German car manufacturer Audi is one of the biggest automobile companies in the world. Their brand of luxury combined with solid engineering makes their vehicles an obvious choice for millions around the globe. Despite their success and size, things weren’t always so easy for the car giants, and they had a real rollercoaster ride during their early days.

It’s Beginnings

Audi only really existed in the first place after its creator was thrown out of his first car manufacturing company. August Horch created a car company in his own name, but when his ideas became too radical, he was made to leave by the board in 1909. Horch created another company called ‘Audi,’ and in 1910 it released its first car, the Type A. In 1920 Horch left Audi, but the company continued doing well, for a while at least.

Acquiring Other Car Companies

Audi was doing so well for itself under new management it began to acquire other manufacturers, including DKW, Wanderer, and its original company, Horch. That created the Auto Union conglomerate in 1932, which is why Audi now has four rings as its logo: to represent each company within the union.

Reborn

Auto Union then became synonymous with motor racing, but the Audi name was barely ever mentioned. In the commercial market, DKW was the face of Auto Union, but by the ’60s it began to struggle and eventually Auto Union was bought out by Volkswagen. That’s when the Audi name resurfaced, and with the might of Volkswagen behind it, the car company began to flourish. Models were sold based on size and given numbers to indicate what size they were, such as 60, 75, and 90.

Once Audi became a successful member of the Volkswagen group, there was no going back and it has developed into a market leader.

With the acceptance of same-sex couples at an all-time high, it’s hard not to root for these beautiful couples. Whatever combination makes up a marriage, these celebs prove that what’s important is that the person you choose to be with makes you happy.

In an interview with People magazine, the perceived ladies’ man from How I Met Your Mother said, “I am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest.”

Neil Patrick Harris confirmed rumors in 2007 that he was dating David Burtka and had been since 2004, as he admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Since then, the two have remained strong. Through surrogacy, the couple had two new additions to their family when Gideon Scott and Harper Grace were born in 2010. Following the Marriage Equality Act, the happy couple tied the knot at a destination wedding in Italy. How I Met Your Mother director Pamela Fryman was the officiant at the wedding, and Elton John game a performance the couple will never forget.

The head anchor of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° is none other than Anderson Cooper, who is also a correspondent for the same network’s 60 Minutes. One of the top newsmen in the world, The New York Times also named him “the most prominent openly gay journalist on American television.” Doubtlessly proud of that title, he is great at giving us the news, wherever it happens in the world — but how about his love life? Is it as happy and successful as his professional life?

Up until 2012, we didn’t know too much about his personal life because he didn’t discuss it in public. Any time in interviews private questions came up, he managed to avoid them. But that year, he gave an interview in which he said, “I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.” Since 2009, he has been in a relationship with Benjamin Maisani, a gay bar owner. They bought and moved to a historic building in Connecticut together called the Rye House in 2014.

Orange Is The New Black is based on a true story, but it was transformed into so much more thanks to the talented writing skills of Lauren Morelli. One of the foremost writers on the show, she became rich and famous practically overnight when the TV show hit it big. But things haven’t always been easy for her, as a back injury ended her prospects of being a dancer. To deal with the loss of something so dear to her, she started writing.

At the beginning of the show, Lauren Morelli was married to Steve Basilone, yet by the time she requested a divorce, she had already met her next partner. Reports said Morelli had a preference for women, and this prompted her to come out as a lesbian. Poussey, one of the characters she wrote as having a lesbian relationship in the show, was played by her real-life partner Samira Wiley. It’s very likely that there was quite a bit of real-life inspiration, and the couple tied the knot in 2017.

Garber might not talk about it so openly, but in 2015, Rainer Andreessen posted a beautiful photo on Instagram captioned “YES WE DID!” According to the post, the couple had gotten married in Canada. Garber’s Hollywood friends were quick to congratulate the two lovers on making their union legal. After being together for so long, it must have been quite a relief to finally tie the knot and officially be man and man in a brave new world where this is possible.

Zachary Quito became a household name after playing the bad guy on Heroes. In October 2011, he came out and released a statement concluding “that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality.” Since then, Quinto has been involved in LGBTQ activism, particularly, with appearances in an Internet campaign called the It Gets Better Project.

As for his own relationship, Zachary Quinto has been with model and painter Miles McMillan for six years. They aren’t yet married, yet that didn’t stop them from buying a Manhattan apartment together and making it their home. Vogue ran an article about Quinto and his new beau, describing “a power couple whose domain extends across the film, fashion and art scene.” At home, things are much more domestic, though, with two dogs to take care of called Skunk and Rocco.

You might know Nate Berkus from The Oprah Winfrey Show if you’re unfamiliar with the biggest names in interior design, as he has appeared multiple times. In addition, he has his own DIY show named after himself. Cameras are drawn to him like lightning bugs to a light bulb, which is no surprise considering his good looks. Not the type of person to be single, he started dating Jeremiah Brent in 2012 and got engaged just one year later.

From April 2013, the couple planned their wedding the following year. By 2017, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent aired Nate & Jeremiah By Design on the TLC Network, which is really cool to do as a couple! At the moment, the couple makes their home in West Hollywood, California. They have two children born by surrogate, Poppy and Oskar Michael, who were born in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Their house is surely one of the best-designed on the block, and with such fathers, it’s easy to imagine the kids will have great taste, too.

Tremendously popular pop star Sam Smith has conquered the charts, and his career has seen him win many awards, including Grammys and an Academy Award. This artist has been openly gay from the beginning, and it hasn’t stopped him one bit. All of Smith’s songs are deeply personal and relate to relationships he’s had; his first album was dealt with the breakup with his first boyfriend and all the feelings that came up as a result. More recently, Sam has begun to open up more about his gender identity, explaining, “I am not male or female. I think I float somewhere in between — it’s all on the spectrum.”

As an artist who makes his relationships the center of his songwriting, it’s not surprising that Smith is not shy when it comes to revealing who he is dating. When he and 13 Reasons Why actor Brandon Flynn were first photographed together in late 2017, the cat was out of the bag. The couple is now often spotted out in public together, not shy in the least to show their affection for each other. Hopefully, instead of heartbreak and breakups, his next album will focus more on love and happiness as he nears two years dating Flynn.

American Horror Story actress Sarah Paulson first addressed her sexuality in an interview back in 2013, where she said “it’s a fluid situation for me.” She dated actress Cherry Jones from 2004 until 2009 and before that, Paulson only was with men.

She later went on to say “If my life choices had to be predicated based on what was expected of me from a community on either side, that’s going to make me feel really straitjacketed”. Then in early 2015, Paulson began her relationship with actress Holland Taylor.

While Holland and Sarah actually met a decade earlier at a party, at the time they were both seeing other people and kept things platonic. But then, it all changed when the two went public with their romance in 2015.

Despite the considerable age gap of 32 years, the two have been very vocal about their love and soulmate romance. Interestingly enough, both actresses rocked the silver screen in 2020 in TV shows created by Ryan Murphy.

Over the years, Stewart has dated many famous faces, both men and women. Her most recent girlfriend is none other than Victoria’s Secret model, Stella Maxwell. The gorgeous couple has been dating since 2016, and we hope this romance is one that never burns out. They have both done extremely well in their fields – Maxwell won the top spot on Maxim’s “Hot 100 List” in 2016, and Stewart has won numerous awards for her acting throughout the years.

Cheyenne Jackson, an openly gay actor, has been starring on Broadway for years and has since made his way to the small screen. The American Horror Story actor has spoken openly about his orientation and is an avid supporter of LGBTQ rights. He is even an ambassador of The Foundation for AIDS research. Jackson makes time for the things he is passionate about and is the international ambassador and spokesperson for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which is a non-profit that helps LGTBQ youth.

Although Cheyenne was in a 13-year relationship – he got divorced in 2013. The following month, rumors arose that he was dating someone new. Not long after, he revealed on his Instagram that he was dating actor Jason Landau. It was a match made in heaven, and just six months later, the couple was engaged. They married not long after, in 2014, at a small wedding in Encino, California. Two years later they had twins! On October 7, 2016, a girl named Willow and a boy named Ethan were welcomed into the world.

You may remember Ellen Page from her breakout performance as the quirky pregnant teen in Juno. The critically-acclaimed movie jumpstarted her career, and she has since become a popular character in the X-Men movies. She came out as gay in 2014 while giving a speech at the Human Rights Campaign’s “Time To Thrive.” She’s an amazing actress and has also been an advocate for human rights, especially of the LGBTQ community.

Page, who was previously linked to artist Samantha Thomas, is in a relationship with dancer Emma Portner. The couple first met after Page saw Portner on Instagram – and the duo got married in 2018. Living together in Los Angeles comes with some obstacles. Ellen works as an actress in Hollywood while Emma founded a dance company in New York. Emma also teaches contemporary jazz at the Broadway Dance Centre in New York. A fun fact about the dancer is that she also created the choreography for Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour.

Jodie Foster has always been open about her orientation. She was in a relationship with Cydney Bernard from 1993 to 2008 and spoke publicly about her love life in 2013 during her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. She said, “I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the Stone Age, those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family and co-workers, and then gradually and proudly to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met.”

Although Foster’s relationship with Cydney didn’t work out, the two share two children. Jodi found love again when she started dating actress and photographer, Alexandra Hedison. Hedison was previously in a four-year relationship with Ellen DeGeneres from 2000 to 2004. After a year of dating, Hedison and Foster made it official in 2014 when they got married. Foster has managed to have a successful career, and we hope she continues to have a successful relationship and private life.

One of the best-known daytime talk show hosts and beloved women in America, Ellen DeGeneres seems to have it all. Things weren’t always so peachy for the comedian. In 1997, when Ellen came out, things went south. When news about Ellen being gay broke, making headlines, her self-titled sitcom had to take a brief break. Ellen’s persistence and hard work allowed her to be the first openly gay person on a TV show. She bravely paved the way for many gay celebs struggling to come out.

Portia de Rossi and Ellen met in 2004. Portia had dated men in the past, but there was chemistry between herself and Ellen that was undeniable. The couple soon became engaged, and when the same-sex marriage ban was lifted, the beautiful couple could finally say “I do!”. The couple was never shy about their relationship, they accompany one another down red carpet events and public appearances. Ellen gushes about her gorgeous wife and their life together on her talk show often.

Orlando Cruz made major headlines in 2012 when he became the first boxer to ever come out of the closet while still active in the profession. He was among the first to make it into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Acknowledging the fact that it was difficult to come out in such a field, the five-foot-four Peurto Rician boxer has since shown affection for his husband. Since coming out, nothing is going to stop Orlando from expressing the love he has for his partner.

A year after coming out as gay, Cruz revealed that it was José Manuel Colón who had stolen his heart. After proposing to José in an emotional video posted on Facebook, the two tied in the knot in 2013 in a simple ceremony at Central Park. Following their nuptials, Cruz made a public display of affection on his Facebook page. He wrote, “Giving thanks to my heavenly father for one more day of life and with [my] husband, José Manuel in it.”

Lance Bass is best known for being a member of the world-famous boy band ‘NSYNC. Back during the late ‘90s and early 2000s, it was still considered a bit controversial to be public about being anything besides heterosexual. So when Lance came out, it was a pretty big deal. Finally, in 2006, things began to change, and Lance Bass opened up about being gay in an exclusive interview with People magazine. He followed that up with his autobiography, aptly titled Out of Sync.

Although he’s been out of the closet for 13 years, Lance Bass only publicly announced who he was dating when he got serious with Michael Turchin. Three years later, the couple got married… and it wasn’t just any normal wedding. Their wedding was made into a televised special for E! called, Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding. It may sound a bit cheesy to make your wedding into a TV spectacle, but the two were marking an important landmark for marriage equality by having the first same-sex marriage to be broadcast on national television.

Jim Parsons plays Sheldon Cooper on the much-loved TV series The Big Bang Theory. On the show, his character enters into a serious relationship with fellow science nerd Amy Farrah Fowler, played by Mayim Bialik, and often struggles with being in a serious relationship. Off-screen, however, Jim Parsons is quite the opposite. The Emmy award-winning star has always been very open about his orientation, revealing in an interview with The New York Times that is he is both openly gay and has been in a committed relationship with a man for 10 years.

Todd’s face has become recognizable for Big Bang Theory fans as he regularly accompanies Parsons to awards shows and events. But he has his own successful career, albeit a less public one, working as an art director. The couple may be at the top of their career game, but they actually claim to lead pretty average lives despite the fame and fortune. In an interview with E! About their civil union, Parsons claimed that they have “a regular life, boring love.”

If you watch Good Morning America, you may recognize Robin Roberts, who delivers heartwarming and positive headlines from around the country daily. But sadly, this bearer of good news got some very bad news regarding her own health, and it changed her life in many ways. In 2013, Roberts told the world that she had been battling breast cancer, a discussion that led to her opening up about her sexual orientation as well and revealing that she is gay. Thankfully, the beloved TV anchor is doing well and still delivering the early morning news – and is in a serious relationship too.

When Robin Roberts began to open up about her personal life back in 2013, she announced that she has been in a relationship with Amber Laign, a professional massage therapist, since 2005. Not only is this happy couple leading the way in increasing LGBTQ visibility, but they’re also an interracial couple who is public, happy and proud, showing that love is love and giving people hope that it can prevail. In that vein, Roberts was named by Equality Forum as one of their 31 Icons for LGBT History Month in 2015.

Although she has most recently become known as one half of Grace and Frankie alongside Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin has been around for a long time and has had a long and fruitful acting career for decades. In recent years, she earned praise for her role in Nashville, but she has been working as both a writer and a producer, as well as an actress since the ’60s. Having been around since a time when being publicly gay was extremely controversial, Tomlin was a pioneer of LGTBQ visibility.

Lily Tomlin has been with her romantic and professional partner Jane Wagner since the 1970s. The dedicated couple had been living and working together for over 40 years before they were finally able to get legally married, and they did so in 2013. With projects such as An Apology to Elephants and The Incredible Shrinking Woman to their credit, this couple makes for a formidable duo both on and off the screen. Speaking to People magazine, Tomlin revealed the simple secret to their 45-year relationship: mutual “admiration and respect.”

Well-known for his starring role in Modern Family as Mitchell Prichett, the actor’s work on the show is consciously about increasing the visibility of gay couples on screen. His portrayal as one half of a gay couple has earned him five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The actor is openly gay in real life, too, and his work on the show has been lauded by the LGBTQ community.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is lucky enough to be happily married both on and off the screen. The actor began dating Justin Mikita in 2010, and the pair got engaged just a couple years later. It seems that the pair are both passionate about gay rights – together, they co-founded ‘Tie The Knot’, a nonprofit advocacy foundation that advocates for marriage equality and civil rights for gays and lesbians. The company sells bowties whose profits support the cause – which is not surprising, as both members of this power couple are big bowtie fans.

Victor Garber is known for his roles in films like Legally Blonde, Milk, and Titanic. Besides playing in such high-profile films, he has smaller roles on TV, for example, with appearances in The Flash, which airs on the CW Network. He was in a relationship with Rainer Andreessen, a Canadian artist and model, for 16 years before they finally tied the knot. Garber came out in 2012 and, a year later, said, “I don’t really talk about it, but everyone knows.”

Kristen Stewart was in a well-publicized relationship with her Twilight co-star, Robert Pattinson, and then famously had an affair with the director of a movie she worked on. Things have since drastically changed for her. In 2017, while hosting on Saturday Night Live, Stewart described herself as “so gay.” She later clarified that she is bisexual and said that she had been dating women for the past couple of years. She hasn’t ruled out men completely, stating, “I want to try everything.”