Ellen DeGeneres came out shortly after her character Ellen, on an ABC sitcom, came out on-air amid controversy in 1997. "I never wanted to be the lesbian actress," DeGeneres told Time magazine. "I never wanted to be the spokesperson for the gay community. Ever. I did it for my own truth." DeGeneres' current partner, Portia de Rossi, also kept her sexuality a secret for many years.
"Fast & Furious" star Michelle Rodriguez recently told EW "I've gone both ways. I do as I please" while discussing how many have assumed she is gay.
"Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller recently came out after he withdrew from the St. Petersburg International Film Festival in protest of Russia's anti-gay policies.
Lucas Cruikshank is the star of Nickelodeon's hit series "Fred." He came out via a YouTube video in August 2013.
On August 2, Raven-Symone, who played adorable Olivia on "The Cosby Show," indicated for the first time she is a lesbian. She first tweeted the news: "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you." She later released a statement saying, "I was excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage. I, however am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to."
`NSync singer Lance Bass appeared on the cover of People in August 2006 with the headline "I'm Gay." "I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys' careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything," Bass told the magazine in explaining why he didn't come out sooner.
CNN's Anderson Cooper came out publicly as gay in an e-mail message to the Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan, which was posted to the site in July 2012.
While accepting a humanitarian award in February 2012, "White Collar" star Matt Bomer said he "especially" wanted to thank "my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry. Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is." (People magazine identifies "Simon" as his partner, publicist Simon Halls.) Bomer's reveal wasn't overt, but some have congratulated the actor for acknowledging his sexuality, which has been the subject of gossip in the industry.
"There had never, ever been a country music artist who had acknowledged his or her homosexuality," Chely Wright told People when she came out in 2010.
Pop singer Ricky Martin declared publicly in March 2010 what he avoided discussing for years. "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man," Martin wrote on his official website. "I am very blessed to be who I am."
In April 1998, British pop star George Michael told CNN that he was gay. "This is as good of a time as any," the Wham! singer said. "I want to say that I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with a man right now. I have not been in a relationship with a woman for almost 10 years."
After years as a stand-up comedian and actress, Rosie O'Donnell came out two months before her talk show went off-air in 2002. The announcement came during a comedy routine at the Ovarian Cancer Research benefit at Carolines Comedy Club in New York. "I don't know why people make such a big deal about the gay thing," she said during her act. "People are confused, they're shocked, like this is a big revelation to somebody." She became engaged to partner Michelle Rounds in 2011.
British singer Elton John discussed his bisexuality for the first time in a 1976 Rolling Stones interview. "There's nothing wrong with going to bed with somebody of your own sex," he said. "I think everybody's bisexual to a certain degree. I don't think it's just me. It's not a bad thing to be." John married David Furnish in December 2005.
Stand-up comedian and actress Wanda Sykes announced her sexual orientation -- and her marriage -- in 2008 at a rally for gay marriage. "You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation," Sykes said. "I didn't feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life. ... But I got pissed off. They pissed me off. I said, 'You know what? Now I gotta get in your face.' " Sykes was referring to the passage of Proposition 8, banning gay marriage, in California days after her wedding.
Known best as the TV character he played during childhood, Doogie Howser, Neil Patrick Harris has continued his successful acting career as an adult. Harris often walks the red carpet with partner David Burtka, and stars in the hit sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." He told People magazine in 2006 that he is, in fact, gay. "I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man."
"Family Ties" actress Meredith Baxter confirmed in December 2009 rumors that she is a lesbian. "Anyone who's a friend of mine, anyone who knows and cares about me, knows," the actress explained to Matt Lauer on the "Today" show. "It's no secret that I'm gay, but it has been to the greater world." Baxter is in a long-term relationship with a building contractor, Nancy Locke.
He had an 11-year run on "Frasier," but it wasn't until he returned to Broadway in 2007 that David Hyde Pierce confirmed his sexuality. The actor is married to writer/producer/director Brian Hargrove. Pierce first talked about his partner in an Associated Press interview about his Tony-nominated performance in "Curtains."
- Portia de Rossi truly came out during her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres
- The actress said as much to James Lipton on "Inside the Actor's Studio"
- DeGeneres and de Rossi went on to marry in 2008
- In 2010, de Rossi took DeGeneres' last name
(CNN) -- To Portia de Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres is more than a spouse.
She's also the woman who stood by the actress when de Rossi truly came out as a gay woman to the public.
De Rossi, now 40, recalled the moment on "Inside the Actor's Studio" Thursday, as she sat among her "Arrested Development" co-stars.
The program's host, James Lipton, had been asking de Rossi about her name change -- she took DeGeneres' last name in 2010 -- and the couple's 2008 marriage.
As de Rossi explained, it actually wasn't that long before she tied the knot with DeGeneres in an intimate ceremony in Los Angeles that she was totally transparent about her sexuality.
Photos: Gay celebs and marriage
"When I really, truly came out was at the Golden Globes, when 'Arrested Development' was nominated," said de Rossi, who started seeing DeGeneres around the end of 2004.
"Ellen and I had been together for a month, and I was very, very nervous going to that because I knew that I was going to meet up with her after the show and that there was press," de Rossi continued. "That was the first time that we actually stepped out together as a couple, but for me, it was the first time that I'd stepped out as a gay woman, really."
As for de Rossi's wife, DeGeneres had confirmed she was gay almost a decade before. The comedian and TV personality, now 55, memorably came out on the cover of Time in 1997.
