The beloved comedian, who made waves for being the first Black woman to write for a late-night talk show – celebrated the last day of Pride Month by announcing her status as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Ruffin wrote: “In what will come as a shock to exactly zero people, I’m using the last day of PRIDE to come out!
“Be proud of who you are, little babies! I know I am! And I can’t wait to be discriminated against for a new reason,” she wrote.
In addition to her iconic caption, Ruffin’s post featured a series of photos, including one snapshot of her wearing tanktop with the word ‘queer’ on it.
Of course, it didn’t take long for fans to inundate the Straight to Cards founder with congratulatory messages.
One fan commented: “(throws confetti, runs around cheering) Congratulations and welcome to the party!”
Another Instagram user echoed similar sentiments before expressing excitement for Ruffin’s popular segment, “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell,” featured on Late Night With Seth Meyers.
“I love all of this – happy Pride to you! Yay for being exactly who you are! Also, I can’t wait for how this will play out on the “jokes Seth can’t tell” segment,” they wrote.
In addition to fans, the Tony Award nominee received heaps of support from an array of her industry peers.
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo wrote: “Welcome baby love!! Bathrooms are to the left, refreshments to the right, grab a chair. The DJ takes requests.”
Red, White and Royal Blue director and close collaborator Matthew Lopez joked: “Welcome, recruit. The hazing isn’t toooooo bad. Love you.”
One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush also welcomed Ruffin into the LGBTQIA+ community, commenting: “Our team just keeps getting hotter and smarter!! Happy Pride, dear one.”
Before coming out, the New York Times best-selling author consistently used her platform to push back against anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and legislation, including the various book bans.
During PFLAG’s 50th anniversary gala in March 2023, Ruffin described the censorship tactic as “scary and sad.”
“The book bans are making me sick to my stomach. It encompasses so many marginalized groups. They even went as far as to ban a book about Roberto Clemente – the baseball star,” she exclaimed to Variety at the event.
“It makes no earthly sense. It’s free-for-all [in red states]. Somebody needs to hurt some feelings, and I’m glad to do it.”
Ruffin also called out anti-LGBTQIA+ bigots and politicians during various segments on her critically acclaimed talk show, The Amber Ruffin Show, which ended its run in December 2022.
Congratulations are in order for Amber Ruffin.