Colton Underwood recently opened up about his journey to accepting his sexuality, sharing personal stories from his time in the locker room to his experiences as a virgin on The Bachelor.
During his appearance on Alexandra Cooper’s popular podcast, Call Her Daddy, Underwood discussed when he first realized he was different. He recalled feeling unlike the other boys as early as six years old but didn’t fully understand his attraction to men until high school. Growing up in a Catholic school, he was taught that boys should be attracted to girls, which made his self-discovery process even more challenging.
Before becoming a reality TV star, Underwood played professional football. He started at Illinois State and was later signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent. The absence of openly gay players in football made him hesitant to come out, fearing it would be a distraction to his teammates and coach. He described the locker room environment as both homophobic and homoerotic, with mixed messages that made it a confusing and hostile place for someone closeted.
Underwood shared that he avoided showering with his teammates and even refrained from partying, worried that alcohol might lead him to reveal his true self. Despite not being attracted to his teammates, he took extra precautions to prevent any misunderstandings or accidental outings.
Underwood’s public journey began on The Bachelorette’s 14th season, followed by leading the 23rd season of The Bachelor, where he was dubbed the “Virgin Bachelor.” He revealed to Cooper that he had his first encounter with a man on his 21st birthday but only engaged with men when he was single. The fear of being outed by former partners loomed over him during his time on The Bachelor, causing significant anxiety.
In 2021, Underwood made headlines by coming out as gay, becoming the first lead in The Bachelor franchise to do so. That same year, he starred in his Netflix series, Coming Out Colton. He later married political strategist Jordan C. Brown in May 2023, and the couple is now expecting their first child. Underwood described the journey to fatherhood as a “rollercoaster of emotions” and expressed his excitement to embrace parenthood.