In a new interview with Variety,
Colton Underwood explains that he came out after someone threatened
to out him to the media.
The former The Bachelor star
came out last month, telling Good Morning America's Robin
Roberts that he's finished “hating” himself.
At the time, he said that “suicidal
thoughts” led him to “take back control” of his life. In this
new interview, Underwood reiterated that he attempted suicide but
added that was also being blackmailed following a visit to a “spa.”
Underwood, 29, told Variety that
the blackmail attempt came after he “secretly visited a spa [in Los
Angeles] known for catering to gay clientele.”
“I, at one point, during my rock
bottom and spiral, was getting blackmailed,” he said. “Nobody
knows I was blackmailed.”
“Shortly thereafter, he received an
anonymous email, which has been reviewed by Variety, from
someone claiming to have taken his nude photos at the venue,”
Variety
reported. The person threatened to out him in the press.
In a panic, Underwood, who said he was
at the spa “just to look,” forwarded the email to his publicist,
which led to him finally having an honest conversation with his
publicist about his sexuality.
Underwood also revealed that he “hooked
up” with men before he appeared on The Bachelor, where he
was described as “the Virgin Bachelor.”
“I was 'the Virgin Bachelor,' but I
did experiment with men prior to being on The Bachelorette,”
he said.
He added: “I want to make that very
clear that I did not have sex with a man, prior to that.”
Underwood also revealed that his father
caught him looking at gay porn in the eighth grade.
“I just said that I was curious and I
was exploring and just looking,” he said. “I remember having that
conversation with him and being like, 'Just don't tell mom.'”