Billie Eilish Confirms She Came Out as Queer: ‘I Didn’t Realize People Didn’t Know’
On Saturday, Billie Eilish was interviewed on the red carpet for the Variety Hitmakers Brunch and was asked about her “coming out” story in her November Variety profile, which led to some confusion. The singer claimed that she hadn’t realized fans didn’t know she identified as queer, saying it was “obvious.”
In her profile, Eilish stated, “I’m physically attracted to [women]. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”
On the red carpet, she explained her comment wasn’t really an announcement.
“I didn’t [know I was coming out], but I kinda thought, wasn’t it obvious?” she said of the anecdote. “I didn’t realize people didn’t know.”
“I’m still scared of [women], but I think they’re pretty,” she joked. “I saw the article, and I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I came out today!’ I just don’t really believe in [coming out]. I’m just like, why can’t we just exist? I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I just didn’t talk about it.”
She added, “It’s exciting to me because I guess people didn’t know, so it’s cool that they know…I am for the girls.”
Her past public relationships include Eilish rapper Brandon Adams, otherwise known as 7:AMP, and most recently Jesse Rutherford, lead singer of The Neighbourhood.
Eilish’s relationship with Adams was featured in her documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, released in February 2021. She told People about their break up, saying, “I didn’t want the same things he wanted and I don’t think that’s fair for him. I don’t think you should be in a relationship super excited about things that the other person couldn’t care less about.”
Rutherford and the 21-year-old star had an 11-year-age difference, and dated from October 2022 to May 2023. Eilish has said they’ve remained friends since their split.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.