'I'm gay': Fred star Lucas Cruikshank comes out on YouTube as he answers questions from fans in video



Lucas Cruikshank, the teenager who turned his viral videos into a Nickelodeon franchise, revealed he is gay on Tuesday on YouTube.

The 19-year-old Fred star made the announcement during a short video with friend Jennifer Veal of the Disney Channel show Jessie.

Lucas and Jennifer goofed around and answered silly questions from fans while in bed and questions about Lucas' sexuality popped up about halfway through the nearly three-minute video.

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Public announcement: Lucas Cruikshank, showin March in Los Angeles, announced on Tuesday that he's gay on YouTube

'I'm gay. It's so weird saying it on camera,' Lucas said.

'My family and friends have known for like three years and I just haven't felt the need to announce it on the Internet,' he said.

Lucas said he felt awkward after making the announcement and Jennifer told him not to and gave him a hug.

Viral video star: Lucas, shown in June at a Los Angeles movie premiere, saw his Fred channel become the first to gain one million subscribers on YouTube

'How come you didn't have to make a video saying you're straight?' Lucas joked to his friend.

Lucas shot to fame with his awkward Fred Figglehorn character, a high-pitched, hazard-prone six-year-old with a dysfunctional home life, who he portrayed in YouTube videos.

The Nebraska native in 2009 at age 15 saw his Fred channel become the first on YouTube to gain one million subscribers.

Fred franchise: Lucas, shown in last year's Fred 3: Camp Fred, starred in three Nickelodeon movies

The online popularity prompted a deal with Nickelodeon for Fred: The Movie, which aired on the children's channel in September 2010. A sequel titled Fred 2: Night Of The Living Fred aired on Nickelodeon in October 2011.

The Fred franchise continued last year with Fred: The Show, a series of short videos, and a third movie Fred 3: Camp Fred on Nickelodeon.

Lucas also starred in the Nickelodeon show Marvin Marvin about a teenage alien adjusting to human life in Portland, Oregon. The 19-episode show had its finale in April.