“Grey’s Anatomy” star Sara Ramirez announced their separation from Ryan DeBolt in 2021. Their divorce came a few years after Ramirez came out as nonbinary. Get all the details of their split and their friendship afterward.
Sara Ramirez is famous for portraying Dr. Callie Torres, US television’s longest-running LGBT character, on the ABC medical drama series “Grey’s Anatomy.”
The role has endeared Ramirez to millions of fans worldwide, who laud them for bringing the much-needed bisexual representation to television.
Ramirez appeared in 11 seasons of “Grey’s Anatomy” and was influenced by their character, which they credited with their own growth toward self-understanding.
In 2016, Ramirez came out as bisexual and queer during a summit for True Colors United, a nonprofit organization Cyndi Lauper co-founded. The organization aims to end youth LGBTQ+ homelessness.
However, it didn’t end there for Ramirez. In August 2020, they came out as non-binary, with True Colors’ help. Ramirez chose to use both she/her and they/them pronouns. They announced their coming out via an Instagram post captioned:
“New profile pic. In me is the capacity to be girlish boy, boyish girl, boyish boy, girlish girl. All. Neither. #nonbinary.”
Ramirez’s coming-out announcement generated lots of reactions from people online, with many dubbing her a “nonbinary queen.”
Interestingly, Ramirez made these announcements while they were married to Ryan DeBolt, with whom they tied the knot in 2012, making many question their union.
Not too long after, in August 2021, Ramirez confirmed many people’s suspicions when they announced their split with DeBolt via an Instagram post. They captioned the post:
“Ryan and I are no longer together. We remain loving and supportive in how we are choosing to forge our new individual paths.”
Ramirez urged everyone to respect their families’ privacy as they navigate their divorce process on their own terms. They concluded:
“In the meantime, here’s an invitation to focus your energies and attention on learning about, donating to and/or uplifting the work of these orgs below. Blessings to all!
Ramirez and DeBolt did not have any children during their marriage. Also, the couple reportedly separated many years before making their split official.
Ramirez shed more light on their separation during an interview with Out. They described the process as “very tender and vulnerable,” especially because of the existent love between them and DeBolt. They said:
“We had a foundation of real love. I am just so grateful that we were able to work through that process with such grace, with such integrity, with such honesty and open communication.”
Ramirez added that they and DeBolt were rooting for each other throughout their separation process.
Following the divorce, Ramirez and DeBolt remained friends and can now even laugh about their relationship. The actor disclosed a joke they made to DeBolt about their split, saying:
“I married the right man, because there’s no one else I’d rather be getting divorced [from].”
Ramirez said they have the kind of foundation where they can joke like that and added that it is because they hold space for each other as friends. They concluded by expressing pride in how they and DeBolt moved through things.
Ramirez remains an exemplary figure in Hollywood and in the LGBTQ+ representation with the way they embrace their sexuality and always speak out for gender representation.
How they and DeBolt handled their coming out, and separation is also commendable and shows that people should accept others’ choices.
