After publicly coming out as gay in a recent interview, TJ Osborne is thanking fans for their support.
The singer, who represents half of the prominent country duo The Brothers Osborne, publicly discussed being gay for the first time in an interview with Time Wednesday, noting that he has been hanging out with close friends and family for a while, but finally decided to be the most open and honest as possible with your fans.
Although he feared that more conservative country fans would not support him, TJ appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres” on Thursday to reveal that his experience has been the opposite so far.
“I expected a wave of love from family and friends. I didn’t expect it to feel the way I did,” he told the host. “I think it’s one thing when you just know and assume that people love you, and it’s different when you hear it and when you hear it sincerely.”
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Later in the interview, he added: “Now, I feel incredibly loved and it’s one of those things that I’m like, ‘God, I wish I could share that love with other people.’ And then to have people that I didn’t even expect to say anything, reaching out to me. People that I feel that personify masculinity and heterosexual culture to the umpteenth degree, leaving with a lot of pride for me. like, ‘Wow, that was there all the time.’
TJ Osborne has opened up about what life has been like for him since it was released.
(Terry Wyatt / Getty Images for CMA)
Although his debut journey has been met with much praise so far, the singer noted that he is still concerned about how more rural and conservative parts of America will feel when he and his brother play there again.
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“I think the country comes from a lot of rural roots that are very Christian and very old school thinking, but I really think it has changed a lot over the years. I know it has changed a lot over the years,” he said. “I’m very curious to see what our trip to rural America will be like. I feel very confident about going to places like LA and Chicago and playing here in Nashville, where I live. It’s in rural counties and such.”
The comments echo those he made in his article for Time, in which he noted that his anxiety about exposing himself may have led him to give very little credit to his fans when it comes to his views on homosexuality.
TJ Osborne, left, and John Osborne, from the Osborne brothers.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP)
“I want to reach the peak of my career by being completely who I am,” he told the outlet. “I mean, I am who I am, but I’ve kept a part of me silent, and it’s been stifling.”
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During his interview with DeGeneres, the singer received applause from both the presenter and his audience when he noticed that his only regret for coming was for so long.
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“I kind of got to the point where I knew there would never really be a perfect time,” he said. “Honestly, now that I’m late now, with taking over, it’s so crazy for me to think, really the perfect time is always now.”