Celebrity
Cassie Randolph Reveals How She Found Out Colton Underwood Is Gay
“It was horrible.”
Cassie Randolph’s cameo on Clayton Echard’s Bachelor finale marked her first public appearance in years. The 26-year-old stepped out of the spotlight in September 2020 after obtaining a restraining order against Season 23 lead Colton Underwood, who she claimed was harassing and stalking her after their split. A lot has happened since then. For example, in April 2021, the former Bachelor came out as gay in a candid interview on Good Morning America.
Randolph hasn’t said much about their messy breakup, but during the March 22 episode of Kaitlyn Bristowe’s “Off The Vine” podcast, she revealed how and when she found out that the former football player came out as gay. “I found out the same way that everyone else did,” she said. “I was actually in Mexico on vacation with friends. ... But yeah, I found out, I think, through Snapchat on GMA. It was horrible. It was just, like, a shocking kind of feeling.”
Beyond that, Randolph said that she’s still not ready to speak about their relationship and all of the drama that came after. “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,” she confessed. “I feel so much pressure when asked about it that I would love to be able to be open and candid about things, but I’m just not there yet. I’m sure I will one day want to speak on it because there’s just a lot there.”
When and if Cassie does decide to open up about their tumultuous past, she has Colton’s full support. “Whatever she needs to say, like, I’ve always from the very beginning [said] whatever she has to say or vent or do, I obviously have no control over that,” he said on the March 14 episode of Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti’s “Almost Famous” podcast. “It’s whatever she feels like she needs to do.”
Cassie didn’t address her and Colton’s failed relationship during Clayton’s finale, but she did say that she experienced “Déjà Vu” watching contestant Susie Evans go home. As a refresher, Cassie broke up with Colton mid-season and the two reconnected in the final episode. And even though she didn’t discuss her personal experience, Bachelor Nation was surprised to see her at Clayton’s finale at all.
Colton, however, wasn’t shocked to see his ex on TV. “I did know that she was going on,” he told the “Almost Famous” co-hosts. “One of the producers texted me just to give me a heads-up, which, I mean, obviously, they don’t even owe me at this point. But I did appreciate that.” Elsewhere in the interview, he acknowledged that he “could have handled a lot of things better” and “saved a lot of people a lot of time,” but that it was all part of his journey.
“At the end of the day, my path to coming out, my path to finding happiness was definitely one that was pretty rocky,” he said, explaining that he’s “in a much better place.” Colton has been dating his current boyfriend, Jordan C. Brown, for less than a year, and in late February, he announced that they are engaged.
“Now I have the love of my life to support me, I have my family to support me, I have a great group of friends,” he said before calling 2021 “the most transformative year” of his life. “Starting 2022 off with my best friend, teammate and now fiancé is something I never thought was going to be possible.”
