 2014. "As a young man, I silently walked away from baseball for all the wrong reasons, and today I am truly humbled that the commissioner's office has brought me back to lead the effort on inclusion." (CNN)

Jason Collins
Jason Collins

Athlete & Activist

Thom Browne
Thom Browne

Designer

Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy

Actor

Telly Leung
Telly Leung

Actor & Producer

Derrick Gordon
Derrick Gordon

Athlete

Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan

Musician

Andy Butler
Andy Butler

Musician & Producer

Dan Savage
Dan Savage

Journalist, Talk Show Host & Activist

Gus Johnston
Gus Johnston

Athlete

"The most important thing to me is that young people who are in a similar situation to me see my video and think maybe they can be who they want to be." (OutSports)

Mark Kanemura
Mark Kanemura

Dancer & Choreographer

Nicolas Ripoll
Nicolas Ripoll

Model

Russell Tovey
Russell Tovey

Actor

Brad Goreski
Brad Goreski

Stylist & TV Personality

Omar Sharif Jr.
Omar Sharif Jr.

Activist

Michael J. Willett
Michael J. Willett

Actor & Musician

Murray Bartlett
Murray Bartlett

Actor

Matthew Wilkas
Matthew Wilkas

Actor

Mike Hadreas, a.k.a. Perfume Genius
Mike Hadreas, a.k.a. Perfume Genius

Musician

John Tiffany
John Tiffany

Director

Michael Trusnovec
Michael Trusnovec

Dancer

Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff
Francisco Costa
Francisco Costa

Designer

Mika
Mika

Musician

Michael Urie
Michael Urie

Actor, Director, Producer

"If I wasn't open about who I am, and [was] careful about the roles I picked in fear of projecting anything, I would work so infrequently." (On Top)

Michael Bastian
Michael Bastian

Designer

Billy Porter
Billy Porter

Actor, Playwright & Singer

"I've worked with a lot of gay and lesbian organizations. I sit on the board of the Empire State Pride Agenda. I've also done a lot of work for Broadway Care/Equity Fights AIDS. I think it's important because, when we can be of service to others, it only enhances our lives. I've been helped a lot in my life." (TheaterMania)

 

Victor Garber
Victor Garber

Actor

Steve Grand
Steve Grand

Musician

"I saw a Christian therapist who, among many other beliefs, believed I’d be happier in a straight life. He didn’t shame me for being gay. Most of the focus, we weren’t even talking about my sexuality. But certainly his belief that I’d be living a happier life as a heterosexual was indeed harmful. In no way, shape, or form—I can’t even believe I have to clarify this—do I condone ex-gay therapy. I think it’s a horrible practice. There’s no scientific basis for it. A person’s sexuality is a part of who they are. And I certainly suffered for not having my sexuality affirmed." (Out)

Robbie Rogers
Robbie Rogers

Athlete & Entrepreneur

Wentworth Miller
Wentworth Miller

Actor & Screenwriter

"Let me be to someone else what no one was to me. Let me send a message to that kid, maybe in America, maybe someplace far overseas, maybe somewhere deep inside — a kid who is being targeted at home or at school or in the streets — that someone is watching and listening and caring, that there is an ‘us,’ that there is a ‘we,’ and that kid or teenager or adult is loved and they are not alone." (Out)

Amini Fonua
Amini Fonua

Athlete

Joseph Altuzzara
Joseph Altuzzara

Designer

Wade Davis
Wade Davis

Activist & Athlete

Matthew Risch
Matthew Risch

Actor

Tyler Oakley
Tyler Oakley

YouTube Personality & Entrepreneur

Andrew Rannells
Andrew Rannells

Actor

"I came out right after I graduated high school. I don’t think it came as a great surprise to my family -- I had been dancing around to the Grease 2 soundtrack forever, but I am really, really fortunate that my family was extremely accepting and extremely loving." (Out)

Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto

Actor, Producer, Director

“I felt supported at the time in a really profound way, by fans and people that just know me by my work. I think I’m in a really good place.” (ABC News)

Jussie Smollett
Jussie Smollett

Actor, Singer

Olivier Rousteing
Olivier Rousteing

Designer

Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper

New Anchor & Journalist

Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen

Producer & TV Personality

"If you look at my life before I went into television, the struggle I went through coming out would be surprising to most people, given how comfortable and how out I am being the only late-night gay talk-show host." (Brainy Quote)

David Burtka
David Burtka

Actor & TV Personality

 

Mo Rocca
Mo Rocca

Comedian, Author & TV Personality

"I’m just more comfortable with myself now, It’s taken me until I’m 42 to begin to feel this way." (Philly Mag)

Tom Ford
Tom Ford

Designer, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

 

Rory O'Malley
Rory O'Malley

Actor

"I just love being cast… I love playing gay characters. I think it’s fantastic that there have been these rich gay characters for me to do… They’re fully-formed people, with points of view, and something different to bring to the story." (Queerty)

Darren Young
Darren Young

Athlete

 

Jim Parsons
Jim Parsons

Actor

"I've never considered my relationship with Todd to be an act of activism. Rather simply, it's an act of love, coffee in the morning, going to work, washing the clothes, taking the dogs [out]—a regular life, boring love." (E! Online)

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Showing Pride
Michael Sam
Sam Smith
Thomas Roberts
Tyler Glenn
Neil Patrick Harris
Alexander Wang
Gregg Araki
Colman Domingo
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Ricky Martin
Ben Whishaw
Gareth Thomas
Wilson Cruz
Nik Thakkar
Andrew Haigh
Andrew Scott
Darryl Stephens
Gavin Creel
Le1f
Shaun Ross
Blake Skjellerup
Eli Lieb
Matthew Mitcham
Kyle Dean Massey
James Whiteside
Luke Macfarlane
Brian Sims
Ryan Steele
Michael Stipe
Prabal Gurung
Nate Berkus
Guillermo Diaz
Jake Shears
Conrad Ricamora
Zebra Katz
Tom Daley
Cheyenne Jackson
Andrew Hayden-Smith
Aiden Shaw
Matt Doyle
Chris Salvatore
Alan Cumming
Chris Colfer
Eliad Cohen
Ivri Lider
Xavier Dolan
David Hallberg
Frank Ocean
Adam Lambert
Dustin Lance Black
Marc Jacobs
Matt Bomer
Billy Bean
Jason Collins
Thom Browne
Maulik Pancholy
Telly Leung
Derrick Gordon
Troye Sivan
Andy Butler
Dan Savage
Gus Johnston
Mark Kanemura
Nicolas Ripoll
Russell Tovey
Brad Goreski
Omar Sharif Jr.
Michael J. Willett
Murray Bartlett
Matthew Wilkas
Mike Hadreas, a.k.a. Perfume Genius
John Tiffany
Michael Trusnovec
Jonathan Groff
Francisco Costa
Mika
Michael Urie
Michael Bastian
Billy Porter
Victor Garber
Steve Grand
Robbie Rogers
Wentworth Miller
Amini Fonua
Joseph Altuzzara
Wade Davis
Matthew Risch
Tyler Oakley
Andrew Rannells
Zachary Quinto
Jussie Smollett
Olivier Rousteing
Anderson Cooper
Andy Cohen
David Burtka
Mo Rocca
Tom Ford
Rory O'Malley
Darren Young
Jim Parsons
Tags: Popnography, Out Exclusives