The stories of how these celebrities were outed need to be properly told.

Fame is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can come with seemingly endless opportunities and financial freedom. On the other, your life no longer belongs to you – instead, it's owned by the people who made you a household name.

The lack of agency over your own existence is something a lot of celebs had to learn the hard way, especially those from the queer community who were forced to reveal their sexuality after being forcefully pulled out of the closet.

Watch: Satisfying moments queer women understand. Post continues below.

The most recent example is Billie Eilish, who on Monday called out entertainment publication Variety for outing her during a red carpet interview.

"Thanks Variety for my award and also outing me on a red carpet at 11am instead of talking to me about anything else that matters," the star wrote on Instagram the next day.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BILLIE EILISH (@billieeilish)

"I like boys and girls leave me alone about it please literally who cares."

Sadly, Eilish isn't the first person to have experienced this level of intrusion, with so many celebs having to admit to their sexuality before they were ready to.

It's a breach of privacy, and one that is exposed on the big stage. These are just some of the celebs who, like Eilish, were also forced into coming out.

Joshua Bassett.

Image: Getty.

Disney star Joshua Bassett felt to provide further detail about his sexuality, after he admitted to being attracted to Harry Styles, saying, "He's just cool. Like, he's cool. Who doesn't think Harry Styles is cool? Also, he's hot." He then paused, took a moment and continued, saying: "I guess this is also my coming-out video." 

After the clip blew up, he released a statement saying he wasn't ready to define his sexuality, saying, "It's okay to still be figuring out who you are."

Ricky Martin.

Image: Getty.

If you were a young adult in the 2000s, then you would remember that uncomfortable Barbara Walters interview, in which she interrogated Ricky Martin over his sexuality, asking him to stop the rumours by saying, "Yes, I am gay or no, I'm not." He refused to answer, saying, "Barbara, for some reason, I just don't feel like it." 

Martin officially came out years later, but said that the interview made him feel violated. Ten years later, Walters also came forward saying she regretted her actions.

Neil Patrick Harris.

Image: Instagram @nph.

In 2006, gossip blogger Perez Hilton set his sights on Neil Patrick Harris, determined to prove that the TV star was gay. Hilton went so far as to ask other tabloids to help him expose Harris' personal life. Because of the tirade, Harris released an official statement revealing his sexuality.

Rebel Wilson.

Image: Getty.

Rebel Wilson was forced to announce her relationship with fashion and jewellery designer Ramona Agruma after a journalist at Sydney Morning Herald pressured her to do so. After she shared her relationship status on Instagram, it was revealed that writer Andrew Hornery emailed Wilson "giving her" two days to come out before the paper published the information.

Colton Underwood.

Image: Getty.

The Bachelor star Colton Underwood was subjected to blackmail after he received an email from someone claiming to have nude photos of him at a spa known for its gay clientele. He later came out on national TV and also released a Netflix series discussing the subject. 

Raven Symone.

Image: Getty.

Raven Symone had so many rumours surrounding her sexuality that she eventually decided to go on Oprah to tell her side of the story. Before that, however, when the Supreme Court allowed same sex marriage in the US, she celebrated by tweeting: "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you."

When asked to elaborate she replied, "That was my way of saying I'm proud of the country. But, I will say that I'm in an amazing, happy relationship with my partner. A woman." She also added, "I don't want to be labelled 'gay.' I want to be labelled 'a human who loves humans.' I'm tired of being labelled. I'm an American. I'm not an African American; I'm an American."

Tim Cook.

Image: Getty.

The outing of queer people isn't exclusive to Hollywood, because even Apple CEO Tim Cook was subjected to it. In 2014, Cook was outed by CNBC anchor Simon Hobbs when he asked journalist, Jim Stewart, whether the tech exec was open about his sexuality at work. Cook later announced that he was "proud to be gay" and that it was one of "the greatest gifts that God has given [him]".

Feature Image: Getty.