The Gloves Are Off: Colton Fights Back
Colton Underwood is officially done playing nice. The former Bachelor lead turned reality TV villain—depending on who you ask—has snapped back at the online trolls in a major way. After years of navigating the murky waters of public opinion following his bombshell coming-out interview in , Underwood is drawing a line in the sand. The drama exploded this week when a so-called fan of The Traitors decided to come for Underwood’s neck on social media, unleashing a wave of vitriol that forced the star to issue a dark, emotional clapback.
It seems the pressure cooker of Peacock’s hit murder-mystery show isn’t just confined to the Scottish castle. It is spilling over into the real world. Underwood, , took to his Instagram Story to publicly shame a user on Threads who posted a comment that was as bizarre as it was cruel. The comment wasn’t just a critique of his gameplay; it was a direct attack on his identity.
“And I really wish Colton was straight again,” the user blasted into the digital void. “We, the gays, don’t want him. BYE!”
Ouch. Talk about gatekeeping. The comment rips open the scar tissue surrounding Underwood’s controversial entry into the LGBTQ+ community, a transition that has been plagued by skepticism from day one. But instead of ignoring the hate, Underwood decided to make an example out of the troll, and his response was anything but lighthearted.
‘I Barely Survived’: A Dark Confession
Underwood didn’t just call the user a jerk; he dropped a heavy reminder of the stakes involved in his journey. In a response that silenced the room, he called out the behavior for exactly what it was: toxic.
“What a weird and hateful thing to say,” Underwood fired back, refusing to let the comment slide. “I’m happily married and living my best life… I barely survived being in the closet. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
“Barely survived.” Those two words are doing a lot of heavy lifting. It is a stark reminder of the mental health crisis Underwood faced before his public admission on Good Morning America. For critics who think his coming out was a calculated PR move or a Netflix cash grab, this statement is a brutal reality check. He is claiming that the closet almost killed him.
He followed up the dark confession with a plea that feels almost desperate in the current climate of social media warfare: “Be kind today. It’s a game and a TV show.”
But let’s be real—reality TV is never just a game. It is a bloodsport, and Underwood is currently bruised and battered in the arena.
The Rapaport Incident: Weaponizing The Closet?
The online hate didn’t appear in a vacuum. It is directly fueling the fire started by Michael Rapaport on the latest episodes of The Traitors Season . If you missed it, the tension between the actor and the former football player reached a boiling point that left the rest of the cast clutching their pearls.
Rapaport, , known for his loudmouth persona, decided to take a shot at Underwood during a banishment roundtable that felt incredibly personal. While accusing Underwood of being a “Traitor” in the game, Rapaport dropped a line that many interpreted as a low blow about Underwood’s past life as a closeted man.
“Nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you,” Rapaport sneered across the table.
The room froze. It was the kind of comment that sucks the air out of the building. Was Rapaport talking about strategy, or was he weaponizing the decades of pain Underwood spent hiding his true self? Underwood certainly took it as the latter.
“You think it was fun for years of my life?” Underwood snapped back, his voice shaking with genuine anger. It was a raw, unscripted moment that pierced through the heavily produced layers of the show.
Rapaport tried to backpedal faster than a politician caught in a scandal, claiming, “That has nothing to do with it. I think you came into this game loving the idea of being a Traitor.” But the damage was done. The implication was clear: You are a professional liar, so you must be good at this game.
The Cast Revolts: Team Colton Takes Over
The fallout inside the castle was immediate. The other celebrities, who usually would sell their own mothers for more screen time, rallied around Underwood in a rare display of solidarity. The consensus? Rapaport crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, who knows a thing or two about living authentically in the public eye, didn’t mince words when addressing Rapaport’s behavior.
“You can’t blame someone for being forced into a closet for the majority of their lives,” Weir lectured Rapaport before the vote. “That is what we took it as.”
Natalie Anderson, a Survivor legend, also hammered the final nail in Rapaport’s coffin. “For me, there are some things that it doesn’t even matter,” she declared. “But today – the way you spoke to Colton – for me, it’s enough to write your name.”
Rapaport was ultimately banished, effectively cancelled by the cast for his insensitive remarks. But the incident clearly opened old wounds for Underwood, wounds that internet trolls are now happily pouring salt into.
From ‘Bachelor’ Fraud To Family Man
The reason this hits so hard is because of Underwood’s messy history. Let’s not forget, this is the guy who starred as The Bachelor, dated women, and convinced America he was looking for a wife—all while knowing he was gay. That level of deception has left a permanent stain on his reputation with a segment of the audience, hence the “We the gays don’t want him” commentary.
Underwood addressed this internal battle during his bombshell interview.
“I’ve ran from myself for a long time, I’ve hated myself for a long time. I’m gay… I came to terms with that earlier this year.”
Since then, he has been on a PR blitz to rebrand from “deceptive Bachelor” to “happy family man.” He documented his journey on the Netflix series Coming Out Colton, which was met with mixed reviews. He started dating Democratic strategist Jordan C. Brown, and the two have been on the fast track ever since.
RELATED: Happily Ever After! Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown Are Married
They tied the knot in May and, in a move that solidified his new life, welcomed a son named Bishop via egg donor and surrogate in September . Underwood wants the world to see him as a father and a husband, not the guy who jumped a fence to escape his own lies on ABC.
The Gatekeeping War
The comment on Threads highlights a massive divide within the LGBTQ+ community regarding Underwood. Is he a victim of a heteronormative society who did what he had to do to survive? Or is he a villain who utilized women for fame before pivoting to a new demographic?
The troll’s comment—”We, the gays, don’t want him”—suggests that forgiveness isn’t on the menu for everyone. It is a savage rejection. By posting it, Underwood is trying to shine a light on the hypocrisy of the “love is love” crowd engaging in hateful exclusion.
But is it working? Or is he just feeding the trolls? By engaging with the negativity, he is amplifying the very voices he wants to silence. It is a dangerous game to play on social media, especially when your past is as controversial as his.
What’s Next? The Cliffhanger
With The Traitors season still airing on Peacock, the drama is far from over. Rapaport may be gone, but his words are still echoing in the castle hallways and in the comment sections. Underwood is trying to focus on his “happily married” life, but the ghosts of his past—and the sharp tongues of his co-stars—keep dragging him back into the mud.
Will more cast members turn on him as the game gets tighter? Will the “Bachelor Nation” loyalists ever forgive him? And most importantly, will Underwood keep clapping back, or will he finally jump the fence and leave the drama behind for good?
One thing is certain: Colton Underwood isn’t hiding anymore, and he has got the receipts to prove it. Watch this space.
RELATED: Colton Underwood and Husband Jordan C. Brown’s Relationship Timeline
