'Diary of A Wimpy Kid' Star Karan Brar Comes Out

Former Disney Channel star Karan Brar just came out as bisexual in a stunningly honest personal essay he wrote for Teen Vogue.

Brar is best known for his roles in the Diary of A Wimpy Kid film series and as Ravi Ross in the popular Disney Channel series Jessie and its spinoff Bunk’d, but all of that success at a young age didn’t equate to happiness as a young adult.

As he left his teens behind and entered his 20s, he started to struggle. “There was public Karan and private Karan,” he said. “Both were real, but trying to hold them in one body was proving to be too much.”

Then, in 2019, Brar moved in with his best friends Cameron Boyce (Descendants) and Sophie Reynolds (L.A.’s Finest), and after a night of drinking, he finally worked up the courage to tell them something he had been keeping secret: that he is bisexual.

Brar was convinced they would immediately ask him to move out, but luckily, they responded with love and support.

“This was the first time in years that I wasn’t hiding anything from them; instead, they were seeing the most authentic version of me,” Brar wrote. “I finally gave up and accepted that they loved me as I am, as I’ve been, and as I’m going to be. This was a crisp picture of what unconditional love looked like.”

Tragically, shortly after this Boyce died due to complications from epilepsy. Losing his best friend and other stressors took a toll on Brar’s mental health, and he had a breakdown. “His death threw my already-fragile sense of self into a tailspin,” he said. “I hadn’t dealt with my internalized homophobia, thinking that coming out to my friends was enough to eradicate that (it wasn’t). My mental health worsened, and my grief was unresolved.”

Soon, he was suicidal, but luckily, he was able to recognize that there was a problem and checked himself into an inpatient treatment center.

It’s now been three years, and Brar is thriving.

“While in treatment, I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder,” he said. “It’s been ages since I’ve experienced a PTSD symptom, so much so that I don’t think I even meet the criteria for the diagnosis anymore. My depression has been in remission for some time, and with the help of my medication, I’m finding my emotions to be much more manageable. I’m no longer drowning in the grief of losing Cameron. Rather, I’m in acceptance of grief being an ever changing experience I just have to see through.”

Welcome to the fam Karan! We’re so happy you’re living as your authentic self and are in a better place now.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, you can call, text or chat with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or +1 (800) 273-TALK (8255); you can reach the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are a trans or gender-nonconforming person considering suicide, the Trans Lifeline can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The Trevor Project is the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger). Trained counselors at the Trevor Project Lifeline can be reached 24/7 at (866) 488-7386, by texting START to 678678, or via the TrevorChat instant messaging service at TheTrevorProject.org/Help.