Leila Taylor came out as bisexual on Monday’s episode of an empowering podcast.
“I’m gay, I’m bi, I date women and men,” the “Secrets of a Mormon Wife” star told listeners of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast.
During the conversation, Taylor revealed that he is currently “talking” to a woman, who they started dating after she “liked” his Instagram photo, but did not reveal her name.
Taylor called the mystery person “emotionally sensitive” and “very patient,” adding, “She’s been very understanding and let me do it at my own pace, because it’s still foreign and very new to me.[It’s]a level of understanding and just being there for me.”
As for why the Hulu personality chose to come out, Taylor explained, “Honestly, for a long time in my life, I didn’t really know how to officially deal with it.”
The 25-year-old said she had been “underestimating” her sexuality for “a long time”, but the time has come when she “finally wants to show every part of Layla to the world”.
Taylor exclaimed, “I’m very proud to be able to participate.”
The reality TV star revealed that she “always had those thoughts,” but “as a little black girl in a predominantly white neighborhood,” she was “already” very visible to her peers.
“I kind of laughed about that now, because I’d watch shows like ‘Pretty Little Liars,’ and I’d see scenes like Shay Mitchell kissing girls, and I was like, ‘Wait, why is that hot?'” she recalled.
Taylor “didn’t know if it was just a phase,” but she also didn’t know what exactly “that feeling” was about not having “queer representation” around her.
“There wasn’t necessarily any pressure not to do it,” she continued. “I just didn’t have anyone around me to model that.”
Notably, Taylor didn’t come out to other “SLOMW” cast members until after the podcast ended.
“I feel like I’m coming out. It’s not really a text,” she explained. “We want to meet them face-to-face and let them know, so they may have seen this before and will tell us about it in person the next time we meet.”
Taylor is married to Clayton Wessel, and they have been raising sons Oliver and Maxwell together since they separated in 2023.
Since the former couple announced their split, Taylor has dated Cameron Jolie and Mason McWhorter, and both relationships have been documented on the reality show.
