Colton Underwood is publicly opening up about his sexuality.
In an exclusive and emotional interview with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts that aired earlier today, the 29-year-old reality TV personality and former football player came out as gay, saying he's ready to finally live in his truth.
"I've ran from myself for a long time. I've hated myself for a long time," he said. "I'm gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know."
Speculation about Underwood (who is most known for being a contestant on the 14th season of The Bachelorette and the lead of the 23rd season of The Bachelor) and his sexuality has come up multiple times in the media over the years, and he has oft-denied his queerness publicly.
"In regards to those rumors, I addressed it pretty heavily in the book," Colton said last year during an interview on the Reality Steve podcast, referencing his March 2020 memoir The First Time, where he first revealed that he was bullied by his high school classmates who thought he was gay. "I’ve gone through it throughout my whole entire life. But the bottom line is I’m not gay."
But in his one-on-one with Roberts, who is also a fellow out member of the LGBTQ+ community, Underwood says that, like many, the past year made year was hard for him and made him look at himself hard in the mirror and question who he really is.
"I'm still the same Colton everybody met on TV," he said. "I'm still the same Colton to my friends and my family, I just happen to be able to share with people now all of me. And I am proud of that, you know? I am proud to be gay."
As for what the future holds, according to a report from Variety, Underwood is filming his very own reality show for Netflix, described as "an unscripted series with multiple episodes, focusing on Underwood living his life publicly as a gay man."
Congrats on living your truth, Colton!