Colton Underwood From “The Bachelor” Has Come Out As Gay

As a part-time Bachelor and Bachelorette enthusiast, I only knew a few things about The Bachelor’s 23rd Season bachelor, 29-year-old Colton Underwood. He was a virgin, a former football tight end, and he looks like he’d be a shoo-in for the lead role if Lifetime ever made a biopic about Michael Bublé. I was also aware that he finished his season by giving a rose to the winner, Cassie Randolph, but no ring because he wasn’t ready to get married yet. As it turns out, he didn’t want to get married to any of the women on his season, or any lady at all, for that matter. Because Colton has officially revealed that he’s gay.

Colton decided he felt most comfortable telling his truth to Robin Roberts and Good Morning America. I’m sure someone at The Bachelor is kicking themselves that they didn’t nab this exclusive. But maybe Colton wanted a little more nuance and sensitivity than an exploitative 90-minute Bachelor coming out reveal event (After the Final Rose: Guess Who’s Gay?). Robin invited Colton to share what “is on his heart,” and Colton had this to say:

“Yeah, obviously this year’s been a lot, for a lot of people. And it’s probably made a lot of people look themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are and what they’ve been running from and what they’ve been putting off in their lives. And for me, I’ve ran from myself for a long time, I’ve hated myself for a long time, and I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year, I’ve been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know. Still nervous, but it’s been a journey for sure…I’m like the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. That means the world to me.”

Robin then asked Colton what made him want to speak up about his sexuality now, and Colton explained that he had gotten to a “dark and bad place” in his personal life, and he didn’t think he’d ever share the truth about his identity, adding that he reached a point where he’d rather die than say the words, “I’m gay.” Colton revealed that he had many suicidal thoughts, and that there was a morning in Los Angeles where he was expecting no to wake up, but that he did, which was his wake-up call to start living authentically and true to himself.

JUST IN: Former “Bachelor” star @Colton Underwood speaks his truth and comes out to @robinroberts: “I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it… I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life.” https://t.co/PoYJUAPBpA pic.twitter.com/isP7SptUu7

— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 14, 2021

Colton didn’t get into specifics regarding the things that contributed to the dark and bad place his personal life was in. But one of them might have been how messy his relationship with Cassie Randolph had gotten. After their season ended in March 2019, Colton and Cassie stayed together for a little over a year before breaking up in May 2020. In September, Cassie filed a restraining order against Colton, alleging that he’d been harassing and stalking her. About two months after that, Cassie requested her restraining order be dismissed, and it was stated they had reached a “private agreement.” Colton publicly apologized to Cassie during his GMA appearance this morning, saying he really did love her, but that it was extremely confusing because he hadn’t yet come to terms with who he is. via Us Weekly:

“I loved everything about her and it’s hard for me to articulate exactly what my emotions were in going through that relationship with her was because I obviously had an internal fight going on. I would just say that I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I’m sorry for any pain and emotional stress I caused. I wish that it wouldn’t have happened the way that it did. I wish that I had been courageous enough to fix myself before I broke anybody else.”

I’m sure there will be some people who are beyond shocked at this news, and others who won’t be as shocked. One person who might want to invest in a psychic hotline is Billy Eichner, who told Colton during his season: “Maybe you’re the first gay Bachelor and we don’t even know!”

colton had more chemistry with billy eichner than any of the contestants on his season and this was foreshadowing at its finest #thebachelor pic.twitter.com/cuAc47aWfV

— clarise renaldi, queen of genovia (@clairemarie_31) April 14, 2021

Why do I get the feeling that the producers of The Bachelor are totally going to use that scene to their advantage. “See, Billy was right – we had the first gay Bachelor! We’re not as problematic and toxic as you think!”

Pic: Wenn.com