Former bachelor and future Netflix reality subject Colton Underwood made a chilling revelation: He only came out as gay because of a blackmail scandal.
In a new interview with Variety, Underwood recounts how he began exploring his sexuality at a spa in Los Angeles – a place known to attract gay men “just to watch,” as he puts it. Shortly after, he received an anonymous email claiming to have nude photos of him at the scene. The anonymous email threatened to report him to the press, prompting Underwood to contact his press secretary.
“I knew that of anyone in my world, my publicist was not going to ruin me,” Underwood said.
The emails ultimately led Underwood to have a heart to heart with his publicist and seek treatment in therapy. He also started using Grindr under a pseudonym, before eventually deciding to go public.
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In the same interview, Underwood also discusses the stalking scandal with his former single girlfriend Cassie Randolph. A legal deal he maintains with Randolph prevents him from discussing certain details of the incidents, although Underwood insists he did not physically abuse her.
“I didn’t physically touch or physically assault Cassie in any way,” Underwood says.
“I never want people to think I’m dating to change the narrative, or to sweep and not take responsibility for my actions, and now that I have this gay life, I don’t have to talk about my past.” as a straight man, ”he adds. “Controlling situations to try to capture any part of the outright fantasy I was trying to live out was so wrong.”
Colton Underwood turned gay in an interview with Good Morning America last month. The initial response was somewhat favorable, although his past incidents involving Randolph, as well as the revelation that he had already caught a reality show for Netflix on his life since its release, has generated a strong backlash.
Critics argue that Underwood has “monetized” his coming out, and that the amount of publicity surrounding his coming out owes to his status as a rich, white man.
