12 Celebrities Who Didn’t Even Need To Tell Us They Were Gay

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1) Ellen DeGeneres

Although at the time, Ellen’s coming out announcement was a huge deal in the media and to many of her fans, those “in the know” knew the star was gay for years. When we look back now, it seems pretty crazy that everyone didn’t know that Ellen was a lesbian. From her comedy routines, her fashion choices, lack of a boyfriend and her androgynous style the facts were all staring us right in the face.

If Ellen had been on the scene even 10 years later, when the LGBT community had a much larger presence in the media and the world, people probably wouldn’t have even batted an eye at her coming out story. Of course the growing acceptance of members of the LGBT community in the media and in Hollywood today is due in large part to Ellen’s coming out and advocacy. We’re so happy that Ellen made the big decision to come out when she did and how she did. The bombshell of 1997 may not seem like such a shock when we look back 14 years later but we have to hand it to Ellen for paving the way for others in the community and in the entertainment industry to do the same.