Colton Underwood is finally addressing his controversial stalking scandal with his ex and winner of The Bachelor season 23, Cassie Randolph. During The Traitors season four reunion special, Colton made rare comments about the ordeal when moderator Andy Cohen asked if he had a response to negative feedback from viewers who criticized his history with Cassie, who filed a restraining order against him in 2020.
“I think what I can understand from people viewing me back on television, if you didn’t follow my story and what I went through, and you watched me as The Bachelor in 2019, and then, all of a sudden, you’re tuning in in 2026,” Colton replied. “I had an incredibly difficult couple of years, and I’ve grown, I’ve changed. I’ve put in so much work into myself and to my family. I never really thought the way that I would show up and play Traitors would be linked to one of the darkest and most horrible moments of my life.”
He continued, “There’s a part of me I could see why people are talking about it, but it is also for me, a challenging thing to go through, because it was, like I said, I was not in a great place.”
Colton gave more details about the scandal—and his headspace at the time—in a separate interview with Vanity Fair, published on February 26.
“I met with production. I met with Peacock. I was like, ‘I’m down to do this,’ because this show is about strategy. It is about the game. It is about traitors. It is not personal,” he told the outlet. “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.”
The former Bachelor also broke his silence on Cassie’s restraining order, saying, “It was 2020. It was, as people remember, COVID. I was fully convinced that she was gonna be my last straight…like, I was going to have to either kill myself or come out. That’s just transparently, like, where my mindset was.”
He admitted that he struggled with suicidal tendencies at the height of the scandal. “I don’t know if this is the right phrase, but it was somewhat of the perfect storm of me hitting rock bottom, of me really trying to navigate, ‘Am I gonna kill myself or am I gonna come out?’ That’s just where I was at,” he said, maintaining that he “will always own the mistakes” he made.
“I will always feel guilt and feel this extreme sadness for how I showed up for certain friends, for people in my life. Also fans—letting people down,” Colton shared. “At that point, people had been sort of invested in me and in my story. So I did feel like not only I let myself down, I let a lot of people down there.”
The former Bachelor went on to say that he’s experienced a lot of growth since the controversy, especially when it comes to his mental health and professional opportunities in the entertainment space.
“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,” he shared. “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.”
He’s had no contact with Cassie since the incident, but revealed that he’s “open” to reconnecting with her and her family to answer any questions they may have.
“That is something I’ve always offered,” Colton said. “I’m in no position to really say much more than that or reach out. There’s been no part of me that would. I would always be up for it. It’s all on her terms.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with the Crisis Text Line. Both are free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you’re outside the U.S., find international helplines at https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines. If you’re in immediate danger, call 911 (or your local emergency number).
