Colton Underwood: 'Coming out journeys aren't always clean & pretty'

Colton Underwood made his reality TV debut on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette. He returned for a brief stint on season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise and was subsequently cast as the leading man of The Bachelor season 23.

In 2021, Underwood came out as gay in a bombshell interview on Good Morning America and starred in a Netflix docuseries, Coming Out Colton, in the months that followed. Now married to political strategist Jordan C. Brown, Underwood is pursuing fatherhood and expanding his reach into new areas of showbiz and activism.

While attending the Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 Los Angeles Dinner fundraising event, Underwood spoke to Out on the red carpet and reflected on how far he’s come as a gay man. “I came out a little over three years ago and I’ve had a lot to learn over that time… but I’ve found an incredible community here in L.A. and within the LGBTQ+ community,” he explained. “To be able to stand by them now and fight with them for our community, it’s a privilege and an honor.”

Underwood also reflected on the journey he’s experienced since coming out. “You know, there’s been a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “People had a lot of opinions and thoughts on my own coming-out journey. Coming-out journeys aren’t always clean and pretty. There’s a lot of ups and downs. [But] I felt love and support, and that’s the most important thing.”

When asked by Out digital director Raffy Ermac to send a message to people who are still navigating their own difficult coming-out journeys, Underwood revealed that his best advice is “finding your support system and leaning on those people.” He added:

“Just know that it’s temporary. There’s light at the end of that tunnel. It might seem intense and it might seem heavy at the time, but it gets better.”

Underwood also shared his go-to mechanisms for unwinding and releasing some stress. “Video games are my destresser, it’s just how I can shut my brain off. I’m also a terrible artist but I just love painting, and doodling, and expressing myself through creativity in different forms.”

The Bachelor star also played Out’s latest red-carpet game that is sweeping the internet: “Gay people need to…”

“…lead with love,” Underwood finished the sentence. “If gay people and queer people and everybody in our community can lead with love, this world’s gonna continue to take notice, and they’re gonna continue to use them as role models and inspiration.”