The twist she didn’t expect. Cassie Randolph’s reaction to Colton Underwood coming out as gay was revealed in her first statement on her ex-boyfriend’s sexuality on Thursday, April 22.

In a video on her YouTube channel, Cassie addressed Colton’s coming out interview on Good Morning America on Wednesday, April 14, telling her followers that she wants to move “forward” from her past relationship. “Before I get into anything, I just want to say thank you so much for all the kind comments and messages from you guys,” she said. “I really appreciate it. Regarding the topic in the media that brought my name up this week, I just want to let you know that I’m not going to be further discussing it or commenting on it for now. There’s a lot of layers to it, and I just feel like the best thing for me at this time is to move forward and just focus on going forward. So if I do decide in the future to say anything or make a comment at all, you guys will be the first to know. But for now, I just want to say thank you for all the kind messages, comments and DMs.”

A source told Us Weekly on Wednesday that Cassie, who split from Colton in May 2020, is “still processing” the news about her ex-boyfriend’s sexuality. “She was not made aware in advance that he was going to be on GMA doing a tell-all,” the insider said. “To be honest, she hasn’t really had time to navigate how she feels about it yet.” A source also told E! News at the time that Cassie and Colton are “not in communication,” but their relationship was “very real” to he. “She doesn’t know what to think at this time, she’s still processing it all,” the insider said.”Their relationship was very real to her and they were both in love at one point in time. It’s a lot to take in.”

In an interview with Nightline on Wednesday, Colton also confirmed that he didn’t tell Cassie that he was gay before he made his sexuality public. “I made mistakes at the end of that relationship and I ruined the good memories we had by my actions and what I did to hold on to being straight because I didn’t want to look myself in the mirror,” he said. “So for that, I’m extremely, extremely sorry

During his GMA interview, Colton revealed that he’s known he was “different” since he was 6 years old but it wasn’t until he was older that he came to terms with his sexuality. “I couldn’t process it and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was until high school, my freshman year when I knew I was gay,” he said. “By that time, I had already grown up in the Catholic Church, I had gone to Catholic grade school. I had learned in the Bible that [being] gay is a sin.”

As Bachelor Nation members know, Cassie met Colton on season 23 of The Bachelor in 2019, which she won. Though the couple didn’t get engaged, Colton and Cassie went on to date for a year until their split in May 2020. “Colton and I have broken up, but have decided to remain a part of each others lives,” Cassie wrote on her Instagram at the time. “With all that we have gone through, we have a special bond that will always be there. I love Colton very much and have an enormous amount of respect for him. We have both learned and grown so much these past couple years, and will always have each other’s back. Always.”

The split became messy in September 2020 when Cassie filed for a restraining order against Colton. In her court documents, Cassie accused Colton of “stalking and harassing” her, sending “unsettling text messages” and “placing a “a tracking device on her vehicle.” She also alleged that he took “obsessive” walks to her family’s home and apartment, with Cassie’s family and friends claiming that they saw Colton outside the properties at different hours of the night. Three days before Colton and Cassie’s scheduled court date on November 6, 2020, Cassie filed to dismiss the restraining order against her ex.

“Today Cassie asked the court to dismiss the temporary restraining order against me,” Colton said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time. “The two of us were able to reach a private agreement to address any of Cassie’s concerns. I do not believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing for the restraining orders and also believe she acted in good faith. I appreciate everyone’s respect for privacy regarding this matter.”

During his GMA interview, Colton apologized to Cassie for his behavior after their breakup. “I would like to say sorry for how things ended. I messed up,” he said. “I made a lot of bad choices.” He went on to note that he was in love with Cassie, which “only made it harder and more confusing for me.” “If I’m being very honest, I loved everything about her,” he said. “And it’s hard for me to articulate exactly what my emotions were going through that relationship with her, because I obviously had an internal fight going on.”

He continued, “I would just say I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I’m sorry for the pain and emotional stress I caused. I wish it wouldn’t have happened the way it did. I wish that I would have been courageous enough to fix myself before I broke anybody else.” According to E! News’ source, Cassie has “moved on” from her drama with Colton. “Cassie has moved on from that part of her life and wishes him well,” the source said.

The Bachelor is available to stream on Hulu.

Image: Courtesy of Penguin Books.

Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman

To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.