Former "Bachelor" star Colton Unrwood out as gay - CBS News

Contents:

• COLTON UNRWOOD, ‘BACHELOR’ STAR, COM OUT AS GAY
• OPEN MENUVIOSHOPWELLNSFOODCULTUREFAYLIVGSTYLETRAVELNEWSBOOK CLUBGMA3: WYNTKNEWSLETTERPRIVACY POLICY — YOUR US STATE PRIVACY RIGHTS — CHILDREN'S ONLE PRIVACY POLICY — INTERT-BASED ADS — TERMS OF USE — DO NOT SELL MY INFO — CONTACT USCOPYRIGHT © 2023 ABC NEWS INTER VENTUR. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SEARCHMI STRONG: CHARI TO SUPPORT WILDFIRE RELIEF EFFORTSCULTURETHE BACHELORAPRIL 14, 2021FORMER 'BACHELOR' STAR COLTON UNRWOOD OUT AS GAY
• 'BACHELOR' ALUM CASSIE RANDOLPH ON HOW SHE 'FOUND OUT' ABOUT EX COLTON UNRWOOD COMG OUT AS GAY
• FORMER "BACHELOR" STAR COLTON UNRWOOD OUT AS GAY
• 'BACHELOR' ALUM COLTON UNRWOOD OUT AS GAY: 'I'M THE HAPPIT AND HEALTHIT I'VE EVER BEEN'
• COLTON UNRWOOD, THE FIRST GAY ‘BACHELOR,’ CONONTS HIS CONTROVERSIAL COMG OUT
• BACHELOR'' NATN STARS REACT TO COLTON UNRWOOD COMG OUT AS GAY: 'YOU HAVE MY LOVE AND SUPPORT'
• 'BACHELOR' ALUM COLTON UNRWOOD SAYS HE WAS 'BLACKMAILED' BEFORE G OUT AS GAY
• BACHELOR NATN SENDS COLTON UNRWOOD SUPPORT AFTER HE OUT AS GAY

COLTON UNRWOOD, ‘BACHELOR’ STAR, COM OUT AS GAY

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe 29-year-old former football player had wrten about qutng his sexualy a memoir, published Shotwell/Invisn, via Richard Shotwell, via Invisn, via Associated PrsColton Unrwood, a star of “The Bachelor” and a former football player, me out as gay an terview wh Rob Roberts that aired Wednday on “Good Morng Ameri.

And I’m gay.

OPEN MENUVIOSHOPWELLNSFOODCULTUREFAYLIVGSTYLETRAVELNEWSBOOK CLUBGMA3: WYNTKNEWSLETTERPRIVACY POLICY — YOUR US STATE PRIVACY RIGHTS — CHILDREN'S ONLE PRIVACY POLICY — INTERT-BASED ADS — TERMS OF USE — DO NOT SELL MY INFO — CONTACT USCOPYRIGHT © 2023 ABC NEWS INTER VENTUR. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SEARCHMI STRONG: CHARI TO SUPPORT WILDFIRE RELIEF EFFORTSCULTURETHE BACHELORAPRIL 14, 2021FORMER 'BACHELOR' STAR COLTON UNRWOOD OUT AS GAY

“I would have rather died than say, ‘I’m gay. “‘You know, Colt, we’d still love you and support you if you were gay, ’” he relled his mother tellg father was more nontatnal.

“He’d pulled up the history of recent Google search, which clud gay porn s and a variety of qutns: ‘Am I gay? How do you know if you’re gay?

)In s 20 years, the anchise has never featured an all-gay st. 13:36Former 'Bachelor' Colton Unrwood speaks his tth and out as gayColton Unrwood is ready to live his tth. "And I'm gay.

'BACHELOR' ALUM CASSIE RANDOLPH ON HOW SHE 'FOUND OUT' ABOUT EX COLTON UNRWOOD COMG OUT AS GAY

"When Roberts, who is also openly gay, said she uld "see the joy" and "see the relief" Unrwood, he said he was "emotnal , like such a good, happy, posive way, " and is "the happit and healthit" he's ever been. Unrwood said he went through a "dark and bad" time before feelg like he uld reveal this about himself and his "wake up ll" was feelg like he "would've rather died" than say he's gay. It took until high school for him to realize he "was more attracted to the boys and the men" than he was the oppose grown up the Catholic church, he remembered he "learned the Bible that gay is a s" Catholic gra school.

FORMER "BACHELOR" STAR COLTON UNRWOOD OUT AS GAY

And durg his time sports, he remembered people g the word "gay" as a term that held "a nnotatn of negativy.

Unrwood said he has grown "closer to God" this revelatn and said he knows some people will qutn how that's even possible for a gay man to say. "I ed to wake up the morng and pray for him to take the gay away.

I am proud to be gay. Colton Unrwood publicly g out as gay me as a surprise to his ex-girliend Cassie Randolph.

'BACHELOR' ALUM COLTON UNRWOOD OUT AS GAY: 'I'M THE HAPPIT AND HEALTHIT I'VE EVER BEEN'

But Randolph eventually revealed how she first disvered the news that Unrwood, 29, is gay after he me out April 2021. RELATED VIDEO: Cassie Randolph Didn't Know Ex Colton Unrwood Was Gay, Says Source: 'She's Still Procsg'. Former "Bachelor" star and NFL player Colton Unrwood has e out as gay.

The 29-year-old revealed he was gay publicly for the first time durg an terview wh "Good Morng Ameri" anchor Rob Roberts that aired on Wednday.

I've hated myself for a long time, and I'm gay, " said Unrwood.

COLTON UNRWOOD, THE FIRST GAY ‘BACHELOR,’ CONONTS HIS CONTROVERSIAL COMG OUT

"I would have rather died than say, 'I'm gay, ' and I thk that was sort of my wakp ll, " he said. He is now one of the few openly gay former NFL his book, "The First Time: Fdg Myself and Lookg for Love on Realy TV, " Unrwood opened up about his virgy and how he had once qutned whether or not he was gay. However, Unrwood said he knew he was "different" sce he was six, and realized as a hman high school that he was gay.

In the terview, Unrwood said that openg up about beg gay has led him to a better place life. And for me, I've ran om myself for a long time, I've hated myself for a long time, and I'm gay, " Unrwood TV star said was his down time spent durg the ronavis panmic that helped him procs his tth. I got to a place where I'd rather die than thk I was gay, " he said.

BACHELOR'' NATN STARS REACT TO COLTON UNRWOOD COMG OUT AS GAY: 'YOU HAVE MY LOVE AND SUPPORT'

Colton Unrwood didn’t plan on ever tellg the world that he was gay. “I’ll jt say , ” Unrwood reveals on a recent afternoon, still adjtg to his new life as an openly gay man.

Acrdg to him, last year, while livg Los Angel, he secretly vised a spa known for terg to gay clientele. At one time, g out of the closet was emed a reer killer, but shows like “The Real World, ” “Survivor” and the origal “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, ” now rebooted on Netflix, led to a profound, posive transformatn how gay people are perceived, and helped brg about progrsive chang to LGBTQ civil rights.

'BACHELOR' ALUM COLTON UNRWOOD SAYS HE WAS 'BLACKMAILED' BEFORE G OUT AS GAY

As new generatns of lennials and Gen Zers have grown up wh LGBTQ iends and role mols, gay Amerins have attaed the right to marry, and queerns has bee more mastream media, as proven shows like HBO’s high school h “Euphoria” and sentially half of the characters the Ryan Murphy universe. A gay “Bachelor, ” though? His announcement that he was gay cid wh news that he was filmg a Netflix realy show about his new life.

And others legimately argued that as a hunky whe gay man, he was benefg om privilege, takg a platform that other members of the queer muny served more than he did. “If you’re gay, be gay! “I had never seen a football player that had ma to the NFL that had been gay, growg up Catholic.

BACHELOR NATN SENDS COLTON UNRWOOD SUPPORT AFTER HE OUT AS GAY

“I’ve had hundreds of gay Christian men and women who are nfed their walk wh J say, ‘I felt closer to God when I me out. “I never want people to thk that I’m g out to change the narrative, or to bsh over and not take rponsibily for my actns, and now that I have this gay life that I don’t have to addrs my past as a straight man, ” Unrwood says. Cled to ment for this story, or answer qutns about whether there have been discsns about velopg a gay season of “The Bachelor.

Realy TV has the power to change mds, showsg unrreprented muni to sectns of the untry who might not e across gay, bisexual or transgenr people their everyday liv.

The number of high-profile gay love stori at the movi — among them, the Hulu romantic edy “Happit Season” and 2017 Sundance darlg “Call Me by Your Name” — remas small. It’s rare to see a full-fledged gay love story, or hts of gay romance, on a realy TV show. When Lance Bass, who is openly gay, appeared on the program 2008, he was paired wh a female partner.