Colton Underwood is engaged less than a year after coming out as gay!
On Monday, The Bachelor alum, 30, announced that he and Jordan C. Brown, a political strategist, 39, are going to tie the knot.
Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown Came to the Decision After a Trip to Big Sur.
“After my birthday, Jordan and I went to Big Sur for a weekend getaway to decompress and relax in nature,” Underwood told People. “I couldn’t have pictured a more beautiful place to celebrate an amazing milestone in my life and relationship.”
Underwood went on to stress how big of a year 2021 was for him. “I’m extremely happy! 2021 was the most transformative year of my life,” he told the outlet. “Starting 2022 off with my best friend, teammate and now fiancé is something I never thought was going to be possible.”
Underwood and Brown started dating in the Summer of 2021 shortly after Underwood publicly came out in April of 2021. He documented his journey in the hit Netflix series, Coming Out Colton.
“I wasn’t really pursuing dating at first. But since then I found somebody and I am very much in love,” Underwood told People in December.
“I’m the luckiest person to have him in my life,” the former NFL athlete said at the time, also referring to Brown as a “great support.”
“I was struggling with my sexuality but I had such a level of fear over being gay,” explained Underwood. “Now that I’ve been out to myself for a year, it’s the healthiest and happiest I’ve ever felt. And there is nothing I would ever want to be but gay.”
Before the engagement announcement, Underwood had previously shared his love of Brown in a Valentine’s Day post on Instagram.
“This valentines day is a special one,” he captioned the gallery-style post. “I get to love who I want and I love loving on you.”
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Underwood became Instagram-official with Brown in December of 2021. He celebrated the latter’s birthday with a shout-out on Instagram Stories. A Merry Christmas post with Brown followed. Since then, the couple has shared their love for one another on social media.
We are thrilled for this couple and at Underwood’s growth following his very public coming out. It’s not often professional athletes (former or otherwise) come out publicly. It offers visibility for other athletes to navigate their own journeys. Mazel tov!