The Truth About Colton Underwood's Relationship With Jordan C. Brown
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It seems fair to say that Colton Underwood has gone from a 0 to 100 when it comes to his life as an openly gay man. Since officially coming out in a televised interview with Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" in April 2021, the former Bachelor has documented his struggles with his sexuality in a six-part Netflix series (wherein he's controversially compared to LGBTQ activists) and announced his engagement to the first serious boyfriend he's ever had.
Underwood had previously dated gymnast Aly Raisman as well as Cassie Randolph, aka the chosen one on "The Bachelor" who subsequently filed a restraining order against him. But in November 2021, the one-time defensive end announced that he'd now found the person he should have always given his rose to, Democratic party strategist Jordan C. Brown.
So how did the unlikely pair meet? When are they due to tie the knot? And perhaps most pressing of all, will they sign a pre-nup? Here's a closer look at their whirlwind romance.
Colton Underwood didn't have any interest in dating
"I wasn't really pursuing dating at first," Colton Underwood admitted to People magazine about his post-coming out life. Having only just gained the ability to use Grindr with a clear face pic, you can imagine that the former San Francisco Eagle was more interested in sowing his oats than settling down.
But in his coming out interview on "Good Morning America," Underwood admitted that he did want to form something longer-lasting at some point: "I still haven't had an emotional connection with a man. I've never allowed myself to. It's never been, sort of, in my cards to let myself get there, and I want to more than anything. I'm looking for someone who can push me and challenge me in all the great ways."
The reality star appeared to have found the man to push and challenge him earlier than expected when just months later, he entered into a relationship with political strategist Jordan C. Brown. Shortly after they got together, Underwood told Us Weekly, "I'm happy, I'm in love, and I'm in a good position."
Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown first went public on a beach
Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown first got tongues wagging in September 2021 when they were pictured kissing while vacationing at the Four Seasons in Hawaii. The loved-up couple were snapped lounging next to each other on a beach before sharing a romantic moment for all the world to see. But it remains a mystery as to how and when they first got together.
We do know that Underwood and Brown had spent some time together in June 2021 to celebrate Pride Month. The pair joined several friends, including "Coming Out Colton" mentor Gus Kenworthy, at an event in Provincetown, Massachusetts (via OK!).
But the former Bachelor waited until his interview with The New York Times in November to confirm that he and Brown were an item. It took another month for Underwood to make things Instagram Story official with snaps from a birthday party he threw for his boyfriend. Underwood wrote over a series of Stories, "Happy birthday to my dog-loving... Family man... Corn-fed... Love" (via ET).
They got engaged in Big Sur
"The only time in life I'm ok with wasting a bottle of champagne." That's how Jordan C. Brown referred to the champagne-popping moment captured on Instagram to celebrate his engagement to boyfriend Colton Underwood.
In an interview with People magazine, the star of "The Bachelor" Season 23 revealed the when (shortly after he turned 30) and the where (a relaxing weekend away in the great outdoors of Big Sur) but frustratingly not the how. However, he later revealed in a chat on Amazon Live that it was Brown who popped the question. The couple had previously discussed getting married, but Brown's proposal was still a delightful surprise, an element which Underwood appreciates.
The former Bachelor seemed incredibly stoked about the whole thing, telling People, "I couldn't have pictured a more beautiful place to celebrate an amazing milestone in my life and relationship." He continued, "I'm extremely happy! 2021 was the most transformative year of my life. Starting 2022 off with my best friend, teammate and now fiance is something I never thought was going to be possible."
They aim to have a non-traditional wedding
Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown might have gotten engaged just months after they first started dating. But it looks as though they might have to wait a little longer if they want to stage the wedding of their dreams.
Appearing on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in 2022, the "Beyond the Edge" star revealed that although he and his fiance initially wanted to get married quickly, they soon realized this would be impossible. "It's what, three years backed up now because of COVID? I want a good wedding. We need a venue, and venues are backed up," Underwood said (via the Daily Mail).
Brown and Underwood are also thinking outside the box, as the latter further explained in an interview with Amazon Live: "...that aspect of our relationship and our engagement and even, you know, our wedding when it comes time to plan that, we're going to be doing it, hopefully, in a nontraditional fun, weird way. It's going to be authentic to us instead of trying to fit into some mold." And being authentic means no televised wedding. When asked about the possibility on E! News' "Daily Pop," Underwood replied, "There's no chance I'm gonna have producers in my ear while I'm getting married."
The fiances wear engagement necklaces
Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown went with an unorthodox option in lieu of their engagement rings — for now. The pair, who plan to have a non-traditional wedding in the great outdoors, initially opted for a different kind of jewelry instead.
In an interview with Amazon Live, Underwood explained, "We both felt it was important to pick our rings out together, so we're going to be doing that here shortly. But we have these necklaces as our engagement necklaces for right now." He then revealed that each came equipped with the relevant birthstone, garnet for himself and tanzanite for his other half, and that they were both engraved with the same Beyoncé quote.
Like the wedding itself, the couple might take their time on finding the perfect rings. Speaking with Us Weekly in March 2022, Underwood shared, "We're just enjoying the moment right now and enjoying the space and time of life that we're in."
They've already bought a house together
Jordan C. Brown and Colton Underwood certainly didn't waste any time finding their happy place. Just a month after going public with their relationship, the loved-up couple bought a property together. And as you'd expect from a strategist for the Democratic Party and one of the reality TV world's most famous gay men, it isn't exactly a humble abode.
Yes, in January 2022, Brown and Underwood purchased a swanky property in Sherman Oaks, California, for a reported $3.185 million! And alongside 3.5 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms, the 3,300-square-foot home also boasts its own swimming pool and raised spa, game room, large kitchen complete with a breakfast bar and plenty of entertaining space, per the New York Post. Interestingly, the happy couple aren't the compound's first celebrity owners. In 2006, Tina Drew and Joe Simpson, aka the parents of Ashlee and Jessica, bought the house for $2.1 million. This was the same figure they sold it for 14 years later in the wake of their divorce.
According to Realtor.com, Underwood had put his own Colorado home on the market for $1.35 million just a few months earlier. The former defensive end had only bought the property, which was nearly 2,000 square-feet bigger than his love shack, in February 2021 for a little under $900,000, so he made a quick and tidy profit, too.
Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown want to keep their relationship private
You might not expect a man who rose to fame on the nation's most-watched dating show and then came to grips with his sexuality on a six-part Netflix series to have any concerns over privacy. But Colton Underwood seems determined to keep his love with Jordan C. Brown under wraps. Well, for now, anyway.
In a 2021 interview with People, the former footballer explained, "After 'The Bachelor,' I learned the boundaries and healthiness of having a private relationship. Everybody went through my breakup [with Cassie Randolph] and the ups and downs of my dating life. It's nice for me to have something for myself."
It was a point Underwood reiterated when asked by Us Weekly why his boyfriend hadn't appeared in "Coming Out Colton": "I have been through that. I have done that. Even going into the show, that was one of the conversations with the production company," he said. Underwood added, "I'm not in a space right now to really, like, put myself out there like that. I had a lot of self-discovery to do." However, perhaps tellingly, the former defensive end acknowledged that his opinion could change in the future.
They aren't interested in pre-nups
"Watch What Happens Live" host Andy Cohen famously once chastised "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Guidice for not signing a prenuptial agreement before her wedding to Luis 'Louie' Ruelas. So much so that she quickly ended up having to rethink the issue. And Colton Underwood seemed prepared for a similar dressing down when the subject arose during an appearance on the Bravo show in 2022. The reality TV favorite revealed that he and fiance Jordan C. Brown also weren't interested in tempting fate with such a document, saying, "We've already had this conversation. We're in it for the long haul ... I know you guys have opinions on prenups. We don't want to put those vibes out there" (via Page Six).
You might expect that with all his reality TV exploits, Underwood would be the half with more to lose if the divorce courts came calling. The one-time Bachelor's reported $1 million net worth might not exceed that of his significant other. Per LinkedIn, Brown formerly worked for Scooter Braun's SB Projects, and the Stanford graduate has hosted political discussions for Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, and others. He also ran with the celeb crowd long before Underwood came along. Brown sat with Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom to celebrate the birthday of former Vogue editor Molly Howard; he photoboothed with Justin Bieber (and Braun's ex); he even went for a hike with Fran Drescher.
Jordan C. Brown has the future in-laws' seal of approval
Meeting your other half's parents for the first time is always one of the most nerve-wracking aspects of being in a relationship. Luckily for Jordan C. Brown, he was given the seal of approval by his future in-laws straightaway.
When asked about the meeting in question during an interview with The New York Times to promote his Netflix series, Colton Underwood revealed that all parties took things in their stride. He said, "The easiest way for me to say it is that it was like me bringing a girl home. Like, nobody batted an eye. But although the ex-footballer's parents might have been accepting of his new partner, they were less enthused about the way their son decided to come out to them. Referring to the moment captured on camera for "Coming Out Colton," father Scott told the same newspaper, "I'm not saying I'm upset about it, but I would have preferred it had been done differently." And mother Donna also admitted that she was left uneasy by having such a private conversation laid bare in public.
Underwood opened up about the coming-out experience in an interview with "Access." "At times, it felt like I was putting my friends and my family in [an] uncomfortable position, but then I had to remind myself how uncomfortable I was for how many years, and they can sit with that. And they did. And they were amazing and incredible for that," he shared.
Colton Underwood wants kids
We don't yet have Jordan C. Brown's opinion on the matter, but his other half, Colton Underwood, has confirmed that he wants to have kids in the future. And considering how quickly he's gone from a closeted singleton to an out and proud fiance, it probably won't be long before we hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet.
In an interview to promote another reality series, survival challenge "Beyond the Edge," with Us Weekly, the reality TV star admitted, "I feel like I was born to be a dad. ... There's nothing more in this world that I want than to raise kids. I'm really excited for when that time comes."
So when does Underwood see this time coming, exactly? Well, he remains open-minded: "There's no true timeline. Life happens. Who knows, maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and want to start the process. But as of right now, we're sort of enjoying this moment and taking it as it comes," he told Us Weekly.
It's Colton Underwood's healthiest relationship
Colton Underwood's previous relationships were built on a lie that he was terrified of having exposed. In contrast, Underwood has acknowledged that the relationship he has with Jordan C. Brown has been the healthiest one of his life. "The Bachelorette" alum shared on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast in December 2021 that he's learned to take things a lot easier since getting together with the political strategist: "With women, I would always look for a way out or try to find an escape plan. I was planning everything out like, next step this, we need to be engaged by this week, we need to hopefully have kids by this year... That's truly how my relationships [went]."
The fact that an engagement was announced just two months after the interview suggests that the reality TV star hasn't entirely abandoned his rapid-fire approach to love. But luckily, this time around, Underwood really does appear to have found his soulmate. He told Alex Cooper, "We just complement each other's lives...it sounds so casual, but we're just hanging out. We're having a good time. There's no pressure." Brown provides protection and accountability for Underwood, helping him strip away homophobic thoughts or tendencies. Additionally, the reality star told E! News that fans have sent him DMs of support, thanking him for making his coming-out journey public.
Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown are dog dads
Colton Underwood doesn't have human babies yet, but he and fiance Jordan C. Brown can already class themselves as dads, albeit of the canine kind. In March 2022, the former defensive end took to Instagram to introduce the world to their new pooch, Scout.
Underwood captioned a collection which included separate photos of himself and Brown alongside the dog, "our family is growing." And just like every social media-addicted pet owner these days, "The Bachelor" star also set Scout up with his own Insta account.
Under the handle @scoutbrownunderwood, the rescue dog 'posted' one snap alongside Brown with the message, "he loves hand feeding me, scratching my neck and teaching me not to pee in the house." Making sure his other dog dad didn't feel left out, Scout 'uploaded' another which revealed valuable information about Underwood: "he likes sneaking me treats, throwing my toys & showing me off." The "Coming Out Colton" star already had a dog of his own named Zooka, and it's not yet known how he and the new family addition are getting along.
Their friend was surprised by their speedy love connection
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, Josh Hartnett and Tamsin Egerton, and Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost are just a few of the celebrity couples who managed to walk down the aisle miles away from the glare of any paparazzi photographers. But don't expect Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown to follow suit and get married in secret.
According to friend Gus Kenworthy, the openly gay Olympic skiier who served as Underwood's mentor on "Coming Out Colton," the pair will never elope because his friend enjoys getting attention too much. The "American Horror Story" star told Us Weekly that although he's given the happy couple his blessing, he is surprised at just how quickly things have moved.
Kenworthy joked, "I did get the call that they were engaged and I was like, 'Oh, my God, you guys literally just met. Oh, my God, I've had food poisoning longer.'" The sportsman went on to add, "I think that they'll probably be in it for the long haul. They're very in love with one another, but it's bat s*** crazy. They're moving fast."
Jordan C. Brown gives Colton Underwood balance
Colton Underwood proved in June 2022 that engaged life was suiting him and Jordan C. Brown well when he gave an interview to ET Canada. Indeed, five months after being proposed to, the "Beyond the Edge" star still couldn't stop beaming over, and gushing about, his future husband.
When asked what Brown had brought to his life besides love, Underwood replied, "I would just say balance. I mean, finding balance both in [my] professional life and personal life. And also, just someone to have a good time with and that I can be as authentic and as true to myself as I could be."
The reality star, who in a separate interview with People revealed that his other half had also helped with his communication skills, was questioned about how he knew the political strategist was worthy of essentially his final ever rose: "It wasn't forced. It was unexpected, and I mean, just like the feeling that I had and he had, it just was undeniable," Underwood told ET Canada.