Michael Rapaport Hit With 'Homophobic' Claims After Colton Underwood Comment

Michael Rapaport’s shot at Colton Underwood during "The Traitors" roundtable didn’t just land wrong, but it detonated the entire vote. During Thursday’s episode, Rapaport went after the former "Bachelor" lead while arguing that Underwood should be suspected as a Traitor, dragging Underwood’s real-life history into the game in a way that immediately shifted the room. Rapaport claimed Underwood, who came out as gay in April 2021, had an edge at deception because “nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you.” Colton Underwood didn’t let it slide.

“There it is. You think it was fun for 29 years of my life?” he snapped back, as Rapaport quickly tried to backpedal, insisting his comment had “nothing to do with it.” But Rapaport doubled down on his suspicion, adding, “I think you came into this game loving the idea of being a Traitor.”

If Rapaport thought he was making a strategic point, the group clearly didn’t receive it that way. While there had been chatter about voting Underwood out, Rapaport’s remark flipped the momentum, and suddenly, his name was the one getting written down.

Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, who is openly gay, called out the implication head-on, “You can’t blame someone for being forced into a closet for the majority of their lives,” Weir said. “That is what we took it as.” Candiace Dillard Bassett also jumped in and asked Rapaport to “clarify” what he meant if he wasn’t trying to mock Underwood’s experience.

Rapaport, however, leaned into his argument instead of walking it back, claiming, “His behavior is of a Traitor. His behavior is secretive. It’s conniving, it’s chirping, it’s commiserating. It’s cowardly.” And when the group pushed back, telling him he was “wrong” regardless of his intentions, Rapaport fired off another harsh jab, “Take it however you want. This is a Traitor. You’re a Traitor, a commiserating and colluding Traitor.”

By the time the votes were tallied, Rapaport had sealed his own fate. He received the most votes and was banished, and it wasn’t subtle why. Even though the game is built around Faithfuls detecting Traitors, multiple players made it clear their votes reflected how Rapaport handled the moment.

Even "Survivor" alum Natalie Anderson, who had been friendly with Rapaport in the game, said his “holding a secret” statement was enough to change her vote. “For me, there are some things that it doesn’t even matter. … Today, the way you spoke to Colton, for me, it’s enough to write your name,” she said.

After his banishment, Rapaport attempted to clarify the intent behind his comment, saying, “I meant what I meant within the context of the game. It had nothing to do with his sexuality. I really sincerely apologize if I offended Colton or anybody in the house. That absolutely wasn’t the intention.”

He later doubled down on that explanation in a statement to TMZ on Friday, saying, “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.”

Online, viewers lit up Rapaport for the exchange and for his overall energy at the roundtable, with reactions pouring in on X.

One person wrote, “Why are you always yelling?” Others were far less forgiving, with comments including: “You’re a f-cking piece of sh-t,” and “You f-cking homophobic a-shole”

Not everyone saw it the same way, though. One viewer defended Rapaport’s point as purely gameplay, writing, “I think Rapaport’s a dope, and even I knew what he meant. It wasn’t about closets, it was about the game. Stop hunting for victim points in other people’s words.”

Underwood, meanwhile, has been open about how difficult it was to live in the closet, and why finally saying it out loud felt like survival.

He came out on "Good Morning America" nearly five years ago, telling Robin Roberts, “I’ve ran from myself for a long time,” adding, “I’ve hated myself for a long time. I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it, and the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know.”

"The Traitors" is currently streaming on Peacock.