YouTuber Connor Franta came out to his hundreds of thousands of subscribers over 10 years ago, and today, he’s reflecting on the moment and sharing how that shaped who he is. In a new interview, the “A Work in Progress” author looked back on his video—which has over 12 million views today—and got candid about how the support from his family, friends, and the online community helped him navigate a challenging time in his life.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Franta, 33, looked back on his coming out video, saying that he told his audience of subscribers shortly after telling someone else in his life for the first time that he was gay. He called the experience “a very fast-tracked process,” adding that his coming out was very reflective of who he is as a person.
“I mean, in many ways that is kind of who I am as a person that once I want to go for something or once I accept something or I have a goal or a mission, it’s kind of hard for me to not just seek it out. So I think once I’d come out to one person and then my family and then my friends, it was like, ‘Well, why wouldn’t I just come out to everyone? This is just what it is,’” he said.
Why Did Connor Franta Choose To Come Out In A YouTube Video?
By the time Franta came out, the content creator had been making videos online for years and had a dedicated group of fans. He told PEOPLE that keeping this part of himself “hidden” didn’t really make sense, adding that his “life was my career.”
“I think it was the perfect combination that everything was growing — content was king,” he said.
Reflecting on it today, Franta is glad he chose to speak freely about his life, saying he was met with “unfiltered joy and support” from those around him, including his family, friends, teammates, and subscribers.
“The fact that I was welcomed, I think that shaped who I am today in many ways, and that my experience could have been completely different,” he said.
“I remember receiving not only positive from the community, but the gay community at large. I got a lot of messages and a lot of people offering me support or friendship. I remember I was five trending Twitter topics at the same time,” he continued.
Connor Franta’s Coming Out Video Has Millions Of Views
For those who haven’t seen the video yet, Franta’s coming out post has racked up millions of views and nearly 160,000 comments since it was first posted over 10 years ago.
“2014 is truly the year that I have accepted who I am and become happy with that person, so today I want to talk to you guys about that and be open and honest and tell you that I’m gay,” the influencer said on camera.
He captioned the video, “I hope this doesn’t change a thing.”
And it clearly hasn’t, as the content creator has 4.73 million subscribers on YouTube and 3.8 million followers on Instagram.
His loyal fanbase has only provided the YouTuber with more opportunities, such as partnering with Apple to run in the London Marathon, where he completed the trek in 3:30:42.
This Reality Star Recently Came Out As Bisexual
Speaking of coming out, The Blast reported on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Layla Taylor recently sharing with her followers that she’s “gay and bi.”
On Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast, the mother of two said that she’d been living with the secret for some time, but finally felt confident enough to share it with others.
“I’ll be d-mned if I’m not able to fully be who I am,” she said.
What Prompted Taylor To Speak About Her Bisexuality?
As the conversation continued, Taylor told Shetty that although she had previously only dated men, her recent breakup with Mason McWhorter prompted her to explore a new side of herself.
“Honestly, I went through a breakup at the beginning of this year, and I feel like for just a long period of my life, I was constantly living my life for other people,” she said. “Whether that was being a mom or I was in a marriage at one point, I was married. And I just feel like I was always fulfilling other people around me. And it honestly just caused me to never really focus on myself and never be able to really just sit alone with who I am as a person… And I think honestly that breakup was like a blessing in disguise because I feel like now I’ve been fully able to just focus on Layla. And yeah, just focus on who I truly am.”
