Coming Out Colton: From the closet to Netflix docuseries star
Colton Underwood was an NFL player turned reality television star when he landed a gig on The Bachelor back in 2019. It was an experience that catapulted him to on-screen stardom, but one that ultimately also changed his life in deeply fundamental ways. Successfully matched with Cassie Randolph on the show, the couple broke up in May of 2020 after less than two years of dating. In April 2021, Underwood came out as gay.
Netflix capitalized on the opportunity really quickly and signed Underwood for his own docu-series that documents his coming out story. Coming Out Colton, of which Underwood stars in as himself (duh) and is also an Executive Producer, is a six-part mini-series that quite literally follows Underwood as he comes out to the pertinent people in his life.
The docu-series was released on Netflix on December 3, 2021. Since appearing in our streaming cues, it’s received mixed reviews among critics. Some loved it, and some really didn’t. Here at Q+ Magazine, we have many feelings and things to say. Here is everything we yelled at the television while watching Coming Out Colton.
Thumbs down: authenticity and scripting
Everyone’s coming out process is personal and unique. Colton Underwood’s is no different. His journey to realizing that he couldn’t deny his sexuality any longer was marked with one harrowing experience after another. Underwood cites suicidal ideation as the straw that broke the camel’s back when he realized he couldn’t, and didn’t want to, run from his sexuality anymore.
Despite this, it is very clear that Underwood’s coming out confessions in the docu-series do not unfold organically on screen, and in fact, are definitely scripted in some way. Despite there being no official confirmation this is true, the scripted component of the show is rather obvious.
Now that’s not to say that some people don’t actually pre-prepare the things they want to say to others when they come out. This absolutely happens sometimes. But it’s pretty clear that everyone pre-prepared what they wanted to say back to Underwood as well. This detracted from the raw, human emotion that is often released for everyone involved in those moments. The clumsy scripting removed the honest authenticity that folks were so hoping to find in the story.
Thumbs up: support versus rejection
Something that did work well, however, was Netflix’s balance of support versus the lack of support that Underwood received from those around him. In an ideal utopia, of course, one would want universal support from everyone they deem important in their lives. The reality is though, that just doesn’t happen often.
Underwood’s mom was shocked, yet on board relatively quickly, the show positioned his dad’s reaction to being a giant question mark, but in the end that went well too. His best friend was on board too. The priest’s reaction and Underwood’s former coach’s were completely and totally predictable, but also reflective of reality.
The docu-series portrayed a delicate balance of support juxtaposed with resistance. There are so many tragic stories (reflective of reality) where coming out is met with devastation and trauma, so thumbs up to Netflix for not taking that path. Media and popular culture are already so filled with those narratives and it was a relief to consume a different story.
Thumbs up: LGBTQ+ athletes and their struggles
While frustrating to watch (we may have thrown a pillow at the television several times) something that Coming Out Colton does really well is highlight the homophobia that LGBTQ+ athletes still face in sports today. It was one of the factors that Underwood cites as why he denied his sexuality for so long.
The notion that you can’t be gay, out, and a successful athlete all at the same time is still very much a thing. Underwood discusses the devastating impacts reconciling this within himself had on his mental health. While the show doesn’t provide an answer, the question is surreptitiously raised: why not?
This aspect of the show has sparked conversation online about toxic masculinity in the world of sports, and just toxic masculinity in general. It’s 2021 and we are still trying to pigeonhole men into antiquated archetypes of what are acceptable versions of masculinity and what aren’t. Who you love seems to factor heavily into the accepted checklist of characteristics. *insert massive eye roll here*
Being gay doesn’t make you any less athletic! Just sayin’.
Le sigh: RELIGION
We didn’t know how to assign this a thumbs up or down rating because… well, sigh. This docuseries doesn’t really contribute anything new to the religion and queer spaces conversation, but it does highlight once again the complete conflict that exists between the two.
There are many members of the LGBTQ+ community that also consider themselves religious people. Many of them will document the struggles they went through in order to reconcile that with themselves. And then there are many that, because of the homophobic stances organized religions around the world have taken on queerness, reject religion entirely.
This is a sensitive topic that is personal for everyone so instead of deciding whether this was a good aspect of the show or not, we’ve decided that it is just one that is real. It’s something that incites emotional discussion among many, so we’ve decided that we’re throwing the towel out to you on this one. How did this aspect of Underwood’s journey make you feel? Drop us a comment in the comments section to get the conversation started.
Coming Out Colton is available to stream on Netflix now! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
