Colton Underwood, the former Bachelor star who quickly became a fan favorite, has come out as gay. In an emotional interview with Robin Roberts on Wednesday’s Good Morning America, Underwood finally confirmed rumors that had been circulating about him online and admitted that he had been in denial about his sexuality for a long time but finally felt like it was time to live in his truth.
- Underwood has been working to accept his sexuality for a long time. Coming out is a deeply personal decision and certainly not one that anyone is required to make, especially not those in the public eye. In the GMA interview, Underwood admitted that he struggled for a long time to accept his sexuality and was even in denial for a while.
- He’s finally in a good place. Despite how hard it was to get to this place in his life, Underwood is finally where he needs to be. “I ran from myself for a long time, hating myself for a long time, and… I’m gay,” had revealed. “And I came to terms with that earlier this year and I have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of to let people know. I’m still nervous, but it’s been a journey for sure.” He added: “I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life,” he added, “and that means the world to me.”
- He went down a “dark path” to get here. Having to deny who you are both to yourself and the world around you is bound to take a toll on your mental and emotional health, and that was certainly the case for Underwood. During the interview, he admitted that at one point, he went down a “dark and bad path” that even led him to have suicidal thoughts. “There was a moment in L.A. [where] I woke up, and I didn’t think I was going to wake up,” he recalled. “I didn’t have the intentions of waking up — [but] I did. For me, that was my wake-up call of, like, ‘This is your life. Take back control.’ You know, driving my car close to a cliff, like, ‘Oh, if this goes off the cliff, it’s not that big of a deal.’ I don’t feel that anymore.”
- The Bachelor family fully supports Underwood. After the interview aired, they immediately released a statement, saying: “We are so inspired by Colton Underwood’s courage to embrace and pursue his authentic self. As firm believers in the power of love, we celebrate Colton’s journey in the LGBTQIA+ community every step of the way.”
- Now, Underwood is getting his own Netflix show. Variety reports that he’s since signed a deal with Netflix for an unscripted reality series following him in his day-to-day life, though no further details are currently available.
