Kailyn Lowry‘s oldest son is ready to speak his truth on his own terms.
During the Friday, June 6, episode of the “Barely Famous” podcast, Elliott Rivera — formally known as Isaac Rivera — opened up about his sexuality.
“This is for me, and I’ve built up the courage over time to make it known and let me have my moment,” he shared. “I’m really sick of people coming up with their own stories and putting things in their own words.”
During the candid conversation with his mom, Elliott, 15, confirmed he was gay, but expressed his belief that it’s not necessary to come out.
“I’m doing it for me so you can do what you want,” he shared. “If you think it’s necessary to come out, do it. But if you don’t, then just be yourself. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Just be who you are.”
Fans met Lowry, 33, in 2010 when she appeared on an episode of 16 and Pregnant. Cameras rolled as she welcomed her son with Jo Rivera. She continued to document her family life on Teen Mom 2 before announcing her departure from the franchise in May 2022.
Lowry also shares son Lincoln, 11, with ex Javi Marroquin; sons Lux, 7, and Creed, 4, with ex Chris Lopez; and son Rio, 2, and twins Verse and Valley, whom she welcomed in late 2023, with fiancé Elijah Scott.
While Teen Mom fans remember watching Lowry’s oldest son grow up in the spotlight as Issac, Elliott explained why he wanted to change his name.
“I started going by Elliott because, at some point, I wasn’t happy with my first name. … It just doesn’t feel like me in some way,” he explained.
After Lowry speculated that the name change was “to build a separation from who you were on Teen Mom to who you are today,” Elliott added, “That’s part of it.”
When Elliott spends time with his dad, he is still called Issac.
“I don’t expect that from them,” Elliott shared with his mom. “I didn’t expect it from you either. I would have been fine if you kept calling me Isaac because I know that transition would have been hard and it was a bit because you called me by my first name my whole life. I think the separation from my personal and private life or who I was on TV vs. who I am now, that was the main reason but at some point, I just realized I liked my middle name better.”
Ultimately, Elliott is grateful to have the opportunity to share his true, authentic self with people he trusts. He hopes his story will inspire others to feel less alone.
“Happy pride everybody!” he shared. “I’m here today to show you who I am — not who you saw on TV for 12 years of my life. It’s very important to me because I feel like growing up on TV, it’s hard to show who you really are when a camera is in front of you all the time. It’s harder to be yourself and be more comfortable because you know it’s going to be everywhere.”
