what happened to colton underwood

Colton Underwood hasn’t “disappeared,” but his public story has gone through some heavy, messy, and then more stable phases, and he’s back in the spotlight again as of early 2026.

What Happened to Colton Underwood?

Quick Scoop

• Former NFL player and Bachelor lead (Season 23).

• Dated Cassie Randolph after The Bachelor, then went through a highly public breakup and legal drama in 2020.

• Came out publicly as gay in 2021 and later married political strategist Jordan C. Brown in 2023.

• Openly discussed a past suicide attempt and serious struggles with depression and anxiety.

• In 2026, he’s back on TV on The Traitors Season 4 and is re-addressing his past controversy with Cassie and the fallout from it.

From The Bachelor to Public Controversy

Colton first became widely known as the lead of The Bachelor Season 23, ending the show in a relationship with Cassie Randolph rather than a traditional proposal. They later broke up, and in 2020 Cassie filed a temporary restraining order, alleging he had placed a tracking device on her car; the case was ultimately resolved privately and the order withdrawn.

In recent interviews and specials, he calls that time one of the “darkest” and most “horrible” periods of his life and says he will “always own” the mistakes he made. He also says that what people see online about that episode doesn’t include full context, but he doesn’t dispute that it was harmful and says he understands why people are critical.

Coming Out, Mental Health, and Suicide Attempt

After the Bachelor-era fallout, Colton later came out publicly as gay and talked in depth about his sexuality and mental health in his Netflix series Coming Out Colton and in interviews. He has revealed that, before coming out, he hit a “rock bottom” moment where he had a failed suicide attempt, describing it as a point where he was questioning whether to end his life or live more honestly.

He has also spoken about intense paranoia, feeling followed, and learning he was being watched and blackmailed via email before coming out, which fed into his mental health crisis. Since then, he says he has spent years in therapy and self-work, and he now works with a mental-health–focused app (WhiteFlag) as a community officer to connect people to peer support.

If you or someone close to you is struggling with suicidal thoughts, in the U.S. you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visiting 988lifeline.org for chat-based support.

Where He Is Now (2023–2026)

Colton married Jordan C. Brown in May 2023, sharing their wedding publicly and framing it as a new, more grounded chapter in his life. Professionally, he’s kept a steady presence in reality TV and entertainment, appearing on shows like The Masked Singer (2024), Are You My First? (2025), and The Traitors Season 4 (2026).

On The Traitors and related press, he’s addressed his history with Cassie again, saying he’s done a lot of work on himself over the last six years and that he’s “so far past what happened” but understands that some viewers only know him from that scandal. He says he has no current contact with Cassie, but would answer any questions if she or her family ever wanted to reach out, stressing that it would have to be on her terms.

Recent Backlash and Online Hate

Even with his “new chapter,” Colton continues to get backlash tied both to his past behavior and his sexuality. During and after The Traitors Season 4, he has described homophobic comments and even death threats directed at him and his family, calling some remarks from viewers “hateful” and saying he didn’t expect people to link a game-show appearance back to his lowest life moments.

He argues that his work since 2020—across multiple networks and projects—shows he has changed and matured, pointing to his conduct and professionalism over the last several years as evidence. At the same time, he acknowledges that fans are free to have their opinions and that he can’t control how people see him given the public record of his past.

Mini FAQ: “So, What’s the Latest?”

• Is Colton Underwood dead or missing?
  No—he is alive, married, and actively working in TV and advocacy.

• Is he still in trouble with Cassie Randolph?
  The 2020 restraining order was withdrawn after a private agreement, and he says there is no current contact, but he remains open to answering questions from her if she ever wanted that.

• What’s his current focus?
  Reality TV projects, LGBTQ+ visibility, and mental-health advocacy, including a role with the WhiteFlag peer-support app.

TL;DR: Colton Underwood went from Bachelor lead to a very public breakup and stalking/RO scandal with Cassie Randolph, hit a severe mental-health crisis and later came out as gay, and is now married, back on shows like The Traitors , and talking more openly about the harm he caused, the backlash he gets, and the work he says he’s done to change.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.