Raven-Symoné Says ‘Everyone Knew’ She Was a Lesbian in Her Disney Days
Raven-Symoné has been a pop culture mainstay since the early ’90s, since she rose to prominence as a child actor. When she landed a starring role in the Disney Channel series That’s So Raven, she became an early 2000s icon. Over the years that followed, fans watched as the actor grew and matured in the public eye. And after coming out, Raven-Symoné became an icon for the LBGTQ+ community as well. In a recent video interview with Them, she opened up about dating while working for Disney.
What did Raven-Symoné say about dating during ‘That’s So Raven’?
In 2003, Raven-Symoné began starring in the Disney series That’s So Raven. The series followed the adventures of young Raven Baxter, a teenage girl with secret psychic abilities. For four seasons, fans watched as Raven dealt with her visions, along with all the standard teenage ups and downs.
Even as Raven Baxter was maturing, Raven-Symoné was as well. She had to learn how to deal with the pressures of growing up in the spotlight. In a 2022 video interview with Them, she opened up about how her life was changing during the filming of That’s So Raven.
“At this point, I was more aware of my queerness,” the star said. “However, I was in a relationship with a guy, who I would tell on a regular basis, ‘if we get married, you know I gotta have a girlfriend, right?'” Raven-Symoné went on to note that she was “aware” of her sexuality during that time. Her friends were as well, though her parents remained in the dark for a while longer.
Raven-Symoné opened up about her sexuality during filming ‘The Cheetah Girls’
“My queerness was never an issue,” the actor told Them, revealing that “everybody” in the industry knew that she was a lesbian even during the early days of her stardom. The 2003 Disney Channel movie The Cheetah Girls coincided with another big shift in Raven-Symoné’s life. “That’s what made me confident in who I was at the time. Even though I was still dating the same guy, everyone knew what was up,” she said.
In 2013, 10 years after starring in The Cheetah Girls, the actor embarked on her public coming-out journey. “Oh you guys, can I tell you what happened?” she said, noting how she and her girlfriend at the time, AzMarie Livingston, went out to grab a meal at Louisiana Fried Chicken. “And I was watching YouTube. She went in…and I just tweeted [about it]…the smell of fried chicken made this happen.”
Getting serious for a moment, the actor thanked her former co-star, Demond Green, for helping her come to terms with living her life as a public figure and embracing her sexuality in a manner for the world to see.
Raven-Symoné got married in 2020
Over the years since coming out, Raven-Symoné has had time to dig deep and understand what she represents to other people – and how she has managed to find liberation in both her public and personal life. In June 2020, she married her longtime girlfriend, Miranda Maday.
“I got married to a woman who understands me from trigger to joy, from breakfast to midnight snack, from stage to home. I love you Mrs. Pearman-Maday! Let’s tear this world a new a******!!!” she wrote on social media. These days, Raven-Symoné is considered to be an icon of acceptance and self-love, an actor who isn’t afraid to talk about tough issues.
