Colton Underwood is returning to reality TV in a way he's never done before.
After coming out as gay in a televised interview on Monday, April 14, the 29-year-old former football player already has his next project lined up: a reality series. A source confirmed to E! News the Bachelor alum is working with Netflix on the series, which will cover his journey before and after coming out. Netflix declined to comment.
Of course, as fans well know, Underwood is no stranger to the cameras. He appeared as a contestant on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise before starring as the lead of The Bachelor in 2019. At the time, he won over contestant Cassie Randolph and, while they did not get engaged, the two did date for more than a year before announcing their breakup in May 2020. Publicly, things eventually turned messy between them. In September 2020, Randolph filed a restraining order against Underwood, accusing him of stalking and harassing her. Two months later, she asked the court to dismiss it and they reached "a private agreement to address any of Cassie's concerns," Underwood said last November.
During his Good Morning America sit-down, he took responsibility for his behavior with an apology. "I would like to say sorry for how things ended. I messed up," he told Robin Roberts. "I made a lot of bad choices."
While he maintains he was in love with Randolph, he also acknowledged the "internal fight" he was experiencing. "I would just say that I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart," he echoed. "I'm sorry for any pain and emotional stress I caused. I wish it wouldn't have happened the way it did. I wish that I would have been courageous enough to fix myself before I broke anybody else." Randolph has not yet commented publicly on her ex's coming out.
Meanwhile, he has garnered public support from many other members of Bachelor Nation, as well as the host of his season, Chris Harrison. "Very proud of you today @coltonunderwood," Harrison wrote on Instagram, his first post since announcing his temporary exit from the franchise in February. "Happy to see you stand up and openly live your truth. You have my love and support my friend."
According to Variety, citing an "insider," Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy will also appear in the upcoming series. As for his role, the website described him as a sort of "guide" for Underwood in the midst of this personal journey.
"Obviously, this year's been a lot for a lot of people and it's probably made a lot of people look themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are and what they've been running from or what they've been putting off in their lives," he told Roberts. "I've ran from myself for a long time."