Colton Underwood is ready to talk about a chapter of his life that he very much wants to move forward from.
In a candid interview with Vanity Fair published on Thursday, February 26, Underwood, 34, revealed that he only agreed to do The Traitors on the condition that his past drama with ex Cassie Randolph wouldn’t be brought up on camera.
“I met with production. I met with Peacock. I was like, ‘I’m down to do this,’ because this show is about strategy,” Underwood said. “It is about the game. It is about traitors. It is not personal. My only ask is, like, if I do this, I don’t want people to bring up anything outside of the game. I have a family now, right? I’m…so far past what happened six years ago.”
In September 2020, Randolph, 30, filed a restraining order against Underwood, alleging he had planted a tracking device in her car, harassed her via text message and showed up uninvited to her apartment and her parents’ house after their breakup.
Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph: The Way They Were
Two months later, Underwood revealed that the case had been settled in private and the restraining order was dropped.
In an emotional April 2021 interview on Good Morning America, Underwood came out as gay and apologized for any “pain and emotional stress I caused.”
“Since 2020, I’ve put a lot of work into myself. I’ve worked with almost every network. I’ve shown up as a professional, I’ve shown up as a human being. I’ve taken accountability,” Underwood said in his latest interview. “I can sit here and tell you I’ve changed all the time. I think better than that, I can point to the last six years of my life.”
Underwood is now married to Jordan C. Brown and raising a son they welcomed via surrogate in September 2024.
“I’m proud of who I’ve become. I’m proud of the man that I am,” Underwood shared. “I’m proud of the husband that I am. I’m proud of the father that I am. Like, I am really proud of the growth and the work that I’ve put in.”
As viewers prepare to watch The Traitors season 4 finale and reunion show on Thursday, Underwood acknowledges that some fans still have questions about his past and what he will — or won’t — talk about.
Last month, Entertainment Weekly interviewed Underwood when he was eliminated from the Peacock reality show. The publication noted that any questions about Randolph were off limits.
When asked why he’s comfortable talking about it now, ABC’s former Bachelor believes the “temperature changed.”
Lisa Rinna Calls Traitors’ Colton Underwood a ‘Stalker’: In ‘Housewife Mode’
“I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. I don’t feel like it’s appropriate that every time I work or I do something that she’s mentioned and tagged in hundreds and thousands of articles,” he said. “I can only speak for myself, but I can imagine that would be extremely difficult and also frustrating. So out of respect for the situation, I didn’t want to go into it.”
Underwood continued, “It’s important now to be honest and sit here for those of you who have been asking for accountability from me. I have done it in the past. I will continue to do it. … There was no strategy in that Entertainment Weekly article, other than not wanting to add fuel to a fire.”
The Traitors is streaming now on Peacock with new episodes released Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
