Is Paul Baker Bisexual in Adults? Why He Calls Himself “Fluid”

Paul Baker’s romantic life becomes much more complicated in Adults Season 2, particularly after his attraction to Anton can no longer be ignored. However, the show does not identify Paul Baker as gay or explicitly label him bisexual, instead establishing that he considers himself sexually fluid.

That distinction helps explain how Paul can genuinely date Issa while also developing romantic and sexual feelings for Anton. His Season 2 storyline is not presented as Paul suddenly discovering that his relationship with a woman was false, but as him gradually recognizing feelings for another person that do not fit into a rigid gender-based category.

Is Paul Baker Gay in Adults?

Paul Baker is not established as gay in Adults. The series instead describes him as sexually fluid, meaning his attraction is not restricted in the way a strictly heterosexual or homosexual label might suggest.

That is made particularly clear during Season 1 as Anton and Paul Baker begin spending more time together. When questions arise around Paul’s sexuality, Anton emphatically points out that Paul is fluid, establishing something the show continues to build on through their relationship.

Paul is already dating Issa when the series begins exploring his attraction to Anton. Nothing in the story suggests that his affection for Issa was fake or simply something he was doing before realizing that he was gay.

Related: Why Do Issa and Paul Baker Break Up in Adults Season 2?

Season 2 reinforces that interpretation because Paul’s dilemma is about his feelings for two specific people rather than choosing between being straight and being gay. Issa represents a real relationship that has started losing its romantic spark, while Anton represents feelings Paul has been reluctant to understand or openly acknowledge.

Is Paul Baker Bisexual?

It would be understandable for viewers to describe Paul Baker as bisexual because the character is shown being attracted to both women and men. However, bisexual is not the label the series primarily uses for Paul Baker, so describing him specifically as bisexual would go further than what the character says about himself.

Instead, Paul is described as sexually fluid. Sexual fluidity generally refers to attraction that can change or operate without a person defining themselves according to a fixed category, although what the term means can vary from person to person.

For Paul, the important point is that gender does not appear to create an absolute boundary around whom he can want. He is capable of being romantically involved with Issa while also becoming attracted to Anton, and the show allows both relationships to be genuine.

That approach is important to Paul Baker’s character because Adults is not building toward a conventional coming-out revelation. Paul already understands that his sexuality is fluid, while the real discovery is how deeply he feels about Anton.

When Does Paul Baker Realize He Likes Anton?

The possibility of something between Paul and Anton develops throughout Season 1 rather than arriving suddenly in Season 2. Their friendship becomes noticeably more intimate when they spend time together without Issa and discover that they connect surprisingly easily.

Their biggest turning point comes during the Season 1 finale when Paul’s immigration problem threatens his ability to stay in the United States. Anton ultimately marries Paul Baker to help him remain in the country after Issa is unable to go through with the original marriage plan.

The arrangement is supposed to be practical, but their wedding kiss changes the mood completely. What should have been a quick performance becomes much longer and more intimate than expected, leaving Issa and the rest of the group unable to ignore the chemistry between the two men.

Season 2 picks up with everyone largely avoiding an honest conversation about what happened. Paul remains with Issa, Anton tries to suppress his feelings, and the tension sits underneath their friendships until it becomes impossible to maintain the old arrangement.

Does Paul Baker Actually Love Anton?

By the Season 2 finale, the relationship has clearly moved beyond a moment of physical curiosity. Anton openly acknowledges his feelings for Paul Baker, while Paul’s response makes it clear that those feelings are reciprocated.

The season also gives Paul plenty of time to work out what his relationship with Issa means independently of Anton. Issa and Paul break up because their relationship has become stagnant, rather than because Paul suddenly announces that he has chosen Anton instead.

That separation matters because it prevents Paul’s sexuality from being treated like a twist that invalidates his previous relationship. Paul can have genuinely cared for Issa and still discover that his connection with Anton has become something different.

By the finale, Paul and Anton finally stop hiding behind their unusual legal marriage and acknowledge their romantic attraction. Their kiss confirms that the connection established during Season 1 is becoming an actual relationship rather than remaining an unresolved possibility.

Why Doesn’t Adults Simply Call Paul Baker Bisexual?

Creators Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw have described Paul Baker as sexually fluid when discussing the Issa-Paul-Anton triangle. Their description matches the language established within the series and appears to be a deliberate part of how the character has been written.

Using “fluid” also allows Paul’s romantic storyline to remain centered on the people involved rather than turning it into a story about finding the correct label. Season 2 is much more interested in whether Paul can honestly acknowledge what Anton means to him and what his changing feelings mean for Issa.

That is also why Anton’s sexuality and Paul’s sexuality function somewhat differently within the story. Anton is explicitly presented as gay, whereas Paul occupies a more fluid position and does not need to redefine himself simply because he falls for Anton.

Paul Baker therefore should not be described as secretly gay after Season 2. The more accurate answer is that he is sexually fluid, and his relationship with Anton is consistent with something the series had already established about him.

What Is Jack Innanen’s Sexuality in Real Life?

Jack Innanen’s real-life sexuality should be kept separate from Paul Baker’s because playing a sexually fluid character does not tell us anything by itself about an actor’s own orientation. Innanen has, however, discussed the subject publicly after viewers became curious following the success of Adults.

During a 2025 appearance on Grace O’Malley’s Disgraceful podcast, Innanen recalled being called gay by another student when he was in middle school. He said the comment made him question his sexuality for the first time because he had not seriously considered the possibility before.

Innanen explained that he thought about whether he was attracted to men and concluded that he was not. He humorously described noticing no sexual response to men while recognizing that he was attracted to women, making his own understanding of his sexuality fairly clear in that conversation.

For that reason, reports following the interview commonly described Innanen as straight. The most precise way to put it, however, is that Innanen has publicly said he is not gay and has described himself as sexually attracted to women, rather than assuming additional labels he did not explicitly discuss in detail.

Was Jack Innanen Dating Lauren Cantrell?

Innanen was publicly in a relationship with content creator Lauren Cantrell for an extended period, and the two appeared together at events including the Adults premiere in 2025 and the Big Mistakes premiere in April 2026. Innanen also referred warmly to his girlfriend in several interviews during that period.

More recent reports in August 2026 have noted fan speculation that Innanen and Cantrell may have separated because their public interactions appear to have decreased. Neither has publicly confirmed a breakup, so his current relationship status should not be presented as established either way.

More importantly, whom an actor has dated should not be used to determine their sexual orientation. Innanen’s own comments about his attraction provide much better evidence than trying to infer his identity from his relationships.

Does Jack Innanen Relate to Paul Baker?

Even though Innanen and Paul Baker do not appear to share the same approach to sexuality, the actor has spoken about recognizing other parts of himself in the character. Paul Baker’s uncertainty, desire not to inconvenience people and struggle to understand exactly what he wants are all part of the broader Gen Z experience Adults explores.

Innanen has also been enthusiastic about Paul Baker’s relationship with Anton and the direction the writers have taken it. Before Season 2 premiered, he explained that Paul was still discovering how important Anton had become to him, suggesting that the romantic development was intended as a gradual emotional realization rather than a sudden sexuality twist.

That difference between actor and character is ultimately straightforward. Paul Baker is sexually fluid and becomes romantically involved with Anton, while Jack Innanen has publicly said that he is not gay and described being attracted to women.

Season 2 does not require Paul Baker to choose between being gay, straight or bisexual before allowing him to love Anton. That fluidity is precisely what makes his relationship arc work, because the real question is not what category Paul belongs to but whether he is finally willing to admit whom he wants.