Colton Underwood May Get Show After Coming Out As Gay: Why Is There Backlash

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COLTON UNDERWOOD

ABC / Josh Vertucci

Colton Underwood, a former lead actor The Bachelor, came out as gay in a very public way this week in an interview with Robin Roberts, the anchor of Good Morning America. As the news spread, so did reports that Netflix is ​​working with Underwood on a reality show that follows his life as an openly gay man. “I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and got through it,” Underwood told Roberts on Wednesday. “I am the happiest and healthiest I have ever been in my life.”

Some people face significant obstacles in their way out, and Underwood shared its own. ‘I’ve run away from myself for a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time, ”he told Roberts.

The response to Underwood’s reveal has been largely supportive, with many – including Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy, who is openly gay, and alumni and producers of the popular long-running reality dating show – applauding 29-year-old Underwood for his honesty and sending of messages of pride and solidarity.

“I am so proud of you that you can finally share and live your truth,” Tayshia Adams tweeted, who competed on its season of the series and starred in her own season of The Bachelorette, another show in ABC’s reality dating franchise.

But Underwood’s alleged previous treatment of Cassie Randolph, the woman he chose during his bachelorette season, has complicated reactions. After the couple’s breakup in 2020, Randolph, 25, was given a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend. She said he placed a tracking device on her car, sent her intimidating text messages, and showed her uninvited to her LA apartment and her parents’ house. According to TMZ, she later rejected the restraining order and asked for the police investigation to be dropped.

Following Underwood’s GMA reveal, Variety reported that Netflix is ​​planning a reality show that looks at Underwood’s life as an openly gay man, and now a Change.org petition is circulating urging Netflix to cancel those plans. The petition has more than 10,000 signatures on Friday morning. Online petitions have no real power, but they serve as a barometer of public opinion.

“Regardless of his sexuality, Colton should not be given a platform as a result of his abusive, manipulative and dangerous behavior,” said the petition’s author.

One of the petitioners wrote, “I survived stalking, and it’s disgusting to see someone like this get a platform like they’ve done nothing wrong. I will absolutely cancel my Netflix subscription if you continue with this.”

The petition also links to a Reddit thread with a link to documents in the Randolph-Underwood case.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and an Underwood representative said the reality star had no comment.

Here’s more about Colton Underwood and the complex reactions to his coming out and the possibility of him getting his own show.

Who is Colton Underwood?

Colton Underwood was born in Indianapolis and grew up in Illinois, where he played college football at Illinois State University. The bachelor hypnotized him as a professional soccer player, but if you’ve never heard of him, there’s a reason. Underwood was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers in 2014, but declined before the season started. He briefly played for the practice teams of the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders, but never appeared in an actual NFL game.

His dating life brought him much more fame than his sports career. Even before The Bachelor, Underwood was in a relationship with gymnast Aly Raisman, a gold medalist in the Olympics. That relationship also made headlines and the couple even attended the Golden Globe Awards together in 2017. They broke up later that year.

His bachelor life

Underwood first appeared as a contestant on Becca Kufrin’s 2018 season of The Bachelorette. He was eventually eliminated, but reappeared on the franchise’s spin-off show, Bachelor in Paradise. By now he had become a fan favorite, and the show’s producers cast him in the title role of The Bachelor for the show’s 2019 season, profoundly hypnotizing him as “ the virgin bachelor. ” Underwood chose California speech pathologist Cassie Randolph, but did not propose marriage to her in the finale.

Police involvement after the show

Underwood and Randolph dated a year before their breakup in May 2020. She filed the restraining order that fall, before rejecting it and asking for the police investigation to be dropped.

“We were able to negotiate a private deal to address one of Cassie’s concerns,” Underwood told TMZ at the time. “I don’t believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing the restraining order and I also believe she acted in good faith.”

Coming out and Cassie

Underwood told Good Morning America that Randolph did not know he was gay. He also said he wanted to apologize to his ex-girlfriend, and while he didn’t directly address the restraining order, he admitted, “I made mistakes at the end of that relationship.” After the interview, many on Reddit expressed support for Randolph and shared their own stories of harassment by ex-partners.

Some were also offended at Underwood, suggesting a link between past intimidating behavior and confusion about his sexuality.

“As a gay man,” wrote one Reddit user, “I find this whole thing repugnant. I spent quite a bit of time in the closet and came to terms with my sexuality. It’s still something I’m working on , going out and proud.

That his behavior should be excused for being gay is wrong. It paints this picture that somehow gay men in the closet are some, unstable but cured by coming out? That his actions were excusable because “Was he gay? I’m confused by the story. I’m offended by it.”

When the reality show takes place, a source told Variety it will focus on Underwood’s dating life and discovering his sexuality as a gay man. The American magazine reported that Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy was spotted filming with Underwood. Kenworthy came out as gay in 2015.

In fact, Underwood’s coming out can go back to the show that made him famous. Unnamed Bachelor sources told TMZ that Underwood’s coming out has sparked internal discussion among show producers about possibly casting a gay season of the show.

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