Brothers Osborne’s T.J. Osborne Talks to ‘Ellen’ About Coming Out: ‘The Perfect Time Is Always Now’
Brothers Osborne singer T.J. Osborne is opening up to Ellen DeGeneres about his decision to publicly come out as gay in an interview that's slated to air on her talk show on Thursday (Feb. 4). In a preview clip of the interview online, the singer talks about the "emotional day" he had on Wednesday (Jan. 3) after sharing his news in an interview with Time.
Osborne tells DeGeneres that he had come out to only a handful of friends and family prior to coming out publicly "in one big fell swoop," mostly because "I just find it so awkward and uncomfortable."
The singer adds that while he's grappled with what would be the right time to come out, now that the experience is behind him, he realizes, "The perfect time is always now. I instantaneously felt like I wish I had done this a long time ago."
Osborne says he'll be interested to see how his news plays out with more conservative fans in more rural areas, while he's confident about the support of fans in larger urban centers. He's thrilled about the support he's received from fellow county stars including Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Dierks Bentley, LeAnn Rimes and more.
"Right now I feel so incredibly loved ... I'm like, 'God, I wish that I could share this love with other people, and to feel this way,'" Osborne gushes. "And then to have people that I never expected to say anything reaching out to me, people that I think personify masculinity and straight culture to the nth degree who are coming out with a lot of pride for me."
One of the county stars who spoke out most clearly on Osborne's behalf was his brother, Brothers Osborne guitarist John Osborne, who turned to social media after his brother's news became public to share how proud he was.
"He's always had my support; no matter what, he will continue to have my support," John says in an emotional statement. "It's an honor to call him my brother — he's a beautiful, amazing human being: so talented, so caring, so giving."
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