Kristen Stewart Opens Up About Why She Came Out Publicly on SNL

Nearly a decade after her iconic hosting debut on Saturday Night Live, Kristen Stewart is reflecting on the moment she decided to stop living a partial life.

In a newly released preview from her sit-down with Linsey Davis on ABC News Live Prime, the actress-turned-director shared the deeper motivations behind her 2017 monologue. She explained that her decision to come out on live television was driven by a desire for radical authenticity rather than a need to share personal gossip.

It was less about sharing the details of my relationship and more so acknowledging that there are people that don’t get full access to being alive because they’re hiding, Stewart remarked in the exclusive clip.

She revealed that throughout her early career, she faced pressure from trusted associates to keep her personal life under wraps for the sake of professional longevity. Stewart recalled being told, Your career would go better if you didn’t go outside holding your girlfriend’s hand.

The suggestion that her success was dependent on deception sat poorly with the Twilight alum. And I was like, ‘So you want me to live a partial life? And you want me to uphold, perpetuate and sustain a system that excludes people?’ And I just can’t do that, she said.

During that memorable February 4, 2017, broadcast, Stewart famously addressed a series of old tweets from Donald Trump regarding her past relationship with Robert Pattinson. She capped off the segment with a blunt declaration: And Donald, if you didn’t like me then, you’re really probably not gonna like me now, because I’m hosting SNL and I’m like, so gay, dude.

Reflecting on the timing, Stewart told Davis that her dating life was already very obvious to anyone paying attention. She had resisted making a formal statement because she was wary of how the media might exploit her private moments.

It felt like I also didn’t want to commodify those details, she added during the interview. It just felt like everyone wanted to take ’em and sell ’em. Pictures? Sold. Details? Sold. Quote, headline, boom.

However, there was a distinction for her between privacy and secrecy. What I didn’t want to do was hide from the world we live in, she elaborated. I want to define it, I want to make it a more open and accepting place. And so I thought it was necessary for me to… I was already holding my girlfriend’s hand in public.

Stewart emphasized that she never felt she was hiding her true self from those who mattered. None of my relationships have felt guarded because I didn’t want people to know me. I want people to know me. I felt like they did, so I didn’t really need to fill in the blanks. But at that point it felt like a statement that just might unlock other people’s doors, she said.

This philosophy of openness has followed Stewart into her current chapter. After beginning a relationship with screenwriter Dylan Meyer in 2019, the pair officially tied the knot in April 2025. Meyer celebrated their union on Instagram with a heartfelt caption: I do. I really really really really really do.

Beyond her personal milestones, 2025 and early 2026 have marked a major creative pivot for Stewart. She recently made her feature-length directorial debut with The Chronology of Water, a biographical drama starring Imogen Poots as author Lidia Yuknavitch. The film also features Thora Birch, Jim Belushi, and Tom Sturridge.

On the acting front, Stewart is set to star in Full Phil, a surreal dark comedy from French director Quentin Dupieux. She will appear alongside Woody Harrelson, playing his daughter during a chaotic and nightmarish trip to Paris. Additionally, she remains attached to the vampire thriller Flesh of the Gods with Oscar Isaac.

Looking ahead, Stewart has even expressed a surprising openness to revisiting the franchise that made her a household name. She recently told reporters she would be interested in directing a Twilight remake if she could bring her own unique, independent lens to the saga.

Which of Kristen Stewart’s recent or upcoming projects are you most excited to see, and do you think she should actually direct a Twilight remake? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.