Actress Raven-Symone reveals in an It
Got Better video that she was pressured by Hollywood to remain in the
closet.
The 30-year-old Raven-Symone, who is
best known for her roles on NBC's The Cosby Show and Disney
Channel's That's So Raven, came out in 2013, telling Oprah
Winfrey that she didn't want to be labeled gay.
“I don't want to be labeled gay. I
want to be labeled a human who loves humans. I'm tired of being
labeled. I'm an American. I'm not an African-American. I'm an
American,” she said.
In the new video, Raven-Symone says
that being taught to be a “brand” from childhood led her believe
that she would “never” come out.
“I never thought I would come out
because my personal life didn't matter,” Raven-Symone
said.
She added that not dealing with her
sexuality “ate at her soul.”
“I don't care anymore because I fell
in love and I was kind of over the industry, I wanted to retire,”
she added.
Raven-Symone joined the cast of The
View in 2015.