Colton Underwood Not ‘Holding A Grudge’ After Deeply Personal Feud With Michael Rapaport On ‘The Traitors’

Colton Underwood is willing to move forward with Michael Rapaport after a deeply personal feud with the actor during the recent season of "The Traitors." The latest episode of the thrilling competition series generated a strong reaction from viewers who slammed Rapaport for making a "homophobic" statement during the show's intense roundtable segment. During a recent interview, however, Underwood implied that he was willing to bury the hatchet with Rapaport once and for all.

Colton Underwood Felt Michael Rapaport Took A 'Personal' Swing At Him On 'The Traitors'

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Underwood opened up about how challenging the coming-out process can be for LGBTQ+ individuals. "I'm still working on how to process it, and I think you definitely see that come up and hit me," he said. "The reason I said yes to doing a show like The Traitors is it's not personal."

For those who might've missed it, Rapaport stunned his "Traitors" co-stars when he seemed to take a personal dig at Underwood at the end of episode 5, saying "nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you." Many interpreted Rapaport's comments as a reference to the reality star's decision to publicly come out as gay in April 2021.

"The drama and the intensity of the show is always so game-focused, so I think that's what just threw me a little bit, is when it got personal and he was using me as a human being instead of my gameplay against me. That's what caught me off guard, and I think you felt that and saw it in the episode," Underwood said.

Colton Underwood Not Holding A 'Grudge' Against Rapaport

During the episode, many of Underwood's co-stars, including Jonny Weir and Candiace Dillard Bassett, rushed to his defense. And while Rapaport insisted his statement had nothing to do with his sexuality, Underwood certainly felt the opposite.

"I could just tell you how I took it, and I did take it that it was not in a gaming way and it was more of a personal dig at my past and what I went through and how I handled myself," he said. "I would be the first person to say I'm definitely not perfect, and I definitely made a lot of mistakes. But at this point in my life, it was five or six years ago when I first started the coming-out process, and I'm in just such a different phase of life with my family and professionally."

Underwood shared that he wasn't holding a "grudge" against Rapaport, noting that the latter had reached out to apologize for his words. "... but I do think it is important for me in my life at this point to start standing up for myself. I can only be a punching bag for so long. Even today, seeing some people's [and] fans of the show's comments towards me, I can only sit quiet for so long," he added.

Some Viewers Were Horrified By Rapaport's Comments

this moment with Michael Rapaport on the newest Traitors episode is so vile. love that Rob Rausch immediately clocked him for the incorrect grammar though

Michael: "Nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you"

Colton Underwood: "There it is. You think it… pic.twitter.com/kDcPZkUfMo

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) January 16, 2026

Rapaport's comments didn't sit well with some fans of the show, who immediately rushed to social media to slam the "True Romance" actor over his "homophobic" comments.

"F**k Michael Rapaport," someone wrote. "He's been known to be a bigot for a long time. Colton's no angel, and has a shady history too, but the sexuality comment was triggering for me. Reminded me of those men who are bullies and can't stand when gay men call them out."

Another user accused Rapaport of "dog-whistling the homophobia," while a third argued that Rapaport should've been immediately removed from the game for his seemingly insensitive comments.

Some Viewers Come To Rapaport's Defense In Feud With Colton Underwood

If this is all that was said by Michael in this moment, I’m confused why everyone freaked out on him. He’s right. https://t.co/ytQSpNwRT9

— Tommy Bracco (@TommyBracco) January 16, 2026

Meanwhile, other users questioned whether Rapaport meant his statement the way some cast members and other viewers were interpreting it.

"Big Brother" alum Tommy Bracco wrote, "If this is all that was said by Michael in this moment, I'm confused why everyone freaked out on him. He's right."

Another shared, "Hot take, I don't think this was homophobic at all," while a third posted, "My mind never even went to his sexuality. I thought he meant that Colton was so good at rallying people he'd be great at keeping the secret that he's a traitor."

Rapaport Sends Underwood Well-Wishes

Following the episode, Rapaport gave viewers an update on his relationship with Underwood now that production on the series had wrapped.

“I did speak to [Underwood] right after filming. We had a great man-to-man conversation, and everything was very cool and respectful. I like him and wish him and his family the best," he said.