Billie Eilish comments on coming out: ‘I didn’t realize people didn’t know’

Billie Eilish is responding to whether she came out last month in her Variety Power of Women cover story.

Eilish attended the Variety’s Hitmakers event on Saturday, Dec. 2 and was asked on the red carpet if she had intended to come out in her Variety cover story, in which she spoke about being attracted to women.

“No, I didn't,” Eilish said. “But I kind of thought ‘Wasn’t it obvious?’ I didn’t realize people didn’t know.”

The 21-year-old said she doesn't “really believe in” the concept of coming out, adding, “I’m just 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.”

Eilish, who hasn’t labeled her sexuality, said when she saw the article initially she said, “‘Oh, I guess I came out today!’”

“It’s exciting to me because I guess people didn’t know, but it’s cool that they know,” Eilish said. “I am for the girls.”

During her November interview with Variety, Eilish discussed how she assumed for most of her life that women didn’t like her.

“I’ve never really felt like I could relate to girls very well,” she explained. “I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real.”

The “Bad Guy” singer explained, “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,” Eilish added. “But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”

Last month, Eilish was also honored at Variety’s 2023 Power of Women event in Los Angeles as a “changemaker” due to her work with her mom Maggie Baird’s organization, Support and Feed.

The singer was visibility choked up during her speech, though she blamed her emotions as a result of taking the steroid prednisone to treat an illness. Eilish used her speech as a moment to open up about her feelings womanhood.

“It’s really hard to be a woman out here, guys,” she said. “I have never felt truly like a woman and I’ve spent a lot of way of life not feeling like I fit in to being a woman but I think for a couple years because of that insecurity.”

The singer said that she became “pick me” about gender roles when she was younger, which she now regrets, explaining that she would say things along the lines of “Oh, I’m not like other girls.”

“I’ve grown to be very resentful of that period of time because I’m so much more interested in being like other girls because other girls are f---ing tight,” she said. “I love women!”

Though Eilish said she still has “a lot of internalized misogyny” inside of her, she added, “And I have to say, with like full transparency, I feel very grateful to be a woman right now.”

Eilish is among the celebrities in recent years who have been candid about their sexuality, including Miley Cyrus, who has previously spoken in interviews with Elle UK and Variety and about coming out as pansexual.

JoJo Siwa, Janelle Monáe, and Madison Bailey have also come out as pansexual in recent years, sharing their journeys with fans.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com