In November 2018, Jake was one half of the first gay male romantic couple on his show, Grey's Anatomy (2005), and also one half of the first gay male kiss on the show, when his character, Dr. Levi Schmitt kissed Dr. Nico Kim in a hospital hallway, and announced that was the first time he had kissed another man. Moments after that scene aired, Borelli posted his own coming out as gay on his personal Instagram account.

[About the first episode of Grey's Anatomy where he came out and had a public kissing scene with another gay doctor] As a gay guy myself, tonight's episode was so special to me, the 27-year-old wrote. This is exactly the kind of story I craved as a young gay kid growing up in Ohio, and it blows my mind that I'm able to bring life to Dr. Levi Schmitt as he begins to grapple with his own sexuality this season on 'Grey's Anatomy'.