Heartstopper star Kit Connor has officially broken his silence on Twitter and came out as bisexual after being accused of queerbaiting while filming his new movie. Queerbaiting is defined as the instance when "a celebrity or a public figure capitalizes on the suspicion that they may be romantically involved with another same-sex person for the sake of publicity, promotion or a capitalistic gain," according to filmmaker, writer, and activist Leo Herrera in a 2021 Rolling Stone report.
"back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. bye," Kit wrote on Twitter nearly two months after deleting the app.
In September 2022, the 18-year-old actor announced his plans to delete the app after he was spotted holding hands with his costar, Maia Reficco, on the set of his upcoming project which is based on the novel A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey. According to a report by Out, the spotting caused fans to accuse him of queerbaiting as he stars in the hit Netflix series, Heartstopper, which follows teen queer relationships.
The author of the Heartstopper graphic novels, Alice Oseman, showed their support for Kit on Twitter, where they wrote, "I truly don't understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes."
His Heartstopper co-star and on-screen love interest, Joe Locke, also sent him sweet words in light of the situation. "You owe nothing to anyone. I’m so proud of you my friend," Joe wrote.
Aside from his Tweet, Kit has not publicly addressed the queerbaiting accusations.
Sam is an assistant news editor at Cosmo, covering all things pop culture, entertainment, and celebrity news. She previously covered those same topics along with health, lifestyle, and beauty at Seventeen. When she isn't draping her cheeks in blush, you can probably find her live-tweeting awards shows or making SwiftToks.
