Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for “If You’re Gonna Come for Me, I’ll Finish You,” episode 5 of “Traitor” Season 4, now available on Peacock.
Michael Rapaport has come under fire for his recent comments on ‘Traitor.’ In the fifth episode of Season 4, which was released Thursday night, the actor called out Colton Underwood during a roundtable.
Earlier in the day, Underwood and Rapaport got into a shouting match as the former Bachelor claimed his opponent was a traitor and tried to convince the rest of the cast that was the case. However, because Underwood had previously mistakenly led the squad when they targeted Big Brother star Tiffany Mitchell, Rapaport claimed that Underwood was actually a traitor and was trying to get everyone out. Once we were seated at the round table, the discussion heated up.
“I’m angry, I’m frustrated, I’m isolated because of him, and there’s no one in this room better at keeping secrets than you,” Rapaport said, to which Underwood responded, “You’re right.”
A quick backstory: Underwood appeared on “The Bachelorette” and “The Bachelor,” both of which showcased his relationships with women. He frequently spoke (and wrote in his books) about being heterosexual, even though people questioned his sexuality throughout his life. Cassie Randolph, who won the 2020 season of The Bachelor, filed for a restraining order for stalking and placing a tracking device in her car, which was eventually granted. The following year, Underwood came out as gay.
“Do you think I’ve enjoyed the last 29 years of my life?” Mr. Underwood asked Mr. Rapaport during a roundtable. Rapaport immediately said, “No, no, that has nothing to do with this. I think you came into this game because you loved the idea of being a traitor.”
Afterwards, multiple other cast members also spoke out. Olympian Johnny Weir said, “You can’t blame someone who’s been forced into the closet for most of his life,” to which Rapaport responded, “I’m not talking about the closet… His actions are traitorous, his actions are secret, conspiratorial, and… cowardly.”
When Love Island star Maura Higgins called the remark a “very low blow”, Rapaport replied: “I don’t think so and I didn’t mean it,” adding: “If he took it that way, I apologize.”
Although the purpose of the roundtable is to oust traitors, many of the performers used the opportunity to oust Rappaport, not caring whether he was a traitor or a loyalist. “After seeing the way you spoke to Colton today, I think just writing your name down is enough for me. So I think we should all come together and vote to get him out of here,” said Natalie Anderson of “Survivor.”
As a result, 11 out of 16 cast members voted to expel him. In revealing his name, Mr. Weir added, “I don’t care who you are. I just want you out of my castle.”
After his ouster, Rappaport apologized in a confessional. “It sucks, but I felt cornered and I fought my way out of it. Maybe I tried too hard. That’s what I wanted to say in the context of the fight. It had nothing to do with his sexuality,” he said. “If I offended Colton or anyone in the house, I sincerely apologize. That was never my intention.”
After the three-episode “Traitors” premiered on January 8, viewers seemed to immediately take a dislike to Rapaport, who continued to attack X’s fans one after another. In response to one tweet mocking Rapaport, Rapaport wrote, “They/their opinions don’t mean shit. They’re not even real them or them.” He eventually locked his account and made it private on X, but then unlocked it again.
After the January 15 episode aired, he posted to X, “I played a hard game, I played a real game, and I had fun. I didn’t want to offend anyone watching or the cast.” He continued to tweet through it and argue with people posting about him. On Friday, he responded to an X “traitor” viewer and mocked the inclusion of pronouns in his bio. He also canceled his retirement press conference scheduled for Friday.
