Julianne Hough is the September cover lady for Women’s Health. I’m sort of shocked by how much I know about her life and marriage these days, just as I’m shocked to learn something completely new about her too: she’s bisexual! This is her big coming out interview, where she also chats about her new dance invention, Kinrgy, and how her husband Brooks Laich makes her feel safe enough to really own every part of herself. You can read the full Women’s Health profile here. Some highlights:
On the importance of dance in her life: “Dance is my superpower, and it has been my whole life, but I didn’t even know it,” she says. But others did. Before Julianne started choreographing what she calls her “high-sensory activated dance method,” she remembers people telling her they wanted to dance like her. They wanted to dance without feeling self-conscious. “I have no boundaries when I dance,” she says, now seated on a couch, snuggled up in a sweater and nursing a jug of lemon water.
What is Kinrgy? Designed for nondancers, the 45-minute method isn’t about perfecting the choreography—which does include moves such as “sexy lunges” and Magic Mike–like hip thrusts—but instead, moving in a way that’s nurturing to each individual.
Her catharsis in the past few years: “I’ve been de-layering all the survival tactics I’ve built up my whole life. Now, I feel limitless. When I think about what I want to create, I want to help people connect back to their truest self. When that happens, they can relate to the people around them with no filter and experience the world how we’re supposed to experience it—in its most pure form, which I believe is love.”
Becoming her authentic self with her husband’s support: “I was connecting to the woman inside that doesn’t need anything, versus the little girl that looked to him to protect me. I was like, ‘Is he going to love this version of me?’ But the more I dropped into my most authentic self, the more attracted he was to me. Now we have a more intimate relationship. I [told him], ‘You know I’m not straight, right?’ And he was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ I was like, ‘I’m not. But I choose to be with you.’ I think there’s a safety with my husband now that I’m unpacking all of this, and there’s no fear of voicing things that I’ve been afraid to admit or that I’ve had shame or guilt about because of what I’ve been told or how I was raised.”
Her life is all about being physical: She exercises five days a week, doing a mix of SoulCycle and hot power yoga, plus weight training with her husband. And she’s started to love her early workouts, even if she’s not a morning person. “If I don’t move my body in the morning, I have a fine day. If I move it first thing, I have an excellent day.”
Re: early morning workouts… back in my youth, I would enjoy an early morning workout, but I have issues with doing that now, at my age. Plus, I find that I’m more focused and work-oriented in the mornings, and I can get a lot of stuff done in the mornings, and why “waste” that on working out? I also dislike evening workouts, so that’s why I go for more mid-day or afternoon workouts. Suits my schedule and suits my body. But everybody’s different.
As for her comment to her husband “You know I’m not straight, right?” – I’m the one saying she’s bisexual, she doesn’t actually use that word in the interview. We’ve really been seeing a whole different side of Julianne lately – wanting to keep her maiden name, announcing she’s “not straight,” drinking jugs of lemon water. It’s all happening!
Photos courtesy of Women’s Health and Instagram.
Good for her! She sounds happy and looks great.
Yes, good for her! Being able to be true to yourself is the most wonderful thing.
Whatever. This is something you discuss before marriage not by looking at your husband and saying “You know I’m not straight”.
Some of the photos are ridiculous.
Yeah…she makes it sound like she dropped it on him randomly over scallops and linguine one night. Jesus. Maybe she didn’t, but that’s still a discussion to be had before you’re married. She even says she wasn’t being “authentic” because she wanted him to like her!!! How is that a real partnership when you’ve been concealing something like your sexuality? Does her husband love her or who she was pretending to be?
Sounds like it worked out for the best, but yes, you should be your authentic self, not who you think they want, prior to marriage. I mean maybe its just wording here.
You discuss it before marriage if you understand and acknowledge it. She grew up fairly conservative and sheltered, no? I’m guessing she didn’t understand that about herself prior to marriage.
That is what I’m thinking. She grew up very sheltered in a lot of ways – I think like most women she’s becoming more aware of who she is the older she gets. It might just have taken a few extra years to fully understand given her upbringing.
Yes, she’s from a Mormon family. I’m from southern Idaho and grew up in an area that was largely Mormon, so I know from experience that the religion is not terribly welcoming to non-straight people. (Or really even just women who want to be viewed as individuals separate from their husbands.) So I can see why she might not have realized this at a younger age or even if she did, why she might not have wanted to talk about it until now.
I don’t actually think she grew up that “sheltered”. Her parents let her and her brother move to London when she was 10-years-old to train. That’s about as far out of the Utah religious bubble as you can get. Yes, she’s from a Latter-day Saint family, because most people from Utah are (speaking as someone born and raised in Utah) but I don’t think the goodie-goodie conservative religious girl image is accurate, frankly.
And side note: her body is uh-mazing. She’s so beautiful.
What does it even matter if she’s choosing to be with him? Makes no difference in practice, does it?
I think she is going about it in an odd way, but as a bisexual woman, it would have been nice to hear bisexuality spoken about (or hinted at), as a kid. Thought I was going to rot in hell, parents were in a homophobic church, didn’t even know there was a word for what I was until I was a teenager. Too many words, but I guess I mean that representation is nice. LOL.
@Bebe – Oh no, good for her in talking about it, that’s not what I meant.
I was responding to the ‘how dare she not tell her husband before getting married’ comments. 1. She may well not have realised it about herself, and more importantly, 2. It doesn’t actually matter in any practical terms where her husband is concerned, does it? She’s picked her guy, she’s with him, and if they’re in a monogamous relationship, what difference does it make to him whether she’s bisexual? I’m not understanding the outrage.
I’d read the full article. My impression is that she’s unlocking a lot of things recently and going through the process of realizing that certain things she learned or was told in childhood are OK, and all of a sudden she’s making certain realizations. I had the impression that maybe this is something that she hadn’t fully processed even, before they were married. Or never accepted as actually being a part of who she was until now.
Most women realize their sexuality later, into their 30s, and it’s though it’s due the extreme social pressures. there is a concept called ‘compulsive heternormativity’ that helps explain it.
And why would her sexuality need discussion now or prior? She chose him and that’s what matters.
It sounds like she just figured it out.
I agree.
Photoshop Photoshop i hope people do not like at that magazine picture and feel depressed about how they look co she looks completely different on that Instagram picture. She has been photo-shopped to hell and back
Her body is actually pretty close to that. She was on Dancing with the Stars for years and even in movement, her body was fire. (Point taken on photoshop in general[AND she’s posed to the gods to minimize any “imperfections”], but she really does put in work on her body.)
I agree her body is pretty darn close to that. It is a combination of hard work and genes to look like that and good posing. I can look like that too with good posing and being able to pick from 200 photos. But I work out and keep an eye on portions and good genes as in body type. I am curvy wiyh small bone structure. I look at some of the other women in gym who are working hard but have really large legs and one thing they have going for them is they can probably burn more calories doing cardio with those large boned legs. So dont be assumin she is photoshopped. She works hard !
I’m not “assumin she’s photoshopped” I’m telling you she’s photoshopped. I’ve worked in graphic design with photoshop for decades, before everyone became an expert, and trust me that cover photo is altered a lot!!!!! She probably does have an excellent body, never met her in person so don’t know for sure, but her workout regimen seems like she would have one, but that photo is still heavily photoshopped, the shape, the skin, coloring, everything!!!!! It used to be cover photos were slightly retouched, now they are touched up a lot no matter who you are or how you look.
I actually never buy glossy mags & haven’t for decades- photoshop what we’re hit w ad infinitum, why actually -purchase- the attack? Funny story, a mom I knew threw away a bar mitzvah invite because she mistook it for magazine ad! Ha- even the kiddos market themselves w photo shop sucked in cheeks- pathetic & humorous at the same time…
If my husband told me during the marriage: you know I am not straight, right? I would be very disappointed to find that out afterwards. This is stiff you discuss beforehand!!
Just imagine if he had said that to her
I think I’m missing something… I don’t think I’d give two hoots, given that he’d chosen to be with me.
For me it’s almost like… I quite like a redhead, my partner has blond hair, doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate redheads from a distance, but it also doesn’t mean I’m not 100% committed to the boyfriend.
The bisexuality is largely a moot point so long as you’re also monogamous, no?
Are we crazy for thinking that? Because I was thinking the same thing as you, Leonie. I mean, obviously if my husband was gay it’d be different – but if he’s still into me, and is going to be faithful to me, I’ll happily start discussing our favorite male celebrities and not bat an eye.
Does it make clear if this conversation happened before or after marriage?
But yes I agree that’s the kind of thing you discuss pre-marrriage.
Why? That stance makes you sound homophobic.
uhh why? would you dump someone because they’re bisexual? that’s really shltty.
She just wanted everyone to talk about her, and it worked.
And liberals can’t say bisexual anymore because it is implying there are only 2 sexes/genders. What if she wants to sleep with a “no gendered” person? I think this is ridiculous as there are only 2 sexes, but I wanted to point it out to you before your leftist readers get freaked out. We live in crazy nonscientific times…
Nobody said liberals can’t use the word bisexual anymore. Many of us (myself included) identity that way. Others identify as pansexual. It’s not an issue. And yep, leftist. SMDH at Trump-sympathizing ‘feminists’.
Thank you. I’m a cis-woman and straight and none of this is as difficult as people want to pretend it is, and it’s not a trap.
Otaku ftw yet again. The op gets a Friday eyeroll for the virtue signalling. I can’t today.
I think Billbop is a troll – every comment they have made this week has been truly ignorant..Must have gotten lost on their way to Breitbart or the Daily Fail
“Bisexual” isn’t a four-letter word to us “leftists”, as you so referred to us (and as if that were a bad thing *eyeroll*). We believe that everyone should identify however they are most comfortable. I am a bisexual female and if someone referred to me as pansexual or whatever I’d just nod and smile. It’s not that big of a deal.
The irony of MAGAts talking about “non-scientific” time with their climate change denying antics.
Good point
Ha. Great point.
I want to point out that you suck
Don’t respond to trolls please email me and we can delete and ban them.
Be gone with you.
“What if she wants to sleep with a “no gendered” person?”
That’s called pansexual, they’re not the same thing, no one is erasing bi culture. GTFO troll.
Wow. Sexual preference gone wild. Jesus folks, get a grip. Sexual orientation is a tiny edge of your entirely. At least it should be.
Poor Billbop. You need to brush up on your science! There’s more than 2 sexes, dear. Nature has more than 2 options. Read up before you embarrass yourself again.
No. Nature isn’t mistaken. You are.
Are you calling intersex people hermaphrodites? Not a good look.
I have no problem with her and most of the celebs who suddenly feel woke enough to announce their sexuality. However I also feel like it’s a thirst project to some degree. Don’t worry bro I’m hip too because guess what I’m a little gay too. Can I sit with you now?
it’s a good way to get a top story on People Magazine. I am cynical just like you.
Way too many “enlightened” buzzwords for me—*delayering to pure form of love.* No thanks. We won’t be having coffee.
Great dancer, but her obvious incredible depth and enlightenment are a bit too much for me. The husband must be exhausted from all this incredibleness
Billbop, I think you are confused about the difference among sex, gender, and sexual orientation, not that I think you’re interested in becoming enlightened. Dancers have the most beautiful bodies of all athletes, except for their feet maybe. Yes, she has been photoshopped, but she still has an amazing body.
Sounds like a page from the Miley Cyrus manual on how to try to revive a failing career.
This!
She pops up randomly with a story about a popular topic then goes away just as fast. I don’t know if that’s by choice or if people don’t find her interesting. I personally don’t.
I agree. Look at me!! My only concern is for Brooks. He is a great guy and did so much for the community when he played for the Caps. I hope this works out for him. I have always felt she (& her brother) were somehow “off”. Plus lay off the photoshop. She looked cute in the insta shot & plastic fantastic in the mag shoot
I don’t understand this criticism where someone is “attention seeking” because they answer a question they were asked in an interview that was intended to be about them, to promote themselves and their work, for a magazine that specifically wanted to feature that person.
If she had just called a press conference at her house simply to come out and tell this story, then I can understand the attention-seeking criticism. But presumably, this topic came up with the interviewer, and Julianne, knowing this was an interview that was meant to specifically be ABOUT HER, spoke about herself and her experience with the topic.
People seem to forget that nearly all the quotes we talk about on this site are from interviews with celebrities. The celebrities don’t get to pick every single question they’re asked and the entire point of the interview is to talk about themselves.
Exactly. Janelle Monae made the same point recently about female modesty, but the same point applies here: ” I don’t want your attention. I’m exercising my freedom.”
@redgirl : my thoughts exactly. Funny how those “bisexual” women always end up with men…
@so: Bisexual people can end up with men or women throughout the course of their lives. Sexuality includes so much more than who you end up married to or dating at any particular time. Choose education over ignorant bitchery.
Interesting how Julianne used to go on about assuming that Ryan Seacrest was not straight, whereas now she identifies as not straight.
I recall how she tried to make a go of it in movies but nothing really came of it.
Well, good luck on bringing up important things about yourself AFTER you married.
People need to be upfront with each other before they commit to marriage.
Adult behaviour…get you some.
As long as she is faithful to her husband and respects their marriage why does it matter? This almost feels like saying bisexual people can’t be faithful, which is offensive. I don’t understand this judgement, especially when you add in the fact that she was raised with a lot of religion.
Everyone who is saying that they should have discussed this before marriage – it sounds to me like this has been a process of discovery for her and it took place during her marriage. In other words, it sounds like she is only really coming to terms with this now, so it is not as if she was purposefully hiding this from him.
I agree EOA. I’ve been married for 20+ years and these past few years has been a time of huge growth for me personally. And yeah for a fair number of years I did act a certain way in order to win/keep my husband’s love, lessons learned in childhood don’t always disappear once you’re an adult. But over the years I’ve been able to become more of who I am and while it’s not always been easy for my husband to deal with, deal with he has with patience and grace and if I’m being honest with far more patience and grace then I probably would have if the situations were reversed.
I feel like some people are being a little harsh on her. I was married to my ex husband when I kind of came to own that I was bi. He was the first person I “came out” to. It wasn’t that I hid that from him before we were married. I had grown up a very repressed religious community and it took me well into adulthood to finally be able to be honest with myself about my own sexuality. I don’t know about her background, but it could be that she’s just finally comfortable enough to admit her sexuality to herself.
You’re not imagining anything. Bisexual women are consistently treated like crap and held to different standards.
If anyone is treated like crap by both the gay and straight community it’s bisexual men.Bisexual women can date both genders with relative ease compared to bi man who are labeled as gay.Hell a guy could have fooled around with a guy 20 years ago and there are people who still call him gay.
I have been on gay sites and some of the guys don’t even believe guys when they say they are bisexual.There is a guy who was in a boy band named Duncan James a few years ago he came out as bisexual,now he identifies as gay.
BTW I believe bisexuality exists for males and females I just have seen women been accepted and believed more than men when they say they are bisexual.
Both are treated badly. The difference is that bisexual men are viewed as Lying Closeted Gay Men (and also attention-seeking, but only if they present in any way associated with femininity). Because of the added layer of misogyny, bisexual women are treated as lying straight wh*res making things up for male attention, and any real or perceived flaws one may have are used to strengthen the ‘lying wh*re’ argument.
She’ll get a lot of unnecessary, dismissive, condescending crap and Damonsplaining for this because she’s definitely not the most persecuted member of either group (lgbt + woman). But….she never claimed to be? She’s just sharing her experience. Keep in mind that both in the past and in the present, others have had it worse than Sam Smith, Elton John, Harry Stiles, Daniel Radcliffe, Andrew Garfield, and Zayn Malik, but all of those men have still been allowed to discuss their experiences despite not being the most oppressed members of their groups. A lot of these men are conventionally attractive on top of all male and other privilege, but good looks aren’t used as silencing tools for them. Bisexual women deserve to be treated the same way. There are worse problems than respectable rich cis straight white women feeling invisible as they get older too, but they also should get to talk about that. The list could go on and on.
Someone always has it worse than somebody else. It’s ok fo a conversation to happen without it always devolving nto some vesoin of ‘Shut up and be grateful for things that haven’t happened to you’, and that card shouldn’t be the kneejerk response every time people have bigotry and microaggressions they don’t want criticized.
You rock, OTAKU.
Preach!! Thank you for this. You’re way more eloquent than I am.
Well put.
Her sexuality or orientation is her business, good for her. I just find her wording in relating this story sort of irritating and disingenuous… “ You know I’m not straight, right?” Did she really just pop that out one day? Ugh, I need coffee.
I am all about people being who they are and being proud of it, but this just screams “attention grab.” Maybe I’m wrong. *shrug*
No, I don’t think you’re wrong at all.
I agree. I’m all for her figuring herself out and being open, but she is definitely desperate for attention with pretty much everything she does publicly.
I really just don’t like her. She’s another oversharer who loves attention. I have little respect for celebrities who try to make their personal life their brand. Idk.
Insert Waka Flaka meme…Ok???? The thirst is real and runs deep with this one. I guess we should all be happy she’s not doing black face anymore and is so woke about her own sexuality???!
The number of commenters assuming this person grasped or recognized or accepted her sexuality before marriage, or had the same sexuality before marriage (it can be fluid–look it up) is irksome.
The number of commenters saying a woman comes out as bi only for attention is 1. Misogynistic and 2. Biphobic as heck.
Can we stop? What is it about bisexuality that makes even some so-called progressives start to foam out?
+1
People acting like it’s some huge betrayal to what… be attracted to more than one type of person?
This thread just showed how far we have to come. And good on Julianne for talking about it.
Cry it out baby
Hmm, that first word….what rhymes with it?
It feels like almost all of the comments are saying that bisexual women don’t exist. Super frustrating and depressing.
This comment section is maddening.
“Why acknowledge a part of yourself that you’ve kept buried for years if you’re not going to use it?!?!” Well, because as this thread shows, bisexuality is treated as a childish, slutty ploy for attention. And implying she’s not going to “use it” is meaningless word salad. We don’t “use” a part of ourselves, it’s just there.
It’s also interesting how we assume all marriages are monogamous unless the couple states otherwise. Most poly/open couples don’t announce it to everyone for the same reason no one announces they’re bi: the troll train rolls in.
In an age of canned responses, she seems painfully sincere and I adore her for that. People get so riled up when a woman doesn’t speak in the manner they desire (using ‘like,’ too many ‘buzzwords,’ sharing the clumsy way we sometimes word things, etc).
It’s everyone’s personal choice on how they want to discuss their sexuality. The shaming comments about how Julianne chose to do it are disappointing. Live your life as you like, Julianne. Good for you.
I would be scarred if my S/O told me he wasn’t straight after marrying me and being together for quite some time. Something I would never get over and never feel “enough” or that I was “what he really wanted” and in ways that I couldn’t provide. I’d personally find it super upsetting and would doubt our entire relationship.
I’m kind of surprised by a lot of the comments on this one. There are a lot of people who seem to think that she should’ve told him about “not being straight” with no attention to the fact that people have realizations about their sexuality at different points in their life. This isn’t new information – Kinsey was clear on this decades ago. She grew up Mormon, and let’s not forget that there’s a ton of negative speculation about her brother’s sexuality. She would’ve seen that. She said that her walls are coming down – that includes being comfortable with who she is. Many of these comments are thinly veiled microaggressions that show a LOT of bi-phobia. If he is her chosen person, he’s her chosen person. That’s it.
In the video she’s really gone all in on the tatooed black eyebrows. They’re a little too much for my taste. A lot of that word salad from her is just drivel.
I’m still waiting for her brother to come out. Or, has he done so already! 🙂