23 LGBTQ+ Celebs Who Have Been Out For Over A Decade

13 years ago, Andy publicly came out as gay during a Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 1 reunion show. In a 2019 essay he wrote for OprahMag.com, the Watch What Happens Live host said this occurred when comments made by Teresa Giudice’s then-husband, Joe Giudice, were called into question.

 “And then, I remember when I had to come out on TV. It was during the first Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion in 2009, and Teresa Giudice’s husband said something that Danielle Staub thought was homophobic, or disrespectful to gays,” Andy said. 

During the reunion taping, Andy shared his feelings about Joe’s comments and  described this moment he officially came out as a “big deal” in the essay.

“We had a conversation about it, and Teresa said it wasn’t offensive. I said — and this is way before I started inserted myself into anything — ‘Look, I have to say, I’m the only gay guy in the room. I am gay, and it was not comfortable to me,'” Andy said. “At the time, it was kind of a big deal, because I hadn’t come out publicly on TV. This was way before Watch What Happens Live, and I guess I had never said it. Weirdly, that was kind of my ‘public’ coming out.”