Is Conan Gray Gay? He Never Confirmed It Himself and Once Said He's Never Dated Anyone

Fans have wondered whether Conan Gray was gay from some of the clever references to his sexuality in his music. Though he hasn't labeled himself, the singer's fans once romantically linked him to Olivia Rodrigo.

Singer-songwriter Conan Gray drew his first breath on December 5, 1998, born to a Japanese mother and an Irish father. He started his pursuit of music on YouTube, releasing several original songs and gradually rising to fame.

Among his most famous early records are "Idle Town" from his debut EP "Sunset Season" and "Crush Culture." Gray once admitted that he sourced his musical inspiration from his many experiences with unrequited love as a youngster.

However, the content of his music and videos led fans to speculate on whether he was gay or bisexual. And while he believed that labels worked for some, he didn't appreciate the world trying to fit him into a "neat little easy to understand box," as he once tweeted.

Still, Gray's sexuality and dating history remained a subject of interest, as both remained shrouded in mystery. And, in the absence of love interests or former flames, fans once thought he was declaring his romantic love for Olivia Rodrigo in an Instagram post last year.

What Relationship Do Conan Gray and Olivia Rodrigo Have?

On February 20, 2022, Gray posted a thread of photos depicting the sweet moments he shared with Rodrigo in a touching birthday tribute. The pictures revealed a tight bond between the two, and more so, Gray's caption as it read:

"happy bday my liv <3 my heart has been looking for yours for a long long time. love u endlessly."

Almost immediately, word went around that Rodrigo and Gray were dating. Yet, despite the caption indeed being a declaration of love, it wasn't a romantic one. The pair were only good friends who became acquainted through Taylor Swift.

Gray and Rodrigo had publicly raved about their love for Swift, so the "Wildest Dreams" songstress enlisted them to promote her "Fearless" album in 2021. Their friendship has blossomed ever since. And while Rodrigo has been open about her love life, her friend has different views on romance.

Conan Once Revealed Dating Makes Him Nervous

The musician sat down for a chat with GQ Magazine in February 2022, where he opened up about his dating life. Given his numerous references to illusive romance in his older music, the publication asked if he'd found love in New York, to which he responded:

"You will probably be surprised to learn that I've never actually dated anyone. It’s embarrassing! Dating makes me nervous."

Gray added that many of his friends were dating, so he lived "vicariously" through them. He also spoke about his many experiences with unrequited love, which left him "destroyed." He still purged those heartbreaks through songwriting.

Gray also spoke about the first time he fell in love, saying he knew he loved them from the second night they met. However, when that love was not returned, he felt "shattered." Gray confessed that he wrote many songs about the rejection and still did, adding:

"They’re just an ordinary person in college, vibing, living their life, and they have this weird subplot of me obsessively writing songs about them, which I think is funny and embarrassing."

Conan Once Got Emotional about Placing Labels on His Sexuality and Gender

In July 2019, Gray released the music video for the song "Checkmate." In it, he has two love interests, a guy and a girl, who dumped him to pursue their own romance, leading a heartbroken Gray to swear vengeance on the two.

The video was among many other sources of speculation, including a few bisexual jokes on Twitter. The singer didn't seem to appreciate the jokes, and he called out people placing labels on his sexuality. In one of his tweets, Gray expressed his frustrations with people talking about his sexuality, telling them to back off and let him live his life.

Another of his Twitter posts read: "If labels on sexuality and gender and beliefs and all that great stuff are helpful for u, i'm all for it. u do u." Gray then said that as much as people were comfortable with their sexuality and gender, they should stop forcing others to fit in.

Still, unlike Ezra Miller or Lil Nas X, who've been upfront about their identities, it seemed Gray preferred not to label himself. Perhaps he is yet if ever, to clarify his sexuality.