After revealing she’s physically attracted to women in a recent interview with Variety, fans have been asking the same question: is Billie Eilish gay?
While the singer hasn’t explicitly labeled her sexuality, she did address coming out for the first time since her Variety Power of Women cover story came out in November 2023. The 21-year-old singer attended Variety’s Hitmakers event on December 2, 2023, where she received the award for Film Song of the Year for her hit “What Was I Made For” from the Barbie movie. While walking the carpet, Eilish was asked by a reporter if she intended to come out as part of her Variety cover story. “No, I didn’t,” Eilish revealed with a laugh.
The “Happier Than Ever” singer went on to share that she didn’t think coming out was such a big deal. “I kinda thought, ‘wasn’t it obvious?’ I didn’t realize people didn’t know. I just don’t really believe in it,” she explained. “I’m like, why can’t we just exist? I’ve been doing this for a long time and I just didn’t talk about it. Whoops!”
“I saw the article and I was like, ‘Oh! I guess I came out today. OK, cool,” she continued. “But it’s exciting to me because, you know, I guess people didn’t know so it’s cool that they know, but I’m nervous talking about it.”
Still, she ended her comments with another confirmation: “But yeah, I am for the girls.”
In her cover story for Variety, Eilish discussed her relationship to femininity and with women in general. She described herself as a “girls girl,” but admitted that she felt she never “could relate to girls very well.”
“I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real,” she gushed. “I have deep connections with women in my life, the friends in my life, the family in my life. I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”
When asked at the Hitmakers event if she still found women intimidating, Eilish joked, “I’m still scared of them but I think they’re pretty.”
Eilish also reflected on her gender identity during her interview with Variety. While she uses she/her pronouns, she explained that she has never really felt like a girl—a feeling that has only been complicated by all of the discourse on social media surrounding her body and sexuality as a teenager growing up in the public eye.
“I’ve never felt like a woman, to be honest with you. I’ve never felt desirable. I’ve never felt feminine,” she explained. “I have to convince myself that I’m, like, a pretty girl. I identify as ‘she/her’ and things like that, but I’ve never really felt like a girl.”
After her Variety cover story was published, fans began speculating about Eilish’s sexuality on social media. But it wouldn’t be the first time Eilish has sparked this kind of speculation. The “Ocean Eyes” singer has been accused of queerbaiting in the past, with some critics citing her music video for her 2021 single “Lost Cause” for its suggestive scenes of girls lounging in bed together at a slumber party.
In response to the scrutiny, Eilish clarified that she didn’t owe anyone an explanation about her identity and pointed out the double standard between men and women when it comes to expressing their sexuality. “Like, oh yeah, that’s everyone else’s business, right? No,” she said during a 2021 interview with Elle. “Where’s that energy with men?”
