Kit Connor revealed the queer TV show that made him feel seen as a kid

Well, we can add another reason to love Kit Connor to the already long list! The Heartstopper star shared in an interview with interview with MTV UK one of his favorite shows, specifically one that made him feel seen when he was younger, and he definitely has taste when it comes to TV.

Connor and Heartstopper co-star Joe Locke spoke with the outlet to promote the third season of their fan-favorite, Emmy Award-winning Netflix original series and touched on a number of the new season's more mature elements for Nick and Charlie.

Kit Connor is a Modern Family fan

The show has been such an important emblem of queer representation for the current younger generation coming of age. When Connor was younger, he remembers watching Modern Family on television and seeing a gay couple onscreen for the first time.

"The first time I feel like I really remember seeing, like, a gay couple on TV was Modern Family, which I love. You know, at times it's sort of maybe slightly stereotypical, but it was really just two people who loved each other."

- Kit Connor

Who doesn't love Modern Family?! The ABC family sitcom ended after 11 seasons in 2020, but it's continued to maintain its popularity as new viewers continue to discover it on streaming. The series debuted in September 2009 when Connor, who was born in March 2004, was a little over five years old. By the time the series ended, the actor was 16.

Seeing that kind of representation in a major multi-Emmy-winning television series, even if it's sometimes stereotypical as Connor notes, can be so vital to impressionable young people. Like with Heartstopper, media can help anyone, not even just young people, see something about themselves mirrored back to them and maybe even open up their eyes to a new perspective.

In a different join interview with queer media outlet Pink News, Locke fielded a question about a queer media moment that helped him feel more comfortable in himself and gave a thoughtful answer about LGBTQ+ rights:

"I think we were, like, just around 10 [years old] when gay marriage was legalized, and so, I don't know, it's weird living in a world now where rights seem to be taken away, but it was great to be able to grow up when those rights were actually being given whereas now, it feels like a scary time."

- Joe Locke

During that interview, Connor also mentioned that Heartstopper was important part of queer media in helping understand himself better, too. Connor plays bisexual character Nick Nelson, and in 2022, after being unfairly pestered by people online, the actor came out as bisexual himself.

Heartstopper continues to have vital conversations about sexuality, gender, mental health, and more impactful topics that aren't often discussed in the same way on television. In season 3 alone, the series tackled asexuality and aromance, transphobia, nonbinary identities, defining sex in queer relationships, and other important realities that can help a lot of people.

Connor, Locke, and all of Heartstopper will continue to be that beacon of light for young queer people. Pink News asked which queer acting icon they would like to appear on the show next after Jonathan Bailey, and Connor quickly said Andrew Scott. Yes, please! The Emmy-nominated Ripley star already as a Netflix connection, so we'd love to see him show up in a potential Heartstopper season 4.

And who knows: If Modern Family ever returns for a revival series or movie, maybe Connor could appear in some form and bring more queer representation to a new generation of the show's fans. Consider this an informal campaign to get Kit Connor in the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker universe!

Watch Heartstopper only on Netflix.