In 2013, Lucas Cruikshank, best known for playing beloved YouTube character Fred Figglehorn, proudly came out as gay in a video posted to his "Lucas" channel. While answering a series of questions alongside BFF and fellow actor Jennifer Veal, the man formerly known as Fred confirmed simply, "I'm gay," before erupting into nervous laughter and acknowledging, "It feels so weird saying it on camera." Cruikshank explained that his closest loved ones had already known for years, negating the need for the social media star to have a big coming-out moment online. Although Fred is firmly in the rearview, the enthusiastic creator frequently posts similarly energetic videos to his YouTube channel. 

According to ScreenRant, because the Fred channel was so universally popular, a bizarre attempt was made to relaunch it in 2014 — except, crucially, without Cruikshank's involvement. Following this failed experiment, the channel was left to die. Cruikshank has reprised his most famous role several times in the intervening years, but he's understandably focused on more adult pursuits nowadays. 

On Instagram, he's living his truth as a proud gay man, often sharing funny shots of him acting up in various spots. He also celebrated the 10th-anniversary release of "Fred: The Movie" in 2020, suggesting that he has no qualms about acknowledging where he came from.