Grammy-nominated artiste Khalid has announced that he is gay after a series of online posts revealed his sexuality. The singer addressed the situation on social media, with a message of his self-acceptance, dismissing any shame surrounding his personal life.

In a post on X, Khalid wrote, “🏳️‍🌈!!! There yall go. next topic please lol,” before confirming to a fan, “I am [gay]! And that’s okay.” He added: “I got outted and the world still continues to turn… I am not ashamed of my sexuality! In reality, it ain’t nobody’s business! But I am okay with me 🖤.”

This came after X user Hugo Almonte, a lesser-known musician, shared allegations about past interactions with Khalid and posted a selfie of the two. Almonte’s claims, which included accusations of misconduct, incited online backlash for outing Khalid without his consent. Khalid, while not directly addressing the allegations, refuted suggestions that he had been hiding his identity, writing, “I wasn’t hiding anything! It’s just not any of your business.”

Fans rallied behind the Location singer. British singer-producer MNEK and American producer Amorphous were among those who condemned Almonte’s actions. Amorphous criticised the attempt to diminish Khalid’s success, saying: “Your music can barely allow you to afford a small fry at Jack in the Box, and you’re pressed about outing someone who has three diamond records.”

His final post was a reminder to his fans that he was never hiding anything from them and thanked them for their support before announcing he was taking a break from X for the day. But, his message was clear: he is proud of who he is and will not allow others to define him. “Let’s get this straight (lmao),” he concluded, “I am okay with me.”