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Julianne Hough Says, 'I'm Not Straight'

Julianne Hough

The America's Got Talent judge shares that a personal transformation led her to be open with her husband about her identity. 

America's Got Talent judge Julianne Hough shared in an interview in Women's Health's 'Naked Strength' issue that she's not straight. The subject of her identity came up when she was discussing her marriage to NHL player Brooks Laich.

"I [told him], 'You know I'm not straight, right?' And he was like, 'I'm sorry, what?' I was like, 'I'm not. But I choose to be with you,'" she said she told him during a personal transformation four months into their wedding.

"I was connecting to the woman inside that doesn't need anything, versus the little girl that looked to him to protect me," she said. "I was like, 'Is he going to love this version of me?' But the more I dropped into my most authentic self, the more attracted he was to me."

A dancer, singer, and actress, Hough became a household name on Dancing with the Stars for several seasons. On the big screen, she's starred in the Rock of Ages, Burlesque, and the remake of Footloose.

Hough, 31, and her famous brother Derek Hough grew up in Utah and were raised in the anti-LGBTQ Mormon faith.

"I think there's a safety with my husband now that I'm unpacking all of this, and there's no fear of voicing things that I've been afraid to admit or that I've had shame or guilt about because of what I've been told or how I was raised," she added.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.