Overview
- Underwood said on the We Need To Talk podcast on Tuesday, June 16, that before he came out he only hooked up with married “straight” men because he feared being outed.
- He and multiple outlets have noted a 2021 clarification in which Underwood said his earlier “hookups” did not include sexual intercourse, a distinction repeated in current reporting.
- Underwood said the heavily promoted “Virgin Bachelor” storyline masked a deeper struggle with sexuality and that he viewed starring on The Bachelor as a way to make himself appear straight.
- He publicly came out in 2021, married Jordan C. Brown in 2023, and the couple welcomed a son via surrogacy in 2024, which frames his remarks as retrospective reflection on earlier choices.
- Reporters and analysts link his account to pressures from a religious upbringing and pro‑sports culture and say the disclosures raise questions about secrecy, power dynamics with married partners, and how reality TV narratives can hide private struggles.