Beartooth Singer Caleb Shomo Details the Backlash He Faced

Beartooth singer Caleb Shomo came out of the closet as a gay man in May 2026 after previously giving the life update to family and friends the previous September. Now, in a new interview, the 33-year-old singer is speaking out about the hate he’s received since finding the courage to publicly embrace who he is. This comes after he and his wife of 14 years, Fleur Shomo, filed for divorce in July.

Shomo opened up during an August 2026 episode of “The Breakdown with Nath & Johnny” about his decision to publicly come out as gay, as well as the reaction from social media since the bold admission. He began, “I had already decided, like, I’m not gonna water myself down at all,” and noted that he’d informed family and friends before the Instagram coming-out post.

Shomo continued, “I’m going to just do what I wanna do. I’m gonna wear what I wanna wear. I’m gonna sing how I wanna sing. I’m gonna look how I wanna look and just enjoy being an artist that’s allowed to do that, and that has the freedom to do that.”

After that, the singer began to discuss the backlash he faced. According to him, “And that was met with a lot of opposition and a lot of … I mean, really, just a lot of homophobia, and a lot of people who really were not okay with me presenting that way at all, with what I was doing, any of it.”

Shomo continued the podcast appearance by discussing how the homophobia he’d faced impacted him. He recalled that at one point, he was “going through so much” that he decided to get “off the internet for a while.” Notably, his break from social media came before he revealed he was gay, but amid the speculation about his sexuality. The singer also shared that he found performing to be “tough” amid the backlash.

He explained, “I mean, a lot of the day I’d be spent in a really, really bad place and just trying to find enough energy and enough will to get myself warmed up and get on that stage and do my f-cking job.”

The Beartooth bandmate continued, “And it didn’t really change as we kept releasing more songs, and the very vocal opposition continued and still continues to. And, yeah, me coming out didn’t help that. And just being honest with people about who I am and what’s been going on.”

Caleb Released An Emotional Coming Out Statement

The Beartooth frontman publicly came out of the closet as gay on May 23, doing so by posting a lengthy statement on Instagram. He shared, “There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding my personal life as of late, and I feel compelled to set the record straight before it affects those I love any further. I am a proudly gay man.”

He then said, “This is something I’ve been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now. It’s been difficult to navigate the feelings surrounding the subject and figure out what to do with this fact.” Elsewhere in the post, Shomo admitted to feeling “embarrassed” for being unable to embrace this part of his life for “so long.”

The “I Was Alive” singer added, “I spent a decade burying feelings with alcohol, and honestly, when I decided to put it down and focus on exploring why I felt this way for so long, it’s been a direct path to me reconciling with my sexuality in hopes that it will eventually lead me to experiencing self-love.”

Caleb And His Wife Jointly Filed For Divorce

Shomo and his wife, Fleur, jointly filed for divorce in July 2026 following his public statement. This came after her May 2026 statement in support of the singer and his decision to live openly. Fleur wrote on Instagram, “Not really sure how to start this cause does anything even need to be said? But I guess I’ll just dive right in.”

She continued, “The past few months have been a very disorienting and hurtful time to navigate. For both of us. But I will always want to love, protect, and support Caleb. I have cared more about his well-being over the years than anything else in the world.”

Beartooth Has A New Album Out

Beartooth released its new album, “Pure Ecstasy,” on August 28 after unveiling the lead single, “Free,” in February. Later, the band released the album’s title track alongside a new music video. The new album, from Fearless Records, includes 11 tracks.

Beartooth will be going on a world tour in support of the album, with the UK leg beginning in September. The U.S. leg of the tour begins in November with a stop in Boston.