Not everyone is thrilled with the new Netflix series “Coming Out Colton,” which premiered on the streaming service earlier in December. While some fans are excited to learn more about Underwood’s post-“Bachelor” life, especially after going public with boyfriend Jordan C. Brown, others say the new series only seeks to exploit the reality star’s popularity and highlights his “white privilege.”
“I see the criticism,” Underwood said during an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “I know that people are upset that I have white privilege and I got a series after coming out.”
The 29-year-old originally became popular as a contestant on Becca Kufrin’s season of “The Bachelorette.” After coming in fourth place, Underwood was offered his own season of “The Bachelor.” The former professional football player chose Cassie Randolph in the “Bachelor” finale in 2019. In September 2020, Randolph filed a restraining order against Underwood, claiming he had put a tracking device on her car.
And then in April, Underwood came out publicly during a segment on Good Morning America, citing the restraining order as a “huge wake-up call.”
He described making the decision to come out, telling US Weekly, “I’m sad that it even got to that point to where that had to be my wake-up call and me affecting other people in my life was sort of the moment that I realized I had to come out. Obviously, I wish I would have had the courage to come out without having to be pushed.”
The “Bachelor” star also recalls being worried about being found out as gay. “I was very, very concerned and very worried,” Underwood said. “I did hear a rumor that one of the producers ended up finding out that I did hook up with a man, but kept it secret or took care of it, I don’t know. I can’t verify that. Obviously, that was terrifying too.”
He went on to explain that even though he found some of the show’s producers “attractive,” he never acted on feelings. “I was so good at compartmentalizing my life,” Underwood explained
Later, the “Bachelor” star confessed that his status may have affected how the public received his big announcement.
“I couldn’t imagine what it’s like to be someone from an underprivileged area to have to come out, and not only risk losing their football [career] but risk losing a house and food and money,” Underwood said. “I never wanted to compare my trauma to anybody else. I just wanted to get my side out there and my story out there, to say, ‘Hey, this is what I’ve been through.’”
Meanwhile, “Coming Out Colton” has been criticized as being a farce that only seeks to make money.
“It’s all so calculated,” Esquire writer Justin Kirkland said of the series. “[The series] moves too fast, refuses to get deep, and breezes over the fact that no actual drama unfolds—which, by the way, is a good thing for real lives.”
Kirkland also accuses Underwood of using his experience of coming out to both rehabilitate his reputation in the wake of the stalking allegations and stay relevant in the quick-changing realm of reality TV.
“He has used this journey for personal gain, quick wealth, and celebrity,” the writer said.
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Source: Dailywire
