9 of TV's Longest Queer Late-Bloomers

The long-running first responder drama 9-1-1 returns to television for its eighth season on September 26. The series experienced a major change when it jumped from FOX to ABC for Season 7. It also saw a major change for one of its characters when original character Buck experienced a bisexual awakening, coming out to his family and friends after starting a romance with a man. This was after six years of only romancing women on the series. It's a rare occurrence for long-running series to take original characters on such a life-changing arc when it comes to their sexuality after the series has been cemented with audiences for years. Typically, characters experience their coming out within the first few seasons of a series. This week's listicle puts the spotlight on 9 of television's queer late-bloomers that took many years to finally come out.  Leave a comment below if we missed any of your favorites. Warning: Spoilers Ahead! 

Fenmore Baldwin
Series: The Young & the Restless
Out as Of: January 2023
While Fen was born on-screen in 2006, the daytime soap opera aged the character up to a teen in 2012, when he quickly began a romance with fellow teen Summer (Hunter King). While Fen dealt with several other dramas including drug abuse, attempted murder, and prison time with his father, he didn't experience any other notable romantic entanglements. However, his most recent return to the series in 2023 revealed that the previously-believed straight character was now openly gay. Fen (Zach Tinker) arrived in town to celebrate a milestone for his mother Lauren (Tracey E. Bregman), bringing along his boyfriend Trey (Julian Larach).

 

Ryan Evans
Series: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Out as Of: Season 4
While Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) first appeared on the series during its first season, he was well-known to fans of the franchise, given his starring role in the original High School Musical film trilogy, where Ryan's sexuality was never addressed. With the HSM films as cannon within the narrative of the series, Lucas appeared as himself during Episode 8 of the first season. Again, the Ryan character's sexuality went unmentioned. However, when Lucas returned for the final season's premiere he was again playing the character of Ryan for a fourth HSM movie being filmed at the series' fictional East High. A scene from the filming revealed Ryan's partner, played by singer Scott Hoying.

 

Cyrus Goodman
Series: Andi Mack
Out as Of: Season 3
The final season of the Disney Channel series Andi Mack featured the coming out of Andi's close friend Cyrus (Joshua Rush). Like his best friends, Andi (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Buffy (Sofia Wylie), Cyrus spent the show's first few years navigating several coming of age issues. Unlike Cyrus, Andi & Buffy would both have their romantic storylines, including Andi's long-running relationship with Jonah (Asher Angel). After his grandmother's death Cyrus came out to Jonah, a rarity on the Disney Channel, and began his journey of sharing his truth with everyone in his life. As the series winded down, Cyrus even embarked on a teen romance with his friend T.J. (Luke Mullen).

 

Alex Standall
Series: 13 Reasons Why
Out as Of: Season 4
Alex (Miles Heizer) began the series in a doomed romance with Jessica (Alisha Boe). His struggles with depression, anxiety, and his guilt over his interactions with his deceased classmate Hannah would lead to a suicide attempt. Alex spent the next two seasons of the series attempting to fully recover physically and mentally, while desperately trying to lose his virginity and get over erectile dysfunction resulting from his injury. When he did manage to achieve erection while hugging his friend Zach (Ross Butler), it set him off on a new journey of exploring his sexuality. While his attempt to kiss Zach in the final season failed, he did find love with his bisexual classmate Charlie (Tyler Barnhardt).

 

Jackson Whittemore
Series: Teen Wolf
Out as Of: Season 6
Jackson Whittemore (Colton Haynes) spent his two-season stint on Teen Wolf as the rich jock love interest for Lydia (Holland Roden), before his departure. This helped to pave the way for Lydia's obvious endgame romance with leading man Scott's loveable best friend Stiles (Dylan O'Brien). Five years later, during the show's final season, Jackson made his return, revealing he had met and fallen in love with gay vampire Ethan (Charlie Carver) after Ethan departed Beacon Hills mourning his twin brother's death. The off-screen romance between the two characters was sprung on audiences and the Beacon Hills gang as part of the characters' re-introduction to the series for its final few episodes.  

 

Sheldon Beiste
Series: Glee
Out as Of: Season 6
For four seasons of the musical comedy, the imposing yet sensitive recurring character Coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) was portrayed as a cisgender heterosexual woman, who suffered a notably abusive romance with football recruiter Cooter Menkins (Eric Bruskotter). Jones became a fulltime cast member for the sixth and final season. During that time, Beiste candidly revealed his gender dysphoria early in the season and underwent his transition with support from friends like Will (Matthew Morrison) and Sue (Jane Lynch). After stepping away from his job as football coach, Beiste later returned post-transition, introducing himself as Sheldon Beiste.    

 

Tom Keller
Series: Riverdale
Out as Of: Season 7
Tom Keller (Martin Cummins) began the series as town sheriff and father of gay teen Kevin (Casey Cott). Tom spent years in a relationship with Mayor Sierra McCoy (Robin Givens). During that time it was revealed that his childhood friend Marcus Mason (Simon C. Hussey) harbored a crush on him, leading to a kiss that Tom rebuffed when they were in high school. This came as a shock to the men's sons, Kevin & Moose (Cody Kearsley) who were dating in the present. While Tom confirmed his heterosexuality at the time, the final season of the series, which had transported the characters back to 1955, included a gay subplot for Tom who was revealed to be in a secret romance with Frank Andrews (Ryan Robbins).

 

Timothy Bayliss
Series: Homicide: Life on the Street
Out as Of: Season 7
Over the course of the seven-season series, Detective Bayliss (Kyle Secor) endured many dramas and tragedies. At first, he was portrayed as reserved and innocent, looking only for real love, leading to few female romantic interests. In Season 5, he revealed that he had been molested by an uncle as a child. Flings & flirtations with women continued but he would later begin exploring romance with men, even going on a date with restaurant owner Chris Rawls (Peter Gallagher), and briefly dating a closeted cop. In the final season, the character officially came out as bisexual. His conversion to Buddhism in relation to his sexual orientation was explored, though he never had any notable queer romance in the show's final year.

 

Evan 'Buck' Buckley
Series: 9-1-1
Out as Of: Season 7
After six seasons filled with various romances with female characters, Buck (Oliver Stark) struck up a friendship with emergency rescue pilot Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.), surprising himself with his bisexual awakening. Buck may have spent years living a straight lifestyle, but along the way there have been hints that Buck might have some simmering queerness, given his close relationship with his best friend Eddie (Ryan Guzman) as he helps to raise Eddie's son. Buck has also shared a friendship with out gay 9-1-1 operator Josh (Bryan Safi) and was deeply affected when he comforted an elderly man mourning his husband after an accident at their home, which ultimately led to the men dying together.