Country Star T.J. Osborne Comes Out: 'I'm Very Comfortable With Being Gay'

T.J. Osborne, from the country music duo Brothers Osborne, publicly opened up about his sexuality and being openly gay for the first time, even though his family and friends have known for years.

The 36-year-old explained to Time how this isn’t a new discovery, and he’s known he was gay since he was young.

While he’s comfortable with his sexuality, he’s had reservations in the past about discussing it because of the conservativeness that surrounds the country music genre, Time explained.

“I’m very comfortable being gay,” he said. “I find myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don’t have a problem with. That feels so strange.”

This news also makes Osborne the only openly gay country musician that’s signed with a major record label. While there are other country music stars who’ve come out, like Chely Wright and Billy Gilman, they haven't signed with a major label yet.

With his courageous announcement, he’s received love and gratitude from social media users and fans of his band. Radio show host Bobby Bones and fellow country singer Maren Morris expressed their love.

While he’s received praise, he’s also aware that some listeners might believe this is either a publicity stunt or won’t accept his truth.

“People will ask, ‘Why does this even need to be talked about?’ and personally, I agree with that,” he says. “But for me to show up at an awards show with a man would be jaw-dropping to people. It wouldn’t be like, 'Oh, cool!'”

No matter what others think of this news, he finally gets to openly love who he loves, and that's something he's proud of.

“I’ve done more than I ever thought I would,” he says. “At this point, my happiness is more valuable than anything else I’d ever be able to achieve.”

He isn't the only LGBTQ celeb breaking barriers. In January, JoJo Siwa, a popular singer and YouTube sensation, also came out and received immense amounts of support. Though it was a surprising move for the kid-oriented performer, she even gained a few new fans.