March 24, 2022
Colton's Ex-Girlfriend Reveals 'Shocking' Way She Found Out He's Gay
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Colton Underwood's fellow "Bachelor" castmate and former girlfriend Cassie Randolph opened up in a podcast interview about the "shocking" and "horrible" way she discovered he is gay, People Magazine reported.
"For the first time," Randolph, 26, "addressed the pair's split and what transpired thereafter during an appearance on Kaitlyn Bristowe's 'Off the Vine' podcast," People detailed.
"I haven't talked about it, so it's really hard for me to talk about it at all or even know the right thing to say when addressing it," Randoph disclosed in her March 22 podcast comments, before adding: "I'm sure I will one day want to speak on it because there's just a lot there."
Recounting that she "was actually in Mexico on vacation with friends" at the time, Randolph said she "found out the same way that everyone else did...through Snapchat on 'Good Morning America.'"
Randolph called the experience "horrible," and said, "It was just a shocking kind of thing."
Page Six recalled that Underwood came out in April of last year. In his "Good Morning America" appearance, he said he had "messed up" and "made a lot of bad choices."
"I would like to say sorry for how things ended," Underwood told host Robin Roberts.
"Randolph was the frontrunner on Underwood's 'Bachelor' season, which aired in 2019," People said. "She eventually left the competition before later choosing to reconcile with the former NFL player."
Of her decision to leave the show, Randolph said, "It's overwhelming. There's so much happening. 'But do I want to? Is this the right decision for me? Is it the right decision for him, for the show?'...you're sitting there on the spot like, 'What are you going to do?'"
Randolph's departure from the show was brief; after returning, she went on to be chosen by Underwood as the winner. The pair announced they were involved in real life, but the relationship did not endure, the article said: "Randolph and Underwood announced their split in May 2020. She then filed a temporary restraining order against Underwood later that year, accusing him of harassing and stalking her. The motion was dropped nearly two months later."
Randolph spoke about why she's kept quiet for so long about her reaction to Underwood's coming out, her explanation sounding somewhat like her comments about leaving "The Bachelor":
"It's such a hard thing, too when everything is so in your face. I think that's why I took a step back for so long, because I just didn't want everything to be so in my face. It was a healthy break."
Underwood recently became engaged to Jordan C. Brown. Like him, Randolph, too, has moved on; she's now "dating musician Brighton Reinhardt," People noted.
"He's honestly my best friend, which I think is such a key thing to have in a relationship," Randolph said, adding that was something "I feel like I haven't really had before."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.