On Wednesday morning, 'The Bachelor' star Colton Underwood came out as gay on Good Morning America. The reality star sat down with Robin Roberts to share his journey to self-acceptance and love.
"This year's been a lot for a lot of people and it's probably made a lot of people look at themselves in the year and figure out who they are," Underwood said. "I've ran from myself for a long time, I've hated myself for a long time. I'm gay. I came to terms with that earlier this year, and the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know. I'm the happiest and healthiest I've ever been in my life. That means the world to me."
Reflecting on the past, Colton Underwood later says he wishes he revealed he was gay sooner.
"I've had sort of a range of responses and the underlying most common was 'I wish you would have told me sooner and when I hear that I wish I would have had faith in my friends and family a little bit more," Underwood said. "The only reason I'm sitting down with you today is because I have the love and support of my friends and my family."
Underwood was first introduced to TV viewers in 2018 on “The Bachelorette." He then joined the cast of “Bachelor In Paradise” Season 5, before becoming “The Bachelor” in 2019 for its 23rd season.
During Underwood's season, he was labeled the “The Virgin Bachelor,” and his virginity was a major storyline.
According to Variety, Colton is getting his own reality show on Netflix. Sources say it will focus on Underwood's life as a newly 'out' man and how he is navigating his sexuality. Additionally, Olympian Gus Kenworthy will lead the show
Since coming out, reactions have been flooding in from fans and celebrities alike.
While the response has been largely positive, many are bringing up events in his past involving his ex Cassie Randolph (from Colton's season of The Bachelor). Randolph issued a restraining order against him due to his alleged stalking and harassment. And later, the two came to a private agreement the resulted in a dropped of the charges.
Others congratulated him and view the news as a sign he has learned and reflected on his mistakes.
However, in the interview Colton did address his behavior towards Cassie, apologizing for "any pain and emotional stress I caused," saying he wishes he'd been "courageous enough to fix myself before [he] broke anybody else."