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Grey's Anatomy's Jake Borelli Talks Feeling Seen After Coming Out On Screen and Publicly For the First Time

Exclusive: Borelli opened up on E!'s Daily Pop in his first interview after publicly coming out in this week's episode of the ABC hit

By Lauren Piester Nov 02, 2018 7:29 PMTags

Glasses had a very big night on Grey's Anatomy last night. 

Finally, weeks of flirtation and some confusion with new hot doc Dr. Nico Kim, the intern known as Glasses shared his first ever kiss with a guy (and we can probably all agree that that kiss was hot), and right after the episode aired, actor Jake Borelli publicly came out himself on Instagram.

"As a gay guy myself, tonight's episode was so special to me," he wrote. "This is exactly the kind of story I craved as a young gay kid growing up in Ohio, and it blows my mind that I'm able to bring life to Dr. Levi Schmitt as he begins to grapple with his own sexuality this season on Grey's Anatomy." 

Borelli joined Morgan Stewart and Carissa Culiner on Daily Pop on Friday to talk about these revelations, and to confirm that that kiss with Dr. Kim was, in fact, very hot. 

"Oh, we did a lot of takes," Borelli joked, before getting a little more serious about what it meant for him to take on this storyline. 

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"It was mind blowing for me," he said. "These are the types of stories that I loved and craved to see when I was younger, so it's crazy right now in this moment that I get to portray that myself on such an amazing, iconic television show." 

Borelli also opened up about why he chose now to come out himself 

"It's just, over the last couple of months filming this role and really getting to know Levi's own journey, separate from mine, I started to realize this is now much bigger than me," he said. "I've been out to my friends and my family for almost a decade now, but I've realized with this new platform I have, that I have the ability to come out to a much larger group of people. I believe in honesty and authenticity and spreading that out into the world, and I just thought this was the perfect time." 

As for what he'd tell that young kid in Ohio who wanted to see this stories on TV, Borelli had the perfect answer. 

"I would say Jake, trust yourself, because in 10 years, you're going to be doing crazy things like this, and the role model you need right now, you will one day possibly become. And I think if I had known that when I was younger, things would have been easier with my own relationships myself." 

As for what he'd tell that young kid in Ohio who wanted to see this stories on TV, Borelli had the perfect answer. 

"I would say Jake, trust yourself, because in 10 years, you're going to be doing crazy things like this, and the role model you need right now, you will one day possibly become. And I think if I had known that when I was younger, things would have been easier with my own relationships myself." 

Last night's episode of Grey's also featured a montage of Meredith sort of revisiting all her loved ones who had died, so it was a big, emotional night at Grey Sloan Memorial all around. 

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. 

Watch Daily Pop weekdays at 12:30 p.m., only on E!