15 women who have come out as LGBTQ+ after starring on reality TV

There are far too few LGBTQ+ women on reality TV, but in the last few years, that’s slowly starting to change as more and more stars come out. Some people wait until they have left the show they were on, and others come out on air, but no matter how they do it, these women are bravely sharing their sexual and gender identities with the world, and we are so happy they are.

From Bachelorette’s revealing that they’re queer to RuPaul’s Drag Race stars coming out as trans, there are so many amazing women who have joined the fam!

Chrishell Stause (Selling Sunset)

Chrishell Stause was a well-known soap opera actress before making the reality TV jump when she joined the cast of Netflix’s Selling Sunset in 2019. Stause came out publicly in 2022 during the Selling Sunset season 5 reunion, where she announced she had started dating nonbinary musician G Flip. The two tied the knot in a small ceremony in Las Vegas a little over a year after they started dating.

Becca Tilley (The Bachelor)

Becca Tilley first became famous as a contestant on the straightest show on television, The Bachelor. After the show ended, she met and started dating queer musician Hayley Kiyoko, and while the pair kept their relationship out of the public eye for years, she finally came out in 2022.

Gabby Windey (The Bachelorette)

Gabby Windey rocketed to fame on The Bachelorette where she was seeking a husband, but in 2023 she came out to the world by introducing her girlfriend TV writer Robby Hoffman on Instagram.

“Lots to say honestly, and it’s hard to get it out all right now,” she explained in a video on her Instagram story when she came out. “But I know everyone’s been really curious about who I’m dating. You know I love to stir the pot and tease, but I did want to wait until I was ready.”

Amber Gill (Love Island)

Love Island UK winner Amber Gill ended up with rugby player Greg O’Shea when the show ended, but three years later, she shocked fans when she announced that she had “switched teams” on Twitter (now X).

“I watch back on the shows that I’ve been on and I’m like, ‘god, you’re just so gay’,” Gill said last year on an episode ofQueerpiphany.

JoJo Siwa (Dance Moms)

JoJo Siwa first made a name for herself as a child performer on Dance Moms, and since then, she has gone on to become a pop star, YouTuber, and TikToker. The 21-year-old “Karma” singer came out back in January of 2021 after years of speculation about her sexuality by posting a pic of herself on Twitter that showed her wearing a T-shirt someone gifted her that read, “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” She later announced she identifies as lesbian.

Since then, Siwa has done many interviews where she’s talked openly about her queer identity and has made headlines for her dating life. She dated Kylie Prew, TikTok star Avery Cyrus, and earlier this month, she publicly announced she’s now dating So You Think You Can Dance contestant Dakota Wilson.

Parvati Shallow (Survivor)

Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites winner Parvati Shallow came out as queer on Dec. 30, 2023, when she shared an Instagram post hard launching her relationship with comedian Mae Martin. She posted a strip of adorable Photo Booth pics with the caption, “We’re here. We’re queer. Happy new year.”

Stacy Snyder (Love is Blind)

Love is Blind season 5 contestant Stacy Snyder got engaged to Izzy Zapata on the show, only for Synder to call it quits before the pair said “I do.” Then, on August 28, 2024, she came out as queer with a reel posted to Instagram where she kissed a mystery woman. We can’t wait to find out who she’s dating!

Jasmine Pineda (90 Day Fiancé)

At the Tell All reunion special for 90 Day Fiancé, star Jasmine Pineda spoke openly about her sexuality, admitting that the costar she’d like to have children with is her trans costar, Nikki Exotika. While she admitted to having girlfriends in the past, this was the first time the public became aware that she was part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Erika Casupana (Survivor)

Survivor season 41 winner Erika Casuapan decided to start 2024 on the right foot, by coming out on Instagram on New Year's Eve. The reality TV star revealed her sexuality to her followers by posting a funny video where she joked that she wanted to try the tradition of eating grapes under the table on New Year's Eve in hopes of getting a boyfriend, but she was out of grass so she "chugged wine" instead and "realized I'm a lesbian."

Ariana Madix (Vanderpump Rules)

Bisexual star Ariana Madix first became famous for joining the cast of Vanderpump Rules, but she became a household name after her long-term boyfriend and co-star Tom Sandoval cheated on her with her best friend, and it became the most talked about scandal in reality TV history.

Madix hadn’t spoken publicly about her sexuality until she had a sexual experience with co-star Lala Kent, and her then-boyfriend Sandoval blabbed about it to his friends on the show. “I’m not embarrassed or ashamed of what happened between Lala and I, but I do feel like Tom betrayed my trust by telling this story to his guy friends,” she said during the episode. “My sexuality is not something that is meant to sound cool to a bunch of dudes.”

Braunwyn Windham-Spinner (Real Housewives of Orange County)

Braunwyn Windham-Burke starred in season 15 of The Real Housewives of Orange County when she was still married to her now ex-husband Sean Burke. After leaving the show, she came out as a lesbian in December 2020 and then announced her engagement to girlfriend Jennifer Spinner in 2022. The pair then tied the knot in a Valentine’s ceremony in Las Vegas in 2023.

Chloe Veitch (Too Hot Too Handle, The Circle)

Chloe Veitch is a reality TV veteran. She’s starred in shows like Too Hot Too Handle, The Circle, Celebrity Ghost Trio, Celebrity Hunted, Eating With My Ex, and Perfect Match, but it was while she was doing press for Big Celebrity Detox last year that she came out.

Veitch told The Sunthat she felt like her bisexuality was her “dirty little secret” and that it took a big “weight off my shoulders” to come out publicly.

“At the end of the day, if I’m happy, that’s all that matters,” Veitch said in the interview. “I’m itching to go out there and date both guys and girls. It’s really exciting.”

Taylor Armstrong (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills)

Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong publicly came out as bisexual last year on a different version of the Bravo reality franchise. Armstrong was on a trip to Montana with the women from Real Housewives of Orange County as a "friend of the show" when she opened up about being bisexual and even having a long-term relationship with a woman in the past.

"Most people are surprised to find out that I'm bisexual probably just because of stereotypes," Taylor explained on the show. "I mean it's not something I broadcast, but I'm open to all people who have great souls that you can love."

Demi Burnett (The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise)

Demi Burnett made it big when she starred in season 23 of The Bachelor but began to explore her sexuality on Bachelor in Paradise season six. While in Mexico explored a relationship with Kristian Haggarty, and the pair became the franchise’s first same-sex relationship. Surprisingly, the “Bachelor” from her season, Colton Underwood, also came out as gay after he left the show.

“I was nervous about it, just because I didn’t know how it was going to look, you know, all the fear of people judging you based off of who you choose to love still was lingering, but it’s liberating now that it’s out there, and everyone’s supporting me,” she said at the time according to Today.

Elizabeth Corrigan (The Bachelor)

Elizabeth Corrigan may have competed to win Clayton Echard’s heart on The Bachelor, but just months after starring on the show in 2022, she came out as bisexual on Instagram in honor of Pride month. She posted a carousel of photos on Instagram featuring the reality TV star in a rainbow bandeau top, along with a heartfelt message about her sexuality.

“It’s important to me today to share with you all that I am queer. More specifically I am, always have been, and always will be-bisexual,” she wrote.