Colton Underwood has fiercely responded to a social media follower who appeared to make a derogatory comment about his 20-month-old son Bishop having two fathers. The 34-year-old former star of The Traitors took to Instagram to confront the user, who replied to a post featuring Underwood, his 43-year-old husband Jordan C. Brown-Underwood, and their son, born in September 2024.
The commenter wrote, 'I feel bad for that kid,' seemingly referencing the child's two fathers. Underwood, however, did not let the remark slide. He screenshotted the comment and shared it over a family photo, then posted a series of replies directly addressing the user, identified as Zach.
'Hey Zach - genuinely curious what you meant by this,' Underwood began. 'Because if you "feel bad" for Bishop, I'd love to understand why. He's loved, supported, celebrated, happy and surrounded by people who show up for him every single day.'
Underwood went on to explain that a loving family is not something children need protection from; rather, harmful words from adults can negatively impact a child's development. He wrote: 'What a child actually needs protection from isn't a loving family. It's 'adults' who use vague, loaded comments to express disapproval they don't have the courage to say out loud.'
'Words like yours, ambiguous enough to deny, pointed enough to wound, are exactly how kids learn that who they are is something to be ashamed of. That's the thing worth feeling bad about,' he added.
The former NFL player concluded his message with kindness, saying, 'Bishop is great. We're great. But thank you for the reminder that this work still matters.'
Underwood used the post to promote his new audiobook, DEAR BISHOP: A Letter to My Son, writing in the caption: 'Comments like this are something I write about a lot in DEAR BISHOP. Some days they don't affect me. Other days they ruin my day. Most days, they remind me why sharing my life this publicly is worth it…because somewhere there's a kid, or a man, who might find comfort or something familiar in my story. That's what keeps me living openly.'
The audiobook is a letter about his son's first year of life and the journey that led him there, from his football career to becoming a proud gay man, husband, and father.
In September 2024, Underwood and Brown-Underwood announced the birth of Bishop Colton Brown-Underwood via surrogate. The proud parents shared the news on Instagram with photos of their new family. 'Our world is a million times better with you in it. Bishop Colton Brown-Underwood,' Colton captioned the post, adding a blue heart emoji and the date 'September 26th, 2024.'
The couple invested in a $350,000 fertility team of nine people, including the surrogate, egg donor, and eggs, to produce three embryos fertilized by Underwood. 'We have all male embryos,' Colton revealed. Jordan added, 'But we have two girl dogs, so I think it's time for a boy.' Underwood replied, 'Yeah we're outnumbered. Well, we're even in this house. But, still, at times feel outnumbered. Yeah, we need some more boy energy in here.'
Underwood also opened up about his fertility struggles, revealing that his sperm count was only four—not million—and 'three of them were dead.' He attributed the low count to daily use of hot tubs, saunas, baths, and testosterone-replacement therapy, all of which he quit for six months to restore his fertility. 'There's such shame,' he told Men's Health. 'Women have too many responsibilities when it comes to giving birth, so for men to have literally one responsibility—have sperm that works to get to the egg—and you can't even do that? That's why it's a blow to your ego.'
Despite the challenges, Underwood expressed no regrets about becoming a father: 'But it's worth it, and once the baby's here, it's gonna be so rewarding—and I just appreciate the journey that much more.'
Colton and Jordan began dating in 2021, the same year Underwood publicly came out as gay under threat of blackmail.
