Country music star TJ Osborne’s brother found out he was gay from his internet history
John Osborne and TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne, at the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Brothers Osborne star TJ Osborne has joked that his brother found out he was gay from his internet history.
During an interview with SiriusXM, Osborne, 37, revealed that his brother and other half of his band John, 40, already knew that he was gay before he officially came out to him.
“When he saw my internet history, he kind of knew,” Osborne laughed.
He said he explained to John as they were preparing to sign their first major record deal that “I do intend on coming out at some point… I don’t want to live my life closeted.”
He added that John was “incredibly supportive” as he came out privately to “a couple of people that I thought really needed to know”.
In February 2021, Osborne then became the first openly gay country artist signed to a major country label (EMI Records Nashville), coming out in an article for TIME Magazine.
John recalled in the article: “He [TJ] was very open and candid about it, and I was emotional because my brother was finally able to be completely honest with me about who he was.”
TJ Osborne admitted that he “never thought that I’d be able to do this professionally because of my sexuality” in a tearful speech after winning a Grammy award.
After Brothers Osborne took home the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in March, he said that being “accepted” by the country music genre was “amazing”.
“I certainly never thought I would be here on this stage accepting a Grammy after having done something I felt like was going to be life-changing, potentially in a very negative way,” he said in his speech.
He attended the Grammys with his boyfriend Abiezer Ventura, which, along with his brother’s presence, he said made him feel “so lucky”.
“For those of you who do not know, this song (Younger Me) was written really in response to me coming out,” he said.
“Here I am tonight, not only accepting this Grammy award with my brother, who I love so much, but I’m here with a man that I love and who loves me back.
“I don’t know what I did to get so lucky.”
He added to E! red carpet host Laverne Cox after the ceremony: “I just won a Grammy award, being an openly gay man… I feel incredible. I did not ever think this moment would happen, and it has.”
