Caleb Shomo, frontman for the award-winning metalcore band Beartooth, shared with the world that he is “proudly a gay man” in an emotional Instagram post on Saturday.
The Columbus, Ohio, native shared that there had been a lot of speculation about his personal life and that he wanted to “set the record straight.”
“I am proudly a gay man,” Shomo posted.
Shomo founded Beartooth in Ohio in 2012, and the band was signed to Red Bull Records in 2013. They have released five studio albums and have toured the world, including participating in the famed Warped Tour in 2014. Beartooth has received multiple awards, including being named “Best International Artist” by the Heavy Music Awards in Britain in 2022.
Shomo shared that he had been “unpacking and reckoning” his sexual orientation for “quite some time now” and that his struggles found their way into early Beartooth albums that explored his religious upbringing, depression and self-loathing.
“I am grateful for all these albums, yet feel embarrassed at times that I wouldn’t allow myself to really dig up the roots for so long.”
Shomo posted that the timing coincided with the creation of his band’s next album and his determination to not write a note or lyric before he was able to fully express himself.
“Wherever it takes me I will follow and I refuse to water any part of it down, from the music, to the lyrical content, and way I portray myself,” Shomo wrote.
He closed by encouraging those who are struggling to give themselves grace and patience.
“Be honest with yourself,” he posted. “Do the hard work instead of burying it down as deep as you physically can thinking it will change like I did. Holding these things in only hurt[s] you and those around you.”
Fleur Shomo, Caleb’s wife of 14 years, also posted on Instagram on Saturday, sharing the struggles she is currently experiencing as she navigates her husband’s coming out as LGBTQ+.
“I am the only person that is having to deal with the duality of this situation,” Fleur wrote. “To support him whilst losing everything has been incredibly hard to figure out. You can love and support your person through the hardest time in their life, whilst also be completely demolished & lose yourself at the same time.”
She also expressed the hope that people in a similar situation find “hope and courage” and that the fans continue to support Caleb. 🔥
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