If you spend more than five minutes on TikTok or scrolling through X (formerly Twitter), you’ve probably seen the question pop up: is Tate McRae gay? It’s one of those internet mysteries that seems to refuse to go away, despite the Calgary-born singer being pretty open about her life. Honestly, it’s kind of the classic Gen Z pop star experience—fans see a certain aesthetic, hear a lyric that hits a little too close to home, and suddenly the "is she or isn't she" theories are flying.
Tate McRae hasn't exactly lived her life in the shadows. We've seen her grow from a So You Think You Can Dance prodigy to a global pop sensation with hits like "greedy" and "exes." But even with public boyfriends and high-profile breakups, the speculation persists. Some of it comes from her incredible bond with the LGBTQ+ community, and some of it is just the internet being, well, the internet.
Let’s Clear the Air: Is Tate McRae Gay?
To be blunt: Tate McRae has never identified as gay or queer. If you’re looking for a "coming out" moment, it doesn't exist. She has spent her entire public career dating men, and she hasn't dropped any hints that suggest she's hiding a different part of her identity.
Now, does she love the community? Absolutely. In a 2025 interview with Pride, Tate didn't hold back. She literally called her gay fans her "favorite" and joked that her entire professional team is gay. She relies on them for everything from tour visuals to "brutally honest" feedback on her tracks. When she performed at G-A-Y & Heaven in London, she described it as one of the best nights of her life. But being a dedicated ally—and having a "work family" that is predominantly LGBTQ+—is very different from her own sexual orientation.
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The Dating History We Actually Know About
Tate’s romantic life has been a major plot point in her music, and it’s almost exclusively centered on her relationships with men. People love to overanalyze her lyrics, but the names on the list are pretty clear.
- Jonny Hader (2019–2021): This was her first big "public" relationship. He was an investment banker and even worked as a camera op for her "you broke me first" video. When they broke up, she was devastated—songs like "feel like sh-t" came straight from that heartbreak.
- Cole Sillinger (2021–2023): This was the "hockey era." Cole, who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, famously called Tate his celebrity crush before they started dating. It was a whole thing. They looked like the perfect Canadian power couple until they wiped each other from Instagram in early 2023.
- The Kid LAROI (2024–2025): This was the big one. The Australian rapper and Tate were everywhere—Instagram official, performing duets at Madison Square Garden, the works. It felt like they were going the distance until they hit a rocky patch.
The Kid LAROI Breakup and the 2026 Status
If you’ve been following the charts lately, you know that 2025 was a messy year for Tate and LAROI. They officially split in June 2025, and it wasn't exactly a quiet exit. Tate told Rolling Stone (the January 2026 issue) that the public scrutiny was "scary and overwhelming."
She basically said that having everyone weigh in on her private life felt invasive. It didn't help that LAROI dropped a whole album, Before I Forget, in January 2026, filled with songs that seem to be about their breakup. Lyrics in "July" and "Me + You" definitely suggest things ended on a complicated note. Tate's track "Tit for Tat" was her way of firing back, essentially telling him to "fix yourself."
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The drama was real. But through all the "he said, she said" of the breakup, there was never a mention of Tate dating anyone other than guys. Currently, she's been spotted hanging out with NHL player Jack Hughes in NYC, which has sparked a whole new round of "is she dating a hockey player again?" rumors.
Why Do People Keep Asking the Question?
It’s a fair thing to wonder: if she’s only dated men, why is is Tate McRae gay still a trending search term?
Part of it is her "tomboy" style—the baggy pants, the hockey jerseys, the raw athleticism. It's a look that often gets stereotyped, even though it’s just her being a girl from Calgary who grew up around rinks. Another part is her music. Songs like "she's all i wanna be" describe a certain kind of obsession with another woman that some fans interpret as more than just "envy." It's that classic "do I want to be her or be with her?" energy that resonates with a lot of queer listeners.
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Plus, Tate's voice and dance style are incredibly popular in queer spaces. When an artist is that embraced by a community, people naturally start to wonder if they belong to it. But Tate has always been clear that she’s a guest and a massive fan of the community, not a member of it.
Actionable Insights for Fans
So, what should you take away from all the noise?
- Trust her word: Tate hasn't used any labels for herself other than "straight" through her actions and dating history. Unless she says otherwise, that's where things stand.
- Separate Art from Identity: Just because a song feels "queer-coded" doesn't mean the artist is. Art is meant to be interpreted, and it’s great that people find their own meaning in her music.
- Respect the Boundaries: As Tate mentioned in her 2026 interviews, the constant theorizing about her life can be a lot. It's cool to be a fan, but it's also cool to let her live her life without a microscope.
At the end of the day, Tate McRae is a 22-year-old woman navigating fame, heartbreaks, and a massive career. Whether she's dating a hockey player or a rapper, or just vibing with her gay best friends on tour, she’s doing it on her own terms. The internet might never stop asking the question, but the answer has been right there in front of us the whole time.
To keep up with the latest on her tour or any new music releases, following her official social media is usually better than trusting a random TikTok theory. She’s pretty good at letting fans know when she has something real to say.