Speaker
Colton Underwood
Appearances over time
1 episodes
Episodes
1
Podcasts
Quotes & moments
Fewer than 1% of college football players make it to the NFL, making Colton's achievement remarkable despite going undrafted.
Colton's NFL signing bonus with the Chargers was just $3,500, illustrating the financial reality for undrafted free agents.
Colton prayed to God to make him straight and believed becoming The Bachelor would force him into heterosexuality through public performance.
While closeted, Colton only had same-sex encounters with married straight men because they had more to lose and were therefore less likely to expose him.
Colton kept a folder of women's photos on his phone to show teammates in the locker room and deflect questions about his sexuality.
SEC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Sam slid to the 7th round after coming out as gay before the 2014 NFL Draft, and was subsequently cut.
Colton needed two months of therapy before he was able to say out loud — even to himself — that he was gay.
At his worst, Colton was taking Xanax at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, combined with alcohol and Lexapro, creating a dissociative state.
A blackmail email containing factual details of a same-sex encounter forced Colton to come out to his publicist and professional team before his own family.
In 13 US states it is still legal to openly discriminate against same-sex couples seeking to adopt, according to the organisation Family Equality.
Colton and Jordan began the surrogacy process before their wedding and it took approximately two to two-and-a-half years before their son Bishop was born.
Colton tattooed a large cross on his wrist as a deliberate identifier, then covered it with a bandage during same-sex encounters to avoid being recognised.
Colton famously jumped a 6-foot fence in Portugal after discovering producers had manipulated his Bachelor season, and then wandered for 2 hours trying to escape.
Colton answered 'yes' immediately and out loud for the first time when his gay publicist called and asked point-blank if he was gay, while sitting in his grandmother's driveway in Illinois.
Colton's husband Jordan C. Brown is a leading Democratic political strategist, creating interesting political conversations with Colton's conservative family.
Colton kept a fake folder of women's photos on his phone to produce during locker-room peacocking sessions. Each small lie required another, and the spider web of deception eventually disconnected him from his own identity.
Every coach in Colton's life made homophobic remarks as a matter of course, using gay slurs only when players screwed up. That relentless messaging fused sexual identity with failure, and drove Colton so deep into the closet he couldn't even defend gay teammates without risking exposure.
Colton prayed to God to make him straight, joined The Bachelor believing the public heterosexuality would trap him into straightness, and even got a large cross tattoo on his wrist — then wrapped it during same-sex encounters. He was running his own conversion therapy.
Colton only had same-sex encounters with married straight men because they had more to lose. It was cold, transactional self-protection — and it trained him to sever his emotions so completely that the skill haunts his marriage today.
SEC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Sam fell to the 7th round after coming out, got cut, and was briefly picked up by the Cowboys — Colton says it was obviously to sell jerseys. The NFL sees gay players as distractions, and that observation locked Colton deeper in the closet.
Colton jumped a 6-foot fence in Portugal in boots and jeans when he discovered producers had broken his only rule. He wandered alone for two hours. Paul's observation cuts deeper: Colton wasn't just escaping the show — he was trying to escape the facade he'd built over 17 years.
A blackmail email containing precise date-and-time details of a same-sex encounter landed in Colton's inbox while he was taking Xanax three times a day. The pills made it easier to look away — until his publicist called, asked point-blank if he was gay, and Colton said yes for the first time in his life.
Colton told his mum the night before the Netflix cameras rolled, so she wouldn't be blindsided. His dad's reaction was flawless on camera — and off it he said: 'Go be gay. Just don't become a Democrat.' His whole family gave him love, and each positive response built the confidence to tell the next person.
Colton and Jordan write emails to their son Bishop every time he hits a milestone. That collection became the audio book Dear Bishop — narrated in Colton's own voice so his son can one day understand exactly who his dad was, what he survived, and why he's so all-in.
In 13 US states it's still legal to refuse same-sex couples in adoption. Colton and Jordan navigated two-plus years of surrogacy, birth certificates listing wrong parents, and nurses refusing entry — and Colton argues the sheer intentionality of the process proves gay parents' commitment before day one.
Colton loved filming The Traitors — but fans linked his aggressive game-play to a dark incident six years prior and the backlash escalated to death threats. The show had to intervene. Colton's response: that's 15 versions of me ago.
Colton met Jordan at the wrap party for his Netflix coming-out documentary, barely spoke. Two months later they were stuck inside together all weekend in Provincetown in the rain — and fell in love. On one of their first dates Jordan said he wanted kids. So did Colton. That was it.
Analysis
What they talk about
- Society & Culture 54%
- Sports 15%
- Education 8%
- Health & Fitness 8%
- Religion & Spirituality 8%
- TV & Film 7%
