Heartstopper: Kit Connor was “disappointed” by fans’ sexuality speculation

Kayla Harrington
Kit Connor as Nick Nelson in Heartstopper

Heartstopper star Kit Connor has revealed his feelings about fans speculating about his private life and sexual orientation.

If you’ve been on the Netflix homepage or anywhere online for the last month, then you must be aware of the teen phenomenon that is Heartstopper.

The British teen drama just released its sophomore season that focuses on Charlie, his boyfriend Nick, and their gaggle of colorful queer friends.

Heartstopper explores what it’s like to be young and finding yourself, which has translated to the real world as some of the cast have come out as queer since the show debuted. One of the stars, Kit Connor, has recently revealed what that experience was like and how he felt about fans’ speculating about his sexuality.

Connor expresses “disappointment” around sexuality speculation

The young actor, who plays Nick on Heartstopper, recently sat down with designer and Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson for Interview Magazine. During their conversation, Anderson brought up the concept of people speculating about the sexuality of others and how Connor himself dealt with the phenomenon after Heartstopper debuted.

Connor stated that he found the experience “disappointing” given his age (he was 18 at the time) and went on to say that “[he doesn’t] think that it should be something that is speculated on at any age.”

“I really wanted to have that boundary. It was my private information and my personal life that I wanted to keep to myself. So I was kind of frustrated with myself that I gave into it,” Connor explained. “What I learned from that experience is that there are certain things I want to keep private in my life.

“I’ve also learned that people are always going to have something to say. Even with me coming out, people will still have something to say – whether they believe me or not, whether they suddenly think, ‘Oh, now can he play straight roles?’ But whatever they say, they’re going to say something.”

Nick in Heartstopper on Netflix

Back in November 2022, Time Magazine revealed that Connor was forced to come out as bisexual after fans accused him of queerbaiting, as his character in Heartstopper is bisexual and, at the time, Connor didn’t make his sexuality known.

“Back for a minute,” Connor wrote in a now deleted tweet. “I’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.”

It’s incredibly disheartening to see someone be forced to air their private lives because people can’t stop digging into their personal ones. Famous or not, everyone deserves their privacy and don’t owe anyone any information about their truth.

Heartstopper Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix now. You can check out our other coverage below: 

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About The Author

Kayla is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's huge fan of Marvel (especially if Wanda Maximoff is involved), shows that make you laugh then cry, and any cooking show found on the Food Network. Before Dexerto, she wrote for Mashable, BuzzFeed, and The Mary Sue. You can contact her at kayla.harrington@dexerto.com