Colton Underwood Asks Followers to 'Lead with Kindness' After Receiving 'Mean Comments' on Baby Announcement
Underwood and husband Jordan C. Brown are expecting their first baby together in October 2024
Charles Sykes/Bravo
Colton Underwood and Jordan C. BrownColton Underwood is urging his followers to be kind after receiving "mean" comments on his recent Instagram announcement.
In an Instagram Reel on Wednesday, May 29, the former Bachelor star, 38, addressed some of the responses he received after announcing that he and husband Jordan C. Brown, 38, are expecting their first baby boy via surrogate.
As dozens of “mean comments” flashed across the screen, Underwood said, “While the majority was supportive and we felt wrapped in love, I do want to address some of these.”
He continued to share his reasoning for addressing the hate head-on.
“I know there's a lot of people who still come to my page after they’ve watched the Netflix show just to check in and see how life is for me, and a lot of those individuals still remain closeted,” he explained. “And for them to read those comments, only solidifies the position that it’s not okay to be completely yourself yet.”
He then opened up about his own closeted experience as someone who’s always wanted to be a dad.
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“A big reason why I stayed in the closet was I wanted to be a dad and I didn't see the representation in the gay community, and I didn't look hard enough for it,” he shared, adding, “But now that I am out, it’s something that I want to take pride in.”
“I just want to educate and be slow with these people. I want to be patient," he continued. "I want them to understand that, you know, maybe this is their first interaction with somebody who is taking this step with their husband and/or in a same-sex relationship that is building a family through IVF, for them to just understand that it’s very intentional.”
“We are going through this because we both want to be dads. We both want to be parents. And we both want to love our child so much, and give him the best life and put a good human being into this world."
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“So, that’s why I will continue to shed light on this,” he added.
He concluded the Reel by urging, “I just encourage everybody to lead with kindness, to be kind, to be patient, and to be understanding.”
Earlier this month, Underwood told PEOPLE, “That was one of the things we bonded over early in our relationship. We both wanted to be dads,” he said. “But it's been such an incredible experience for us to go through this together, and I cannot wait to watch Jordan become a dad.”
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