Singer-songwriter Khalid publicly came out as gay on Friday in a candid Twitter post, responding to speculation about his sexuality. “🏳️‍🌈!!! there yall go. next topic please lol,” Khalid tweeted initially, followed by a clarification in response to a fan’s question, saying, “I am! And that’s okay.” He further explained his stance in a series of tweets, stating, “I got outted [sic] and the world still continues to turn. Let’s get this straight (lmao) I am not ashamed of my sexuality! In reality, it ain’t nobodies business! But I am okay with me 🖤 love yall.” Khalid also emphasized that he had not been hiding his identity and was at peace with it.

The singer’s comments came after a series of social media posts from fellow musician Hugo D Almonte, who made cryptic claims about an ex-partner, later appearing to confirm that he was referring to Khalid. In a since-deleted tweet, Almonte accused the unnamed singer of falsely accusing him of breaking into their home after their breakup. He later shared a selfie with Khalid and captioned it, “Bitch ass 🥷🏾 lied and said that I broke into his house cause I didn’t want him.” The internet quickly speculated that Almonte was referring to Khalid.

While Khalid did not directly identify Almonte as the one who “outed” him, the comments sparked a backlash. Musician and producer MNEK took to Twitter, calling out Almonte for his “loser” behavior.

In a statement to Vulture, Almonte defended his actions, saying his intent was never to publicly out Khalid but to share his own side of the story after the end of their relationship. He explained that Khalid had allegedly tried to silence him by falsely accusing him of a break-in. “My intention was to share my story and share how he tried to use his power to silence me because I simply ended our relationship,” Almonte wrote. He also expressed frustration over the backlash, claiming that people had started to “belittle” him and send him death threats. “All I’ve learned from this is never allow anyone to silence me,” he added, stating that he had “held onto this for five years” before deciding to speak out.

Almonte later shared and deleted a longer statement on his social media, repeating that he would stand by his actions, stating, “So if I had a chance to do it all over, I would do it again and again and again the same way.”

As the situation continues to unfold, Khalid’s candidness about his identity and the drama surrounding his personal life has sparked widespread discussion on social media.

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