This has been a wild year full of amazing moments, gay people making history, LGBTQ+ athletes ruling sports, and queer celebs making us proud.
But there were also shocking gay moments that had our jaws on the floor.
These celebrities clapped back at haters, won awards, and surprised us by coming out. The drudgeries of life can get you down or bore you to tears, but these LGBTQ+ celebs brightened 2025 by shocking our systems!
Gabby Windey got married twice
The Traitors star Gabby Windey married comedian Robby Hoffman in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas in January and then tied the knot a second time in April, where Windey wore a see-through, micro wedding dress.
JoJo Siwa's messy relationship drama
Queer pop star JoJo Siwa surprised the world when she fell for Chris Hughes on Big Brother UK despite being in a relationship with nonbinary actor and content creator Kath Ebbs at the time. Fans were so surprised by this shift that the news went viral and discourse about Sita’s sexuality inescapable — Miley Cyrus even joked about Siwa going back in the closet after coming out as a lesbian.
Kelly Clarkson broke the internet with a wink
@shoppingwithsimone That wink though. #kellyclarkson #fyp #trendingvideo
Kelly Clarkson sent lesbian and sapphics into a tailspin earlier this year when she sang The Outfield's “Your Love,” and winked directly into the camera while singing the line, “You know I like my girls a little bit older.” It turned into the wink seen ‘round the world when the moment we, viral and queer women, couldn’t stop thirsting over Clarkson.
'Heated Rivalry' loved by straight men
The success of Heated Rivalry is one of the biggest surprises of the year, considering it was a low-budget Canadian gay hockey show, but it became the highest-rated television show of the year. But even more shocking is the fact that it’s not just queer people and women watching the show, straight male sports fans became obsessed with Ilya and Shane too.
Jonathan Bailey Became The First Gay Sexiest Man Alive
Jonathan Bailey went viral this year when he made history by becoming the first gay Sexiest Man Alive. Bailey being dubbed the sexiest male celebrity isn’t a shock, but People magazine waking up and finally naming a queer celeb absolutely was.
Anna Camp came out
Every year, new celebrities come out of the closet, but this year’s most delightful surprise was when Pitch Perfect star Anna Camp casually came out in a TikTok video that instantly went viral when people realized the star was announcing she was dating a woman. Since then, Camp and girlfriend Jade Whipkey have attended red carpets together, and the 42-year-old actress has been living her life out loud and proud.
Queer ally Zohran Mamdani beat the establishment
Zohran Mamdani beat former Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral election after running a campaign where he went viral after being caught on video asking a DJ to play trans pop star Kim Petras’ music, and spent Halloween at the LGBTQ+ bar Papi Juice. Mamdani might not be queer himself, but he’s proving to be a fierce LGBTQ+ ally, and his shocking shake-up of establishment politics during the election means he’s going to have enough power to make actual changes that will hopefully improve the lives of queer people.
Cynthia Erivo turned into a body guard
When a fan with a penchant for getting past security to physically touch big stars ran up to Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo instantly transformed into a powerful bodyguard as she pulled Grande out of the fray and used her own body to protect her Wicked castmate. Those biceps told us Erivo was strong, but everyone was shocked to see her in action!
Two members of KATSEYE came out
KATSEYE members Lara Rajagopalan and Megan Skiendiel both surpassed fans when they came out as queer this year. The other global girl group members have been incredibly supportive, and between the two women coming out and the sapphic dances they do on stage, the band has had a surprisingly gay year.
Reneé Rapp clapped back at Betty Who
After Betty Who made controversial comments about identity, including saying that she would “hold space” for Reneé Rapp could ultimately find "the love of [her] life" in a man. Many fans considered Who’s comments to be lesbophobic, but Rapp didn’t need anyone to stand up for her because she was perfectly capable of clapping back. “Don’t bring my big fucking lesbian name into your mouth and into this drama,” Rapp told Cosmopolitan.
Vivian Wilson verbally destroyed Elon Musk
Trans activist and model Vivian Wilson spent 2025 shocking the internet with her willingness to eviscerate her father, Elon Musk, at every opportunity. Her scorching takedowns on social media, podcasts, and in interviews were a surprising delight amongst Musk’s power grabs.
After all these years, the queer community still knows how to surprise us! Looking back on 2025, these celebs took big swings, shocked us with their words, and made headlines for all the right reasons. Bring on 2026!
