The Punky Brewster reboot lands on Peacock next week, which we were all honestly already pretty hype about — and then we learned that Jasika Nicole has been cast as Lauren, “a fun-loving and self assured lawyer who’s relationship with [Punky’s best friend] Cherie develops throughout the season.” So, now we’re even more worked up! However, while it’s good to see gay characters in comedy remakes, it’s also important to remember that ’80s and ’90s comedies were saturated with LESBIANISM. And to prove it, our team has ranked 25 of the gayest ’80s and ’90s sitcom characters by lesbianism, just for you.
25. Roz, Frasier
Heather: I’m willing to concede that I only think Roz — and everyone else on Frasier — is queer because Daniel Lavery writes so prolifically about the show.
24. Vanessa Huxtable, The Cosby Show
Natalie: Vanessa Huxtable is on my list of the worst TV kids ever, right along with Julie Taylor from Friday Night Lights, Maddie Conrad from Nashville, and Grace Florrick from The Good Wife.
Heather: I went back and forth between Vanessa and Denise, but ultimately it was Vanssa’s endless anxiety that gave her the lesbian edge.
Shelli: I agree with Natalie so hard but also the anxiety is that queer trait that made me think again about her lesbianing.
Carmen: Vanessa wanted to have BIIIIIIG FUN.
23. Lisa Turtle, Saved by the Bell
Shelli: I don’t see it — but I would like to.
Heather: Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine said that Lisa Turtle made her bisexual, so that’s something.
Stef: Honestly there’s gotta be a reason she resisted Screech for so long.
Riese: At the age of 40 she falls in love with a woman for the first time and writes a personal essay for The Cut about it.
Carmen: As a very high maintenance Black femme, let me just say we recognize our own.
KaeLyn: Strong bisexual power femme energy is all I’m saying.
22. Aunt Rachel, Family Matters
Heather: Freelance writer.
Carmen: I feel like I have no proof that Aunt Rachel was a lesbian? But also, given her relatively small role on the series, her staying power in our memories speaks for itself.
KaeLyn: Emphasis on FREELANCE WRITER.
21. Kimber and Storm, Jem and the Holograms
Heather: Okay, Stormer slept with a picture of her and Kimber on her NIGHTSTAND, and Pizazz and the other Misfits had to bribe her with a PORSCHE and a PURSE FULL OF CREDIT CARDS to get her to stop making duets with Kimber and come back to their band.
20. Elaine Benes, Seinfeld
Stef: I nominate Elaine just as a style icon alone.
Nicole: I always got lesbian vibes from her.
Stef: She kept trying to date men but she like truly truly hated every second of it.
Nicole: Just a very tragic case of compulsory heterosexuality.
Stef: Imagine Jerry Seinfeld being the ex boyfriend you kept as a friend.
Stef: She’s gay.
19. Ashley Banks, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Valerie Anne: I feel like there was a period of time on that show where if it had been on now instead of the 90s, Ashley would have dated a girl just to rock the boat/dare people to challenge her about it.
Carmen: What I’m saying is that if someone told me Ashley Banks “experimented in college” after the show was over… I would believe it.
18. Julia Sugarbaker, Designing Women
Shelli: Bare minimum she kissed a girl after Sunday school a few times.
Stef: I didn’t really watch Designing Women even when they ran it right after Golden Girls because like, after Golden Girls what else even IS there? But I feel strongly about these shoulder pads.
KaeLyn: She’s tried it, but she’s not committing to it.
Heather: Okay but name someone with more Bette Porter energy.
17. Alex P Keaton, Family Ties
Riese: Republican.
Carmen: But iconic fashion choices anyway.
KaeLyn: Deeply in the closet.
Heather: Soft butch dreamboat.
16. Chrissy Seaver, Growing Pains
Heather: Chrissy grew up to be Ashley Johnson. You know, Ellie from The Last of Us and Yasha from Critical Role? I rest my case. 🔨
15. Clarissa, Clarissa Explains it All
Abeni: Her best (platonic!) friend was a BOY!!!
Sarah: Gay.
Abeni: I don’t think she ever dated or talked about boys that I can remember. That bedroom, though, wtf? How could you even concentrate on anything with that much stimuli? The 90s were an interesting time.
Riese: We love a maximalist.
Stef: You know what’s really gay, is that little surf-rock musical interlude they play whenever the ladder clunks against her windowsill and she goes, “Oh, hey Sam” WAAOAOOOOAAAAOAAA.
Abeni: She also programmed her own PC games.
Stef: Also she had a pet baby alligator in a kiddie pool? Which seems not thought through especially well, but you know how lesbians love unconventional pets.
Malic: Every picture of Clarissa is straight out of one of those “what gay people wear to brunch” memes.
Adrian: The chaotic gender presentation speaks to my soul.
14. Phoebe, Friends
Riese: There is a zero percent chance that phoebe would say no if a woman asked her on a date.
Stef: Honestly the only person on the whole show I liked.
Heather: She’s like that person who discovers she’s queer and starts hanging out with queer people and wakes up one day and realizes she hasn’t been to Central Perk or spoken to Rachel or Monica in three years.
13. Freddie Brooks, A Different World
Shelli: Free Love Freddie was occasionally in someone’s box in the dorms of Hillman and I shall believe no different.
Riese: Combining the queer ease of a fedora with the queer labor of crochet, straight women simply cannot.
Stef: That vest alone.
Carmen: You will never, not ever, convince me that Freddie Brooks and Kim Reese were roommates for seasons four through six of A Different World and no late night bedsharing was going on!?!? Nuh uh. No ma’m.
KaeLyn: Ahem.
12. Margaret Kim, All-American Girl
Riese: Def pansexual, also got cancelled after one season despite being good, which is gay.
Riese: Also made a joke about being a lesbian in the pilot.
Stef: With a smile that says “I just did something gay.”
Carmen: There is no character Margaret Cho has ever played that did not rank at the top of any gay scale. That’s physics, babyyyy.
11. Donna, That 70s Show
Shelli: My answer is based on the tees alone.
Stef: Eric was definitely a gateway boyfriend.
Adrian: Donna is bi, a hill I will die on.
10. Dorothy Zbornak, Golden Girls
Shelli: Was dykin in Brooklyn for years even when she was with Stan’s cheating ass.
Stef: Nobody wears a billowing vest quite like Dorothy, which isn’t necessarily a gay thing but it’s not not a gay thing.
Riese: I imagine her being like a dyke who wrote a lot of books about activism in the ’90s and now in her elder years is like, honestly who needs girlfriend drama when I have such good friends and so many scarves.
Stef: I will say if she came out Sophia would NOT be surprised.
KaeLyn: The last person in my family I came out to was an older woman who was a retired university dean and professor and who never married despite being engaged more than once. When I came out to her, she shared with me in so many words that she “used to have a special friend, too, when she was young.” Anyway, Dorothy has definitely had some special friends along the way.
9. Kimmy Gibbler, Full House
Shelli: MAYBE her and DJ tucked each other’s hair behind the ears once.
Stef: I relate strongly to how she just keeps showing up somewhere she’s not welcome, pretty sure it’s gonna work out for her this time.
Riese: def kissed DJ during truth or dare and liked it, but it ended there for her.
Stef: I think Kimmy figured it out in college.
Malic: Persistence is gay.
8. Blossom Russo, Blossom
Valerie Anne: I wasn’t allowed to watch Blossom when I was little because the one time I did turn it on Salt-n-Pepa were on singing “Let’s Talk About Sex” but I definitely owned a floppy flower hat like hers and I mean… look at her.
Laneia: I voted 3 on a scale of 1-5 but Valerie makes a good point here. Her khaki shorts are gayer than I am.
Abeni: Once they made a safe sex video in one episode and I will never forget this line one of the boys said: “It’s safe sex or no sex. I’ve been doing one my whole life, iIcan’t wait to do the other.” I may be misremembering somewhat. that show was pretty progressive!
Riese: Looks gay but acts straight: the ’90s!!!
7. Darlene, Roseanne
Heather: Speaking of looking gay and acting straight.
Riese: I feel like Nancy asked Roseanne a lot if she ever wondered if Darlene was gay and Roseanne was like of course not what are you talking about and Nancy like raised her eyebrows and shrugged and drank a sip of coffee and was like “Okay, we’ll see.”
Shelli: I had such a crush on this white woman and that’s mostly because she treated the truly idiotic men in her life like idiots.
Carmen: Facts.
6. Andell, Moesha
Natalie: If I had to pick someone to be gay on Moesha, it would’ve been Andell, right?
Shelli: Oh Andell was dykin’ for sure.
Shelli: At least dabblin’.
Shelli: There ain’t no way that she wasn’t — like, no way.
5. Tori, Saved by the Bell
Riese: l e a t h e r j a c k e t
Riese: Also the actress is gay.
Stef: Also Tori is gay, which makes her gay.
Riese: That’s math.
Stef: Math makes you gay.
4. Punky Brewster, Punky Brewster
Valerie Anne: I’ve been called Punky by family members (and now friends) my whole life and I came by the nickname honestly; I was just like lil Punky when I was little (and am currently wearing mismatched socks) and I grew up to be a lesbian therefore so would/did she. That’s just math.
Shelli: I used to want to be punky so bad — ask my dad.
Riese: My mom didn’t let me watch shows with commercials so i’d go to my friend anna’s house to watch this show because i felt a deep affinity to this tomboy and her sneaks.
Carmen: I know almost nothing about Punky Brewster and have never seen the show, but even I know she’s a lesbian and that’s just lesbian law.
KaeLyn: It’s the pigtails. See also: Pippi Longstocking.
3. Alex Mack, The Secret World of Alex Mack
Shelli: My QUEEN.
Stef: Alex Mack had the ability to actually turn into a puddle, which seems pretty literal but definitely very lesbian.
Valerie Anne: 90% of the queer women i know could put together an Alex Mack cosplay from items in their closet at a moment’s notice.
Carmen: I’m literally dressed like this right now.
2. Jo, The Facts of Life
Tracy: So on the scale of one to five, we can’t give her a ten?
Riese: Literally gay.
Malic: Such a daddy.
1. Khadijah James, Living Single
Editor’s note: I didn’t crop this to the same size as the other pictures because of the belt. And the rings. And the hands on hips. And just… the whole thing.
Carmen: AND NOW WE ARE HOME. Okay. I can rest easy.
Shelli: There it is.
KaeLyn: Um. 😳
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WAIT. Wait. Where are Kate and Allie? They were my gay icons as an 80s kid. I remember thinking “who needs to marry a man? I’ll just live with my best friend” and there’s nothing gayer than that.
How could I have forgotten about Kate and Allie? I loved that show so much.
Kate and Allie were my lifestyle icons as a child.
Yes Kate and Allie! Kate was a hot mess gay and Allie was an anxiety gay!
I was always shipping Dorothy with Rose. Kinky, I know
Absolutely agree with Khadijah, Jo and Darlene. I also think Max from Living Single is bi+, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
Surprised not to see Al from Step by Step. It was a terrible sitcom – Suzanne Sommers was the mom in a blended family / Brady Bunch type situation. Watching Al, the tomboy daughter, terrorize her step-siblings, was the best part of it.
KaeLyn with the “ahem” heard round the world re:Freddie and Kim.
Also, nearly all of these characters were my favorite characters on each of these shows.
I refuse to believe that Maxine Shaw attorney at law is not even a little bit bi, power suits and all, but otherwise yea i agree.
Also, I’m a wee bit bias since Max was my bisexual awakening and I try to model my life’s philosophy on quotes she’s said.
God, I loved Max’s man-eating, rude, aggressive energy as a kid. No wonder I turned out like this.
Yes to Max’s man-eating energy! Loved her as a kid (and now)
Glad I’m not the only one. I loved Max so much.
Okay just made it to 1980 but Letitia “Buddy” Lawrence from Family. My first crush.
Oh God yes. Buddy is my root.
so, family was def not a sitcom…
but also that whole Leif Garrett situation was always no, she’s not into that.
Also Sam from Who’s the Boss? Seems like every 80s and 90s show had to have a little soft butch or tomboy lesbian.
I remember Darlene getting that curly haired boyfriend and being SO CONFUSED. I hated him as much as she did. I blame this moment for me thinking it was OK to date boys.
Darlene and David were each other’s beards, no question
Darlene must have confused a lot of people. My parents were super invested in the idea that I was just like Darlene, I think because I was also sarcastic and liked plaid and her possession of a boyfriend gave them hope that I had a potentially heterosexual future. I am sure things made more sense to them when Sara Gilbert came out.
Oh, Freddie Brooks was queer, no doubt about it. And that “ahem” pic with Kim is amazing.
I wore so many oversized flannels and floppy hats in tribute to Alex Mack.
But where is Daria??? And Lindsey Weir from Freaks and Geeks???
If not Daria, definitely Jane. Probably both.
Jane was and is incredibly hot. Easily one of my biggest crushes growing up. Trent, too, which doesn’t necessarily make sense looking back now but that’s a hill I will die on.
That outfit of Dorothy Zbornak is my exact favourite outfit.
Anyone know where I can get a silk pyjama tuxedo set?
Following
if there’s a vegan option, then i also am following…
Last night I was *so close* to getting @stef to agree to do an entire Dorothy Zbornak Style Thief!
if encouragement is all you need, lmk…
Yes just let us know what we need to do here, Stef
I snorted at Alex P. Keaton.🤣
Only just technically in the 80s, but we used to get TV shows a little late here: Kristy McNichol as Buddy on Family.
Definitely a chacracter that stayed with a very young me.
They’re showing Little Darlings this weekend at a local theatre, and I’ve never seen it, so I think I’ll be heading along to see that.
Kristy McNichol was in Empty Nest too and that was definitely on in the 90s. She played one of two adult daughters who moved back in their dad. I didn’t watch it much but her character was pretty much who’d you expect Buddy to be as a mostly grown up.
About a year and a half belated, but seeing Kristy McNichol and Sherilynn Fenn dancing to dream logic music in pool hall during a Zalman King picture on Showtime might, in fact, be my root.
I’m pretty sure in the last episode of Clarissa Explains it all she became a news report for the paper & was wearing an outfit that screamed I am queer & ready to work.
Annie Mack
is a grown up Alexandra “Alex” Danvers.
She’s gay.
Maxine Shaw !!!!
Regine Hunter !!!!!!
I mean, Alex Mack has not one but TWO lesbian names, and I wanted to be her as a kid despite only having seen one episode of her show, so yes she is a Top Ten Gay for sure.
the khadijah one is definitely correct. i am wearing the same shirt
Incredibly basic to pick Phoebe as the lesbian one from Friends (she is clearly a chaotic eco-bisexual) when Monica and Rachel’s sexual tension, clothes-swapping, sweatshirts with ‘Girls’ written on the front, self-deluding ‘competing’ over interchangeable men, and general bossy top / pillow princess dynamic is RIGHT THERE.
https://i2.wp.com/bloggers.society19.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/15-Cute-Rachel-Green-Outfits-To-Recreate-7.png?resize=550%2C740&ssl=1
Need I say more?
Also Chandler is a trans woman.
That picture is giving me feelings
Roz from Frasier has always seemed bi to me. In one episode the radio station was auctioning dates for charity (….yeah 90s) and the highest bidder for a date with Roz was a lesbian. Roz was down – “You like Italian? Alright let’s go!” In another episode, her (male) date ended up going home with another woman. Roz’s comment? “She was gorgeous. One more drink and I would’ve gone home with her.”
Btw most of Frasier’s producers and actors were queer men. No wonder even their gay jokes have aged surprisingly well.
Roz is 100% bi and can call me any day
This may just be a gay man’s perspective but I’d like to humbly submit the entire cast of Small Wonder for consideration. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51UgoaKBfcL._AC_SY445_.jpg
before i even realised i as gay,as a child, i was always very interested in darlene without knowing why.she had the best storylines anyway,and was written as a complex person, outspoken tomboy as a child ,brooding grungy,depresses, bookish,arty teenager later josh whedon wrote the best episodes . the episode where she had to do the poem about how lonely she feels….def my fave-*sighs* when i came out i still was very keen on her. only a few yeaasrs ago found it she is gay.not exactly a crush more in spirit. always wonder if i sensed her being gay before i knew that about here…
Lena (aka Jada Pinkett) on A Different World was super gay. Even when she was dating boys it was clear she was the top. Also, the fashion choices so gay.
Great list but I was certain Christine from Night Court would be on the list.
Markie Post was serving some white collar baby dyke realness all DAY!
The Canadian teen show Ready or Not that aired on the Disney Channel in the US is by far my biggest root! Busy Ramone was my heartthrob tomboy butch of my dreams! The actress Lani Billard is out now too. 💜
DANA SCULLY!