Colton Underwood has appeared on three of the shows in The Bachelor franchise, season 14 of The Bachelorette, season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise, and season 23 of The Bachelor. Throughout his journey, he never found love. Today on Good Morning America, he told Robin Roberts why. “I’m gay,” he said.
The 29-year-old knew he was gay when he was 6. However, being raised in a traditional Catholic family and playing football made him repress his true feelings. The church told him it was a sin, and his friends used the word gay as “a connotation of negativity.”
What made him finally come to terms with who he is? 2020. He says he spent the last year, like so many of us, to “look at themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are and what they’ve been running from or what they’ve been putting off in their lives.”
Once he was finally comfortable in his skin, he told his family and friends. His father was immediately accepting of his son. His dad even offered to help him tell people about his sexuality. Getting that support from his dad was everything. His friends were equally as supportive and said they wish he would have come to them earlier.
Then there is his time on The Bachelor. He said to Roberts that when he was got the offer, he thanked Gd for making him straight and allowing him to find a wife and have kids.
Does he regret doing the dating competition show? “I’ve thought a lot about this too, of, ‘Do I regret being the Bachelor and do I regret handling it the way that I did?’ I do,” Underwood said. “I do think I could’ve handled it better, I’ll say that.”
Underwood also wishes he handled it better with the woman he chose on the show. The Bachelor says he loved Cassie Randolph, and that made things more confusing for him. One thing that is not confusing to him now is the message he has for her. He wants her to know he is sorry from the bottom of his heart.
Thankfully, now he no longer has to apologize for who he is. He gets to be his true self. Hopefully, by coming out, he will be able to help others to do the same.
If I were ABC, I would bring him back to the Bachelor Nation to find a husband. It would be really empowering if they did it.
UPDATE: Chris Harrison had a message for Colton Underwood. “Very proud of you today @coltonunderwood,” the host wrote. “Happy to see you stand up and openly live your truth. You have my love and support my friend.”
