Before January 2024, Reneé Rapp publicly identified as bisexual. However, she made a last-minute decision when appearing in a sketch for Saturday Night Live to come out as lesbian — thanks to a sweet introduction from comedian Bowen Yang.
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However, the journey of coming out was a long one. Rapp sat down for a recent interview with Them, where she opened up about accepting her identity as a lesbian. The “Tummy Hurts” singer referred to the viral Tumblr guide, Lesbian Masterdoc, as helping her back in December. “I’m sure for some people it doesn’t feel right,” she explained. “I don’t know all the nuances to the conversation. However, for me, it was really beneficial.”
Rapp also attributed her self-realization to a new group of queer friends. “All of a sudden, I had these people around me who were either nonbinary people, trans friends, or lesbians, and I was like, ‘I feel so happy when I’m with you guys. And I also really want to call myself a lesbian when I’m around you,’” she said.
The 24-year-old singer continued of the “lesbian” label, “When you’re bisexual, you almost want to prove yourself, so I thought it was kind of that. But it came to be that, no, I’m actually just gay like that.”
When it came time to perform on SNL, Rapp was set to appear in a sketch in which Yang was originally supposed to introduce her as “our little bisexual intern Reneé.” Before the show, Rapp ended up asking one of the show’s writers, Celeste Yim, to change “bisexual” to “gay”. She recalled, “I didn’t want to do it and be like, ‘Oh my God, I’m not using the word ‘bisexual,’ and make bisexual people feel s—ty. I also didn’t want to be like, ‘OK, I’m ‘gay’ and have all the lesbians be like, ‘Say you’re bisexual, then.’ I felt so wrapped up and scared.”
However, “gay” still didn’t feel right. Rapp ended up calling a friend, who told her, “I think it would be really f—ing sick if you came out as a lesbian on SNL.” Ultimately, she was introduced by Yang as “our little lesbian intern,” officially coming out.
“I stayed off my phone for a couple days because I was so f—ing terrified and felt so s—ty but then it was just, like, a thing, and it felt good,” she said.
Read the full interview here.
