The “Chronology of Water” director opened up about why it was important for her to share her sexuality during her “Saturday Night Live” opening monologue in 2017.

Kristen Stewart explains why she came out on* SNL*

The "Chronology of Water" director opened up about why it was important for her to share her sexuality during her "Saturday Night Live" opening monologue in 2017.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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February 2, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

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Kristen Stewart hosts 'SNL' on Feb. 4, 2017. Credit:

Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Kristen Stewart is opening up about her decision to come out while making her *Saturday Night Live* debut in 2017. **

In a preview clip from her upcoming interview on *ABC News Live Prime With Linsey Davis*, the *Chronology of Water* director explained that she chose to address her sexuality during her opening monologue on the sketch comedy show because she wanted to be her most authentic self. **

"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 said in the PEOPLE exclusive clip. "I've experienced perspectives [and] I've had conversations with people I've known — loved and trusted and still do — who thought, 'Your career would go better if you didn't go outside holding your girlfriend's hand.'"

Kristen Stewart attends The 2026 WWD Style Awards presented by Women's Wear Daily at Regent Santa Monica Beach on January 09, 2026 in Santa Monica, California.

Amy Sussman/Getty

She continued, "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."

Stewart hosted *SNL* for the first time on Feb. 4, 2017. During her opening monologue, the *Twilight* actress reacted to a collection of old tweets that Donald Trump made about her and ex-boyfriend Robert Pattinson’s relationship in 2012.

"The president is not a huge fan of me, but that is so okay," she said in her monologue. "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."

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While speaking to Davis, Stewart noted that it was "very obvious who I was dating" even before she publicly came out on the show, which is why she hadn’t issued any statements beforehand.

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

Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer at 'The Chronology of Water' Los Angeles Premiere held at 2220 Arts + Archives on January 08, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

JC Olivera/Getty

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Still, while Stewart may have wanted to keep her relationship private, she didn’t want to keep it a secret. "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."

She continued, "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."

Stewart would go on to date screenwriter and producer Dylan Meyer in 2019, with the couple tying the knot in April 2025. "I do. I really really really really really do," Meyer captioned her Instagram post celebrating their wedding day.

Stewart's full interview on *ABC News Live Prime With Linsey Davis* airs tonight at 7 p.m. ET.

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