Recently, Colton Underwood opened up more about his controversial coming out. In fact, there is an upcoming Netflix reality show about it, which is moving ahead despite calls for its cancellation.
Colton, 29, came out as gay on April 14. Now, he admits that had sexual experiences with men prior to joining The Bachelor franchise in 2018. Furthermore, he said he was worried that one of the men he hooked up would sell him out to a tabloid. Moreover, Colton stated that prior to coming out, someone attempted to blackmail him after he visited a gay spa.
“I will say this: I was ‘the Virgin Bachelor,’ but I did experiment with men prior to being on The Bachelorette,” he admits in Variety’s new cover story.
Underwood clarified, “When I say ‘hookups,’ not sex. I want to make that very clear that I did not have sex with a man, prior to that.”
In fact, when Colton was romancing Randolph and the other ladies on-screen, he was nervous that one of the men he had hooked up with prior to the show would put him in a tabloid.
“I remember feeling so guilty, like ‘What the hell am I doing?’” the former football player said of his sexual encounters with men.
In fact, he noted that growing up Catholic in the Midwest made him believe being gay was a sin.
“It was my first time letting myself even go there, so much so that I was like, ‘I need The Bachelorette in my life, so I could be straight.'”
Colton Underwood Faced Blackmail
It is unclear the exact timeline, pre- or post-Randolph split, Colton secretly visited a gay spa in Los Angeles last year “just to look.”
An anonymous person attempted to “blackmail” him, claiming to have nude photos of him at the venue. The person threatened to “out” him in the press. He said this happened when he was already at “my rock bottom and spiral,” presumably after his April 2020 split from Randolph.
After this, Randolph obtained a restraining order against him amid stalking allegations in Sept. 2020. During that time dark time, Underwood also survived a suicide attempt as he struggled to come to terms with his sexuality.
Underwood said the blackmail actually led to a positive. He forwarded the email to his publicist, Alex Spieller, and that forced to have an honest conversation about his sexuality. That’s when things started to get better.
Moreover, Colton spoke about Randolph and the troubling allegations, including that he put a tracking device on her car and harassed her family. She dropped the restraining order in November after they made a private agreement.
“I did not physically touch or physically abuse Cassie in any way, shape or form,” said Underwood.
Underwood added, “I want this interview to be the last time I address her because it is not fair for her to have her name in articles every time I talk. I’m sorry, and I want her to know that I hope she has the best, most beautiful life.”
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