Colton Underwood is ready for the next stage of his career.
The reality star has had a wild ride in the entertainment industry after coming out as gay following his controversial run on The Bachelor. Most recently, Underwood's time on The Traitors sparked significant backlash that led to him receiving death threats.
Although there's no denying that Underwood time in the spotlight has had plenty of ups and downs, the star is taking his years of reality TV knowledge and bringing it to his new docuseries Because of You in partnership with California Cyro Bank. In the new show, Underwood chats with all different types of people who are helping gay families have children.
"It's a full-circle moment! I've been doing this about 10 years, so to find a way to incorporate my family and blend all of my words together is pretty great. It took me a while to find my lane in the LGBTQ+ community. There's a lot of uncertainty and a lot of misinformation about our families under attack, so it's really near and dear to my heart."
The new series dives into all of the complexities and lack of information that can help families have offspring of their own. Underwood hopes his conversations with real-life experts will open the door for more queer people to learn about different ways they could expand their families.
"It is a very long, hard, emotional journey, no matter the resources you have. You have to be ready and truly prepared. It's similar to coming out. Smart small and lean on people who you know are in your corner 100 percent. Finding people who you can trust is so important."
Besides his new show, Underwood also just released his second memoir, Dear Bishop: A Letter To My Son, which tells a more authentic version of his life as he's become a father. In his first memoir, The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV, Underwood focused heavily on his journey on The Bachelor and even denied rumors that he was gay.
"I was asked to redo my memoir since I said I wasn't gay in the first one. Until you come out, you don't fully understand it. You have this internal shame and internal homophobia, even after coming out. I can only continue to try to do better and learn from where I went wrong in my past. It was a creative way to let people into my life without giving too much away."
Underwood acknowledges that his very public coming-out journey hasn't resonated with everyone, but he knows every step he's taken so far has helped him shape his current reality. His role as a loving husband and father is what brings him the most joy.
"Whatever you've see on television is true and it is me, but I am a very simple guy. I like to touch grass, I love spending time with my family, and that is the truth behind the entertainment of it all. I like to laugh at myself. At this point, I feel like I have pretty thick skin and can do that."
The first episode of Because of You debuts on Monday, July 13 and will feature Underwood chatting with Darra Gordon, the CEO of Family Equality. Fans can watch on Underwood's Instagram page.
