“But in a rural town playing a county fair? I’m curious how this will go.” He’s not entirely sure - after expressing some doubts about whether his coming out will be universally embraced, he says, “Maybe I’m not giving my fans enough credit. “I don’t think I’m going to get run off the stage in Chicago,” he says in the interview. Still, he knows there could be some backlash in certain markets or segments of the country. and his brother John have been openly liberal on a number of issues, like gun laws - and already portrayed a gay couple in their “Stay a Little Longer” video, which caused a mild stir Although much of the country fan base is notoriously culturally conservative, it may stand to reason that the majority of any “fans” Brothers Osborne might stand to lose over going public with his sexual orientation have already been lost by now, as T.J.
That Osborne is gay has not been a tightly held secret in Nashville, least of all to the singer’s friends and family, but it will still come as a surprise to most fans. “But for me to show up at an awards show with a man would be jaw-dropping to people. “People will ask, ‘Why does this even need to be talked about?’ and personally, I agree with that,” Osborne told the magazine. If that may seem unremarkable in some ways amid the larger culture, it is unquestionably a landmark in country music, as Osborne becomes the first man to come out in the genre while signed to a major Nashville label and still racking up hits in the format. Osborne, half of the duo Brothers Osborne, has publicly revealed for the first time that he is gay.