Colton Underwood wants to remind us that he isn't gay.
The former college football player and reality TV personality (who is most known for being a contestant on the 14th season of The Bachelorette and the lead of the 23rd season of The Bachelor) set the record straight during a recent interview on the Reality Steve podcast where he addressed the rumors about his sexuality that seem to follow him ever since he became a public figure.
"In regards to those rumors, I addressed it pretty heavily in the book," Colton said, referencing his March 2020 memoir The First Time, where he first revealed that he was bullied by his high school classmates who thought he was gay. "I’ve gone through it throughout my whole entire life."
"But the bottom line is I’m not gay," he continued.
Though rumors and whisperings about his sexuality have been pervasive, Colton says he still has full love and support for the queer community.
"I have love and support for anybody in the LGBT+ community and support that," he said. "Love is love at the end of the day."
Like we mentioned before, this isn't the first time Colton has had to publicly announce his straightness. In a March interview with Entertainment Tonight, Colton recalled an incident in high school where people started thinking he was gay because he broke up with his girlfriend, but after years of internalizing that bullying, his appearance on The Bachelor helped confirmed to himself that he is, in fact, heterosexual.
"There was a rumor going around my high school that I was gay because I broke up with one of my girlfriends at the time," he said. "It even got to my mom, where my mom pulled me aside and said, 'You know what? We'd still love you if you were gay.' I was like, 'I appreciate that, but I gotta figure this out.' It was a little awkward."
He continued:
"There was questions there, and I either internalized it or moved forward with football. And going on The Bachelor was a way for me to not be able to run away from a relationship, not to be scared, and to open up. I'm so grateful for the franchise for helping me grow, but I continue to have moments of self-reflection to realize, 'Hey, maybe this is why I am the way I am.'"
Listen to Colton's full interview on the Reality Steve podcast, here.
