Dane Boe, Annoying Orange Creator, Comes Out As Transgender

Dane Boe, the creator of the YouTube channel Annoying Orange, has come out as transgender in a recent announcement.

Boe, in a new interview with Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla of Smosh, revealed that they are transgender. “I realized a while back that I actually identify, at least right now, as nonbinary, you know. I am transgender. I’ve never said that. Anywhere,” Boe says.

The revelation came in the midst of a retrospective in which Boe, Hecox, and Padilla reacted to episodes of Annoying Orange and discussed controversies throughout the years. 

One of the controversial episodes in question was “PRIDE (Marshmallow’s TRUE gender!!!)”, a Pride Month video from 2022 which featured the Marshmallow character coming out as nonbinary and explaining to the cast what it means to be nonbinary.

“At the end of the day, it’s the argument that there’s grooming going on—that the woke mob is taking over and brainwashing” Boe says of the negative reaction to the episode.

Boe is making reference to the right-wing, fear-mongering campaign that seeks to label the LGBTQ community as being harmful to childre—or “groomers” as many conservative pundits put it.

But there was also a flood of positive reaction to the 2022 Pride Month video. “If you look through the comments, it’s pretty cool; there’s a lot of people, especially that are nonbinary, and they’re like ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it!’” Boe says.

Following the interview, Boe made a heartfelt Instagram post announcing their coming out: 

Some of you may have already suspected, but I’m finally ready to say it loudly and proudly: I AM TRANSGENDER. 🌈💖

This journey has been a rollercoaster, filled with self-discovery, ups, downs, acceptance, and more love than I thought possible. I’ve known since I was very young, and it took 45 trips around the sun for me to find the courage to share this truth with you all. 🌅

I’m beyond grateful for the love and support I’ve received from friends, family, and now, all of you. Your acceptance means the world to me, and I’m excited to continue growing, learning, and embracing my authentic self. I’m not sure where this journey is going to take me, but I am so very thankful that I get to take it. 🌟

My name is still Dane and my pronouns are they/them. Thank you for being a part of my journey. Let’s spread love, understanding, and acceptance together. 💙🌈 – @daneboe1

Boe has been producing Annoying Orange since 2009, and anyone who was on the internet in the early-aughts is familiar with Boe’s work. Many comments on the interview make reference to them being a huge part of viewers’ childhoods and expressing love for Boe’s journey.

The Dane Boe interview with Smosh is currently available to watch on YouTube.