The Bachelor star Colton Underwood came out yesterday in an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America.
Afterward, many on social media re-shared a 2019 exchange between Billy Eichner and Underwood in which Eichner joked about the bachelor and former professional football player being gay. In the clip, Underwood is lost for words at the suggestion.
Many praised Eichner for being perceptive.
Eichner himself posted a series of tweets reacting to Underwood’s coming out. The first, re-sharing his exchange with Underwood, offered congratulations.
“I’m happy for @colton. If you’re gay, be gay! I’ve been gay forever & I love it!”
I’m happy for @colton. If you’re gay, be gay! I’ve been gay forever & I love it! https://t.co/vuDWy7HVap
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) April 14, 2021
Eichner posted the same video clip and message to his Instagram. This prompted a response from Underwood.
“Love you. Love this (now) and now I love being gay,” said the newly-out reality TV star.
Shortly after the GMA interview aired, it emerged Underwood, 29, is already in the process of filming a Netflix documentary series about being gay. According to Variety, Gus Kenworthy will also be in the show, acting as some sort of mentor or guide to Underwood.
Eichner then joked on Twitter that Underwood might be awarded for coming out: “Here’s how Hollywood works: Colton’s gonna get a GLAAD Award before I do.”
Here’s how Hollywood works: Colton’s gonna get a GLAAD Award before I do 😂😂😂
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) April 14, 2021
Related: Reality star Colton Underwood comes out as gay
Eichner later posted a couple of more serious tweets about the issue of coming out. In the first, he asked people to remember not everyone finds it easy to reveal their true selves.
“Pop culture now sometimes makes it seem like every 14-year-old gay boy is flying out of the closet without a care in the world. Some are. And that’s INCREDIBLE. But many are not. So let’s remember that,” Eichner said.
“AND let’s ALSO honor and praise those in entertainment who came out years – DECADES – before it was embraced and could be used to professional advantage. I don’t mean me – I mean many others, especially those before me – that took real guts. Let’s put some shine on them too.”
AND let’s ALSO honor and praise those in entertainment who came out years – DECADES – before it was embraced and could be used to professional advantage. I don’t mean me – I mean many others, especially those before me – that took real guts. Let’s put some shine on them too. ❤️
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) April 14, 2021
In response, some took the opportunity to mention notable LGBTQ people who lived openly gay lives decades ago, including Ian McKellen, Sylvester, Ellen DeGeneres and Paul Lynde, among others.
Three cheers for Dan Butler! pic.twitter.com/SclGPu975E
— Election Day Is November 3 2020 (@Dennis_DevoeSt) April 14, 2021
Maybe not in entertainment but Bayard Rustin should be a household name. ❤https://t.co/fwKuvViuo8
— Jammie (@JammieDior) April 14, 2021
— 🗣 “Macarena” (Taylor’s Version) (@marramark) April 14, 2021
just gonna assume he’s referring to Paul Lynde pic.twitter.com/osJDUFuvs6
— jcs (@tipsyinmadras) April 15, 2021
Related:Freshly out Colton Underwood has already nabbed a new reality show
Although many have praised Underwood for coming out, others have criticized him for appearing on not one but three separate Bachelor Nation seasons (2018’s The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, and 2019’s The Bachelor).
Some were also quick to point out that Underwood’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Randolph took out a restraining order against him last September, following their split in May. Among several allegations, she said that Underwood had placed a tracker device in her car and sent harassing anonymous texts.
Randolph withdrew the restraining order in November. Underwood issued a statement at the time saying, “Today, Cassie asked the court to dismiss the temporary restraining order against me. The two of us were able to reach a private agreement to address any of Cassie’s concerns. I do not believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing for the restraining orders and also believe she acted in good faith.”
In yesterday’s interview on GMA, Underwood touched again upon his relationship with Randolph, saying “I would like to say sorry for how things ended. I messed up. I made a lot of bad choices.”
He also said he had loved her: “It made it more confusing for me. I loved everything about her … I wish that I would’ve been courageous enough to fix myself before breaking anyone else.”
Randolph has yet to publicly react to Underwood’s coming out announcement.
lykeitiz
Not famous enough for a Ryan Murphy biopic, no sex tape that we know of for a Kardashian entrance into fame…….What will the fate be for the 3-time “Bachelor” who woke up gay yesterday?
charlie_jackpot
I think he’ll send up in porn – there’s a history of Reality TV gays moving into that field
Fahd
Could he in time be overcome by his religious qualms and go the “ex-gay” route; out and in? There might be another reality show in that, but I doubt it would be popular, and I really hope it doesn’t come to that.
Donston
I imagine he could go down the “ex ‘gay” and homo shaming route if he experiences a bad gay break-up, has a mental breakdown, or if he experiences fluidity and/or contradictions. Also, if this just doesn’t extend his relevance and money scale for much longer.
Donston
Every time someone “comes out” we don’t have to go through the aisles of forebears. It’s condescending and counterproductive. Everyone still has their own dimensions, circumstances, struggles and journeys. And of course, Colton’s gonna get a lot of attention. He was a Bachelor, which is a very popular show. If you’re gonna throw “shade” make sure the shade is properly targeted and isn’t problematic.
Colton used being a decent looking “straight virgin” who played in the NFL as a brand. He used it for relevance, to be on a reality show “star” for years, to sell a book, to boost his ego while women threw themselves at him on TV. Now, he’s quickly using being “out” to spark the next phase of his career, with a book deal and a new reality show deal done even before publicly “coming out”. This makes him come off like a grifter and narcissist. Never mind the restraining order and the harassment and tracking device accusations or apparently, the Conservative politics. Those are the things he should be getting shade for.
Andrew
I am just happy to see his genuine big smile. I see a real underlying relief in it.
Kieran
We all know there are gay males who can be spotted a mile away and there are those who can “pass” as hetro if they choose to do so. So it is important when gay men like Colton Underwood CHOOSE to reveal their sexual orientation openly. It tells us that times are changing and perhaps the stigma of being gay in a homophobic society is finally receding.
Donston
People need to stop using masculinity or being “straight passing” as a way to praise someone. All that does is feed into toxic masculinity, masculine pressures and masculine envy. And it often just exposes how obsessed you are with “masculinity”. And y’all definitely need to stop using it as an excuse to overlook people’s problematic shit. This was a very calculated “coming out”. He used one persona to get him notice and money. Now, he’s using another.
Also, there are many over the top “queens” who struggle with being “out” or have other struggles. Don’t dismiss their struggles. Many of those overtly “queer” types aren’t homo or even overall homo-leaning. Furthermore, Colton may not be “fem”, but he isn’t at all the prototypical “straight’ guy”. He has some “queer” mannerisms and a rather stereotypical “gay face” when he smiles. Do y’all really think every non over the top “queen” who doesn’t wear makeup is “straight passing”. There are reasons why people have been saying he’s closeted since he first appeared on The Bachelor.
Embracing how varied people are is great. So is embracing everyone’s particular struggles and circumstances. But people like you don’t care about “gays” or “queers” or whatever. You only care about decent looking, “straight passing” white men.
UlfRaynor
Congratulations Donston, on so poignantly demonstrating what true toxic masculinity looks like by hypocritically accusing Kieran of the very thing you just tried to do to him, sex shaming his attractions and romantic interest and attempting to shame him into behaving in a manner you find acceptable and then defining those parameters of acceptability for him.