Billie Eilish slams Variety for "outing" her as she confirms sexuality

Los Angeles, California - Billie Eilish has hit back at Variety as she accuses the outlet of "outing" her on the red carpet of a recent event.

Billie Eilish accused Variety of "outing" her after revealing she didn't plan on coming out in her recent cover story.
Billie Eilish accused Variety of "outing" her after revealing she didn't plan on coming out in her recent cover story.  © MICHAEL TRAN / AFP

After the 21-year-old singer revealed she was "physically attracted" to women in a Variety cover story last month, she was asked about her decision to come out through the interview at Variety's Hitmakers Brunch on Saturday.

She told the outlet that she didn't plan on coming out that way but added, "I didn't realize people didn't know."

"I saw the article, and I was like, oh... I guess... I came out today," Billie said.

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She continued on to say she doesn't "really believe" in having to come out, saying, "I've been doing this for a long time, and I just didn't talk about it. Whoops."

But as the apparent confirmation of her sexuality circulated online, Billie took to Instagram on Sunday to bash Variety for asking about it on the carpet.

"thanks variety for my award and for also outing me on a red carpet at 11 am instead of talking about anything else that matters," she wrote.

"i like boys and girls leave me alone about it," the Ocean Eyes artist added.

Billie Eilish says she didn't plan on coming out in recent cover story

Billie received a wave of support on her post, racking up over three million likes and garnering praising comments from stars like Ice Spice and Lucy Dacus.

Though the Grammy winner hadn't confirmed her sexuality prior to the interview, she previously faced accusations of "queerbaiting," a term describing media that baits LGBTQ+ viewers with the false promise of representation that has been widely misused in recent years to target real-life celebrities.

At the time, Billie said simply, "I love girls," and reiterated that her sexuality wasn't up for public debate.

Cover photo: MICHAEL TRAN / AFP

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