Colton Underwood is firing back at an online troll who claimed to feel “bad” for the reality star’s son, Bishop, seemingly because he has gay parents.
Underwood, 34, took to Instagram on Tuesday, May 26, to share a photo of himself and husband Jordan C. Brown posing for a selfie with Bishop, 20 months. Over the image, the Bachelor alum included a screenshot of an Instagram comment that read, “I feel bad for that kid.”
In the next slide, Underwood wrote to the critic, “Genuinely curious what you meant by this. Because if you ‘feel bad’ for Bishop, I’d love to understand why. He’s loved, supported, celebrated, happy and surrounded by people who show up for him every single day.”
Underwood continued, “What a child actually needs protection from isn’t a loving family. It’s ‘adults’ who use vague, loaded comments to express disapproval they don’t have the courage to say out loud. Words like yours, ambiguous enough to deny, pointed enough to wound, are exactly how kids learn that who they are is something to be ashamed of. That’s the thing worth feeling bad about.”
Underwood concluded by reiterating that he and his family are “great” and thanking the troll for the “reminder that this work still matters.”
In the caption, the Traitors alum wrote, “Comments like this are something I write about a lot in [his memoir] Dear Bishop. Some days they don’t affect me. Other days, they ruin my day. Most days, they remind me why sharing my life this publicly is worth it … because somewhere there’s a kid, or a man, who might find comfort or something familiar in my story. That’s what keeps me living openly.”
Underwood, who appeared on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise in 2018 and led The Bachelor in 2019, publicly came out as gay in 2021.
“I’ve ran from myself for a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time,” he said on Good Morning America at the time. “And I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know.”
Underwood added, “I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. That means the world to me.”
Underwood began dating Brown, 43, later that year. The pair tied the knot in May 2023 and welcomed Bishop via surrogate in September 2024.
Earlier this year, Underwood clapped back at a Traitors season 4 fan who wrote that they wished the TV personality was “straight again.”
“We, the gays, don’t want him. BYE!” the person added.
Underwood responded, “What a weird and hateful thing to say. I’m happily married and living my best life … I barely survived being in the closet. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Be kind today. It’s a game and a TV show. ❤️.”
