Country star T.J. Osborne has come out as gay. The singer, who is half of the country duo Brothers Osborne, said he has been hesitant to come out to his fans but has realized there is no right moment to come out. In an interview with Time, Osborne opened up about his sexual identity.
"I find myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don't have a problem with. That feels so strange," he said.
Osborne came out as gay to his close friends and family years ago and, although he is "very comfortable being gay," he was afraid of alienating fans who may be less forgiving to people who hold different values to theirs.
"People will ask, 'Why does this even need to be talked about?' and personally, I agree with that. But for me to show up at an awards show with a man would be jaw-dropping to people. It wouldn't be like, 'Oh, cool!'" he explained. "I don't think I'm going to get run off the stage in Chicago, but in a rural town playing a county fair? I'm curious how this will go."
Osborne has been doing a lot of introspection during lockdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and said he realized he needed to be honest about who he was.
"I want to get to the height of my career being completely who I am," Osborne continued. "I mean, I am who I am, but I've kept a part of me muted, and it's been stifling."
Several other country stars have also come out as gay in recent years. Among them is Ty Herndon, who came out in 2014 to Entertainment Tonight, according to Taste of Country. Other names include Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Billy Gilman, and rapper-turned-country hitmaker Lil Nas X, who came out during Pride Month in 2019.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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