Isaac Rivera, known from the MTV show 'Teen Mom 2' and son of Kail Lowry and Jo Rivera, publicly came out as gay during a recent episode of his mother's 'Barely Famous' podcast. He also announced that he is now going by his middle name, Elliott, partly to distinguish his current self from the child viewers saw on television and because his first name no longer felt like him.

Kail Lowry introduced the topic by stating, “Obviously, this is a very sensitive subject, and maybe should be treated with care.” She expressed reservations, saying, “I have some reservations about what we’re discussing today because, obviously, this is my son and I don’t want to ever put a target on his back or put him in a dangerous position. But with that being said, I still want him to live his truth and live authentically and be proud of who he is, because we’re proud of who he is.” Kail became emotional during the hour-long interview with her 15-year-old son, crying what she described as “tears of pride” for his bravery.

Elliott—who was born during Kail’s 2010 episode of ‘16 and Pregnant’—stated that he decided to share his story on the podcast so fans could see who he is now. “I’m here today to show you who I am, not who you saw on TV for 12 years of my life,” Elliott stated. He elaborated on the challenges of self-representation on television: “…Growing up on TV, it’s hard to show who you really are when a camera’s in front of you all the time. It’s almost like you have a TV face. It’s harder to be yourself and be more comfortable because it’s going to be everywhere and all over the Internet.”

Although he chose to come out very publicly, Elliott acknowledged that many people don’t feel the need to do so. “I don’t think it’s necessary to ‘come out,'” he said. “I’m doing it for me. You can do what you want. If you feel that it’s necessary to ‘come out,’ then do it. But if you don’t, then just be yourself. Like, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. So just be who you are and be true to yourself. At the end of the day, it’s for you.” Elliott also addressed fans who commented “oh, we always knew,” stating, “Things like that, it’s not necessary... Let me have my moment. I’m really sick of people coming up with their own stories and putting things in their own words... My life isn’t entertainment for other people. My life is my life.”

Regarding his name change from Isaac, Elliott explained, “I started going by Elliott because, at some point, I wasn’t happy with my first name. I don’t know…it just doesn’t feel like me in some way.” Kail suggested this was a way to “build a separation between who you were on ‘Teen Mom’ and who you are today,” with which Elliott agreed, saying, "That’s part of it." He mentioned his father's family still calls him Isaac, and he is okay with it, understanding the transition. "I think the separation from my personal and my private life, and who I was on TV from who I am now, that’s like the main reason [for the name change]," he clarified.

Kail Lowry addressed the idea of "choosing to be gay" as "ridiculous.” “Nobody’s choosing to put themselves in a place where they’re facing adversity and dangerous situations,” she said. “Nobody’s choosing to put themselves in the position where their family is kicking them out and they’re on the streets.” She urged, “One, maybe don’t have kids if you’re not going to love them unconditionally... And Number 2, your child is not choosing this. This is something I believe they’re born with.” Elliott concurred, “Nobody would do that, with the things that [gay] people go through with that.” Kail emphasized, “You cannot control who they love... Who you love is who you love. At the end of the day, I’m not going to sever a relationship with my child based off of who he loves or doesn’t love.”

Elliott refuted fan theories that his upbringing "made" him gay, such as Kail’s parenting or time spent with his father. “No!” he exclaimed, reminding listeners of his 50/50 custody. “I think people confuse who they’re around, the parent, they confuse it with masculinity. It’s not about sexuality; it’s about how masculine/feminine they are,” he explained. Describing his siblings' reactions, Elliott said, “I feel like they just look at me and they’re like, ‘Oh that’s my brother. It doesn’t matter if he’s gay. He’s my brother.'” Kail added that her other sons "don't care" and that his presence helps normalize it for them. Elliott joked, “They’re not going to turn gay because of me. If they’re gay, they were born that way.”

The discussion also covered the recent invasion of Elliott's privacy when prom photos featuring him and his male date were leaked from private accounts. “You were asked to prom by a junior, a male,” Kail said. “And those pictures and videos were leaked. And then I got home crying. How were you feeling when you saw everything was leaked?” Elliott responded, “I was devastated... I also ugly-cried before you got home. It was very disappointing.” He lamented that the leak prevented him from sharing his story on his own terms: "Even if you thought you knew I was gay already, it’s disappointing that I couldn’t share it on my terms. And the way it happened was just not OK.”

Kail described the leak as “a violation” and “really, really heartbreaking,” especially considering Elliott is a minor. She criticized those responsible: “You leaked photos of minors just to say you heard it first or you had the information first.” Elliott added, “People don’t understand that if I don’t share it, it shouldn’t be out there,” and expressed concern for the safety of others in the photos. Kail recounted that after the leak, Elliott wanted to post on Instagram in anger, but she advised him against it. “It made me nervous for you to post something on Instagram and then other people to screen-record, make videos, and make money off of you coming out,” Kail explained. “It’s exploitative and it’s not fair. And so, if you’re going to share your story, you should be able to tell your story in your own words... you should be the one that’s benefitting from your story.”

Elliott offered advice to parents of LGBTQ+ children: “Go to a Pride event or talk to someone who’s gay... The first step is trying to build comfort and try to immerse yourself in the community. You just have to realize that we’re not different. We’re just regular people.” Kail highlighted that some people are accepting of LGBTQ+ individuals until it concerns their own child. Elliott expressed his goal: “It’s important for me to hopefully inspire other people and help other people who are in the same situation, or similar situation, work through it the best that they can.” Kail also stressed the illusion of online privacy, telling Elliott, “Your private Internet life is not actually a private life,” after he acknowledged needing to be more cautious.