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Colton Underwood

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Colton Underwood
refer to caption
Underwood in 2020
No. 35, 88
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1992-01-26) January 26, 1992 (age 32)
Indianapolis, Indiana
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:254 lb (115 kg)
Career information
High school:Washington (IL) Community
College:Illinois State
Undrafted:2014
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Colton Scott Underwood (born January 26, 1992)[1] is an American reality television personality and former professional football player. He played defensive end at Illinois State and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2014, and was on the practice squads of the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles. After being released by the Raiders, Underwood became a contestant on the 14th season of The Bachelorette, and was then announced as the lead of the 23rd season of The Bachelor. He is the first lead in Bachelor franchise history to come out as gay.[2][3]

Early life and education

Underwood was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Scott and Donna Underwood.[4] Both of his parents were star athletes at Illinois State University: Scott played college football for the Illinois State Redbirds and Donna played volleyball.[5] Scott and Colton both attended Washington Community High School;[6] Colton graduated in 2010.[7] Colton has a younger brother named Connor.[6]

Colton Underwood graduated from Illinois State University, where he followed his father's footsteps to play college football for the Redbirds.[8]

Career

Football

On May 10, 2014, Underwood was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers.[9] On August 30, 2014, he was waived. On September 3, 2014, Underwood was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad. On September 9, 2014, he was released from practice squad.[10]

On September 23, 2014, Underwood returned to the Chargers and was signed to their practice squad. On December 29, 2014, he signed a future contract. On September 5, 2015, he was waived. On September 6, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve. On September 10, 2015, he was waived from injured reserve.[10][11]

On December 1, 2015, Underwood was signed to the Oakland Raiders' practice squad. On August 29, 2016, he was released by the Raiders.[10][12]

Reality television

Underwood was a contestant on the 14th season of The Bachelorette, starring Becca Kufrin.[13]

After getting eliminated in week 8 after hometown dates,[14] Underwood was cast in season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise. After being linked to fellow contestant Tia Booth, Underwood broke up with her, and both left Paradise separately in the fourth week.[15]

On September 4, 2018, ABC announced that Underwood would star in the 23rd season of The Bachelor.[16] The announcement received mixed reactions on social media.[17] On September 21, 2018, ABC announced that Colton had started filming The Bachelor and had already met three of his contestants on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[18][19]

On April 14, 2021, Variety reported that Underwood was in production for his own unscripted series at Netflix. The six-episode series, Coming Out Colton, premiered on Netflix on December 3, 2021.[20] In the series, he meets with other openly gay public figures, including Gus Kenworthy, Michael Sam, and CMT host Cody Alan.[21]

Philanthropy

In January 2016, Underwood founded the Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation to raise money for cystic fibrosis research and medical equipment.[22] Underwood started the foundation after his cousin Harper was diagnosed with the disease.[22][23] In January 2018, the foundation began the Legacy Project, with the goal of delivering AffloVests, chest wall oscillation devices which clear excess mucus from lung airways as part of the daily treatment for cystic fibrosis, to children in 50 US states.[24][25]

Personal life

From 2016 to 2017, Underwood dated gymnast Aly Raisman after he asked her out in a video.[26]

Underwood has spoken publicly about his choice to remain a virgin, and how appearing on The Bachelorette helped him discuss the topic.[27] He began dating speech pathology student Cassie Randolph after meeting her on season 23 of The Bachelor. When Randolph initially ended their relationship during the final three, Underwood broke up with the other two women and asked Randolph for a second chance without the pressure of an engagement.[28] Underwood and Randolph were in a relationship from November 2018 until May 2020.[29][30]

In March 2020, Underwood tested positive for COVID-19,[31] though he recovered in April.

In September 2020, Randolph filed a restraining order against Underwood, alleging that he stalked her outside her Los Angeles apartment and her parents' Huntington Beach house, sent harassing text messages using an anonymous number, and installed a tracking device underneath her car.[32][33] Randolph was granted a temporary restraining order against Underwood ahead of the October hearing.[34]

Coming out

On April 14, 2021, Underwood publicly came out as gay in an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America,[35] making him the first lead in the Bachelor franchise to come out as gay.

In an interview with Variety, Underwood stated that he was blackmailed into coming out. An anonymous man, claiming to be a fan, took a picture of Underwood nude at a gay sauna in Los Angeles in 2019. The man sent Underwood an email threatening to out him to the press. Underwood forwarded the email to his publicist, and this caused him to come out publicly.[36] During the interview, Underwood also stated that he experimented with men before appearing on The Bachelor franchise, stating he used the dating app Grindr under an alias from 2016 to 2017.[37][38]

On September 1, 2021, Underwood was reported to be dating Democratic strategist Jordan C. Brown after the two were spotted vacationing together in Hawaii, which he confirmed in December 2021 in a birthday post for Brown.[39] In February 2022, Underwood confirmed that he and Brown had gotten engaged shortly after his 30th birthday the previous month.[40]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2018 The Bachelorette Contestant Season 14
2018 Bachelor in Paradise Contestant Season 5
2019 The Bachelor Lead Season 23
Extra Himself Guest Correspondent
2021 Coming Out Colton Himself 6 episodes
2022 Beyond the Edge Himself 10 episodes

Music video

Year Title Role Artist
2019 "Famous" Actor Adam Doleac

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Category Nominated work Result Ref
2019 Reality TV Awards Fan Favorites Colton Underwood Won [41]
2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards Most Meme-able Moment Colton Underwood jumps the fence Won [42]
2019 People's Choice Awards Competition Contestant of 2019 Colton Underwood Nominated [43]

Books

  • The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV (Gallery Books, 2020). ISBN 978-1982139384.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Colton Underwood". NFL. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  2. ^ "The Bachelor star Colton Underwood comes out as gay". BBC News. April 14, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Ordona, Michael (May 12, 2021). "Colton Underwood, first 'Bachelor' star to come out as gay, says he was blackmailed". LA Times. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "Colton Underwood". GoRedbirds.com. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  5. ^ Ricketts, Tawni (October 30, 2012). "The Underwood family legacy". The Vidette. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Huett, Wes (December 11, 2009). "2009 Large-School Football Player of the Year: Colton Underwood, Washington". Peoria Journal Star. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Vlahos, Nick (April 14, 2021). "Former Washington football player, 'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood comes out as gay". Peoria Journal Star. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; April 14, 2021 suggested (help)
  8. ^ Vlahos, Nick (March 22, 2018). "Nick in the AM: Washington's Colton Underwood is a 'Bachelorette' contestant". Peoria Journal Star. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  9. ^ Villa, Marcelo (May 10, 2014). "San Diego Chargers Undrafted Free Agents: Need-to-Know Info for Every Signee". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Colton Underwood". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference, Inc. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  11. ^ Bair, Scott (August 29, 2016). "Raiders waive 14, place Holmes on IR; roster trimmed to 75". NBC Sports Bay Area. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  12. ^ "Oakland Raiders Announce Transactions". Oakland Raiders. August 29, 2016. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017.
  13. ^ Ruiz, Steven (May 17, 2018). "2 ex-NFL players (including Aly Raisman's ex) will be on 'The Bachelorette'". USA Today. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  14. ^ Yahr, Emily (September 4, 2018). "Colton Underwood is the new 'Bachelor.' Here's why some viewers aren't happy". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  15. ^ Schwartz, Nick (September 4, 2018). "Tia reacts to Colton becoming The Bachelor". USA Today. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  16. ^ Corriston, Michele (September 4, 2018). "Colton Underwood Is the Next Bachelor: 'Third Time's the Charm'". People. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  17. ^ Quinn, Dave (September 4, 2018). "Twitter Has Mixed Reactions to Colton Underwood's Bachelor Casting". People.
  18. ^ Krolak, Mike (September 4, 2018). "Who Is the Next Bachelor 2019? It's Colton Underwood". ABC. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  19. ^ Bradley, Nina (September 20, 2018). "Colton Underwood Met 3 'Bachelor' Contestants On 'Ellen' & Things Got Wild — Video". Bustle. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  20. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (November 23, 2021). "Colton Underwood's Netflix Series 'Coming Out Colton' Sets Release Date". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  21. ^ "Watch Coming Out Colton | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Lee, Maddie (June 23, 2016). "Raiders' Colton Underwood tackles cystic fibrosis for cousin". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  23. ^ "About Colton Underwood". Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  24. ^ "50 AffloVests in 50 States, the Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation and International Biophysics partner to help Cystic Fibrosis patients" (Press release). International Biophysics Corporation. December 4, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2018 – via Bizjournals.com / PRNewswire.
  25. ^ "About the Project". Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  26. ^ Yasharoff, Hannah (January 16, 2019). "'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood talks 'first love' and 'worst heartbreak': gymnast Aly Raisman". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  27. ^ Corinthios, Aurelite (July 30, 2018). "The Bachelorette's Colton Underwood Breaks Down, Admits He Was 'Ashamed' of His Virginity". People. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  28. ^ Nahas, Aili (March 13, 2019). "The Bachelor's Cassie Randolph on Why She Changed Her Mind: 'Colton Knew I Needed More Time'". People. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  29. ^ Vulpo, Mike (November 15, 2019). "Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph's Anniversary Trip Is More Romantic Than Any Fantasy Suite". E!. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  30. ^ Dugan, Christina; Nahas, Aili (May 29, 2020). "The Bachelor's Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph Split Was 'Definitely Amicable'". People. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  31. ^ Dugan, Christina; Nahas, Aili (March 20, 2020). "Andy Cohen, 'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood both test positive for the coronavirus". USA Today. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  32. ^ "Cassie Randolph Claims Colton Underwood Planted Tracking Device on Car". TMZ. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  33. ^ Puente, Maria; Henderson, Cydney (September 11, 2020). "Cassie Randolph seeks restraining order against ex-boyfriend, 'Bachelor' Colton Underwood". USA Today. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  34. ^ "Cassie Randolph Granted Restraining Order Against Colton Underwood". TMZ. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  35. ^ Blackwelder, Carson (April 14, 2021). "Former 'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood comes out as gay". Good Morning America. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  36. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 12, 2021). "Colton Underwood, the First Gay 'Bachelor,' Confronts His Controversial Coming Out". Variety. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  37. ^ Keating, Mickey (May 12, 2021). "Colton Underwood Was About To Be Blackmailed". Instinct. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  38. ^ Reynolds, Daniel (May 12, 2021). "How Grindr, a Gay Spa, and Blackmail Led to Colton Underwood's Coming-Out". The Advocate. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  39. ^ Crowley, James (September 1, 2021). "Colton Underwood Kisses BF Jordan C.Brown On Romantic Hawaii Vacation". Hollywood Life.
  40. ^ "Colton Underwood Engaged to Jordan C. Brown: 'I'm Extremely Happy!'".
  41. ^ "The 6th Annual Reality Television Awards' Official Winners". Reality Television Awards. June 9, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  42. ^ Bell, Crystal (June 17, 2019). "2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards Winners: See the Full List". MTV. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  43. ^ Lewis, Hilary; Howard, Annie (September 4, 2019). "People's Choice Awards: 'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Game of Thrones,' BTS Among Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
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