Colton Underwood & Jordan Brown - Bachelor 23 - Discussion

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

The Bachelor star Colton Underwood comes out as gay

Former Bachelor star Colton Underwood has come out as gay in an emotional interview, revealing that he 'hated himself for a long time' and

'Obviously this year has been a lot for a lot of people and it's probably made alot of people look themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are what they've been running from,' he said during an interview on GMA on Wednesday.  

Underwood's first stint on the ABC franchise came in 2018 as a contestant on Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette.

He was later marketed as the 'The Virgin Bachelor' with his virginity becoming a focal point during his time on the dating series.

After he became the leading man on The Bachelor, the former football player ended up picking Cassie Randolph from the many hopefuls vying for his affections on the ABC reality show.

Randolph had broken things off with Underwood during the final three. He was so devastated that he ended things with the other two women and asked Randolph for a second chance without the pressure of an engagement.  

Underwood agreed and the couple were in a relationship from November 2018 until May 2020.

The split initially appeared to be amicable but Randolph, 25, later filed a restraining order against Underwood, accusing her ex of stalking her and putting a tracking device on her car.

She was granted a temporary restraining order that forced Underwood to stay at least 100 yards away from her, in addition to her car, home, workplace, and school.

No other details were given but the interview is billed as 'deeply personal' with the tagline, 'Colton Underwood: In His Own Words.'

Randolph accused Underwood of harassing her with text messages and showing up at her home uninvited. She also claimed he would loiter outside her parents house in Huntington Beach, California in the early hours of the morning.

The GMA post garnered a lot of backlash on Tuesday as Twitter users criticized the morning show's choice to give Underwood a platform and voice following the serious accusations made against him last year.

Later, Randolph dismissed the restraining order against Underwood, and requested to drop the police investigation.  

'Underwood had released a statement to the media, explaining the pair resolved the matter privately. 'Cassie asked the court to dismiss the temporary restraining order against me,' he said.

'The two of us were able to reach a private agreement to address any of Cassie’s concerns. I do not believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing for the restraining orders and also believe she acted in good faith. I appreciate everyone’s respect for privacy regarding this matter.'

Troubled: Underwood's split from Randolph initially appeared to be amicable but Randolph, 25, later filed a restraining order against him, accusing her ex of stalking her and putting a tracking device on her car

The Indiana-born reality star has previously spoken about his past struggles surrounding his own sexual identity and how he has previously questioned his sexuality.

In his memoir The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV, Underwood opens up about how he has in the past questioned whether he is gay.

He details a particular experience in high school that he battled with throughout his life, in which he was 'super insecure' and 'thought he was gay.'

He writes that there was often talk about his sexuality because he was a football player who abstained from sex.

'It was one of those things where you hear something so often, you start believing it.

'I thought, maybe I am gay. The captain of the football team should be having sex and drinking, right? But I wasn't.'

Underwood continued to say that he would search 'Am I gay?' online.

The Indiana-born reality star has previously spoken about his past struggles surrounding his own sexual identity and how he has previously questioned his sexuality. Seen here in November 2019

He added, 'I didn’t know who I was. And I come from an athletic family, so it was always, "Move on, you’re good." So that threw me off. In high school, when I was struggling with my sexuality, I’m not going to talk to my parents about it. So I internalized it.'

During his stint on The Bachelor, Underwood was still plagued by gay rumors.

'Even while my season was airing, I battled the gay [rumors]' he said. 'They’d say, "he's gay, he’s hiding it." No. But I've been there, done that now.'

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Underwood said that Bachelor Nation showed him he was straight.

'[The show taught me] that I'm straight and I'm very, very attracted to Cassie [Randolph] and women — but it would have been OK if it would have been the other way too. I think that's the biggest message I have for people,'

While he made no secret that he was a virgin on The Bachelor, since filming wrapped he has admitted that it was 'overplayed' by producers.

After his finale aired, he spoke out to say he did not feel exploited, but he felt his sexuality was 'overplayed.'

'I don’t think it was exploited in a negative way. Do I think it was overplayed? Yes. That's what I can say,' Underwood told Variety. 'But exploited? No.'

Idlemess wrote:
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1382107494273544198?s=21

If you’re able to open, read the replies.

ReneeM wrote:https://www.tmz.com/2021/04/14/colton-underwood-gay-man-journey-filmed-reality-series-netflix/

Idlemess wrote:
https://twitter.com/michaelslezaktv/status/1382352469339090947?s=21

Hot take

Mia_Leoni wrote:But his alleged criminal activity...