#27: Jonathan Groff

Year They Came Out of the Closet: 2009

Jonathan Groff gained fame playing Jesse St. James, the lead vocalist of Vocal Adrenaline and Rachel Berry’s love interest, portrayed by Lea Michele, on Glee starting in 2010. Over the first, second, third, and sixth seasons, he appeared in 15 episodes and was featured on four Glee soundtrack albums.

In October 2009, Groff publicly came out as gay during the National Equality March, proudly declaring, “I’m gay and proud” to a Broadway.com reporter. He later shared the challenges of being closeted, fearing that coming out might harm his career. Groff emphasizes the importance of being a role model and sharing coming-out stories to inspire young people.