Ben Platt Praises 'Encouragingly Innocuous' Reaction To His Coming Out

The "Dear Evan Hansen" star told Ellen DeGeneres he's hopeful that sexuality can "just be a part of who you are and part of the work” now.

As the star of Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen,” Ben Platt delivered a heart-wrenching, fiercely affecting performance eight times a week. But as he headed into the studio to record his forthcoming pop album, he found that revealing himself posed a different challenge.

The Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony-winning star dropped by “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Wednesday to speak about the album, “Sing to Me Instead,” which finds him opening up about a number of personal topics, including finding ― and losing ― love.

Due out March 29, “Sing to Me Instead” also offered Platt a chance to reference his own sexuality for the first time as an artist. Although the actor and singer said he came out as gay to friends and family members at age 12, his music video for “Ease My Mind” show him in the arms of a male love interest, marking the first time he’s done so publicly. Thus far, he feels the reaction from fans has been “encouragingly innocuous.”

“Hopefully we’re past the time where it’s gotta be this whole giant announcement, and it can just be a part of who you are and part of the work,” he told DeGeneres.

Later, Platt took the stage for an emotional performance of his latest single, “Temporary Love.”

“I got pretty desensitized during the whole ‘Evan Hansen’ experience ― being very vulnerable onstage and sort of exposing a lot of who I am,” he told DeGeneres. “But I think that doing my own material is a brand-new experience, and sort of shows parts of myself without the safety net of a character or a piece surrounding me.”

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