Is Madison Bailey Gay? How The Actress Inspires People By Coming Out

Is Madison Bailey gay? Yes, Madison Bailey is gay. But the better question should be, “Is Madison Bailey bi or gay?” The actress came out as pansexual in 2017, though this information became more well-known in 2020 when she publicized her relationship with University of North Carolina at Charlotte basketball player Mariah Linney. They originally connected via TikTok.

“I came out when I was 18, which is six years ago, and I just gained this platform. So it’s less of a decision to come out and more of a decision to be an open book with people,” Bailey tells PRIDE.

Madison Bailey has a TikTok account under the username @madsbaileybabe, where she posts videos about her life, interests, and relationship with Mariah Linney. Mariah Linney is an accomplished basketball player who played guard for the University of North Carolina Charlotte women’s basketball team until her graduation in 2021.

Madison Bailey is a master of social media, with 6.6 million followers on Instagram and 6 million on TikTok. She often uses these platforms to talk about social issues, including racial justice, mental health, and LGBTQ+ advocacy. In 2020, she posted a video on TikTok sharing her pansexual identity. 

Bailey has been open about her sexuality and has used social media to share intimate details of her life. In a May 25th TikTok video, Madison explained what pansexuality means. In the video, set to Princess Nokia’s “I Like Him,” Madison illustrates that pansexual people are attracted to others regardless of gender identity by writing on the screen "Girls. Boys. Trans boys. Trans girls. Nonbinary babies. It’s what’s on the inside boo."

A few weeks later, in a joint Instagram live Mental Health Q&A with Lacy Hartselle, Bailey opened up about her coming-out journey. “I feel zero shame, and I don’t feel that way because nobody’s ever really shamed me for it. And I know a lot of people have had a lot of hate and lack of support,” she shared. “I know so many, countless stories of queer people that did not have support.”

In her Instagram Live with Hartselle, Bailey also offered some advice for anyone struggling with the decision to come out: "If you’re gay, tell everybody that you’re gay. It’s worth it."

Bailey has also attended events such as the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala to show her support for the community. “I had an abundance of people telling me how much more comfortable they feel with themselves,” she says. "I still get messages on a daily basis from people expressing that I helped them come out.

It’s very validating to have a purpose in this world. It feels good to inspire other young people to be themselves and not give two shits about what other people have to say. I motivated them to do that"

Despite the fact that Madison Bailey is gay, there have been rumors about Bailey’s relationships with her Outer Banks co-stars, including Jonathan Daviss and Chase Stokes. However, the actress has denied these rumors and clarified that she has a close friendship with her co-stars, but there is no romantic involvement.

And that is because Madison Bailey is gay, y’all! Proudly so! “I’m not interested in gaining people’s respect, who don’t respect me. So, being myself was very important,” she explains. "I feel like I can be closer with people if I’m just being myself, and they can relate to me way more if I’m being honest. So I’m happy. I let people know who I was from the jump. I’m not trying to sneak up on anybody".