21 LGBTQ+ Reality Stars Share the Advice They'd Tell Their Younger Selves
This Pride Month, the bravest thing you can be is yourself.
For reality stars, sharing the good, bad and downright unpredictable moments of their lives look easy. But for those who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, life is a journey full of lessons learned along the way.
In celebration of Pride, Us Weekly asked members of the community - who appear on some of our favorite reality shows like The Valley, Below Deck, The Bachelor and more - to write personal letters to their younger selves about what they wish they knew about love, confidence and life in general.
What came next were messages of encouragement and hope that anyone can learn from. Keep reading to see what your favorite stars shared with all of Us:
The Bachelor's Colton Underwood
To my younger self,
The things that make you feel anxious today will one day become the things you're most proud of. You don't need to shrink yourself, change yourself or earn acceptance from people who aren't willing to see your worth. Love will find you, but always remember you are the love already. The love you will receive is additional.
Soon you'll stop believing you have to be anyone other than who you are, and the people meant for your life will celebrate you exactly as you come. Keep trusting yourself - there is so much joy, freedom and love waiting for you.
Survivor's Carolyn Wiger
To my little Yam Yam:
I know you think it's OK to stay inside watching TV and not put yourself out there because you think you're not pretty enough and don't deserve to be as happy as everybody else. But one day, being exactly who you ARE is going to be exactly what makes you PERFECT … your body, your personality, your accent, your humor, your gayness, all of it.
You will find love, happiness and a life beyond what you can imagine. And you will love putting yourself out there and sharing who you are with the world. We all have this superpower inside of us; you just have to believe it exists. You will OUTWIT, OUTPLAY, OUTLAST all your greatest challenges and fears.
All of your biggest dreams will come true when it finally CLICKS and you realize that YOU ARE PERFECT JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.
90 Day Fiance's Kenny Niedermeier
To little Will,
Your shyness isn't a weakness; you're in survival mode, the quiet fight of a kid already doing the hard work of finding out who he is in a small Texas town. Being seen feels like the scariest thing in the world, but I promise, the moment you allow yourself to be seen is the moment your life really begins. I need you to hear me when I say: You are perfect exactly as you are. The day you let your true self out, that unimaginable weight will be lifted and the life waiting for you on the other side is better than anything you could dream up. You will marry the love of your life, find true happiness and live a life you are proud of surrounded by those who love you. You will stand on a global stage one day, fully yourself, no hiding and you will look back and realize that the kid who wanted to disappear was quietly building this dream life all along. You have to go through it to grow through it, and on the other side is a version of you that is confident, loved and completely unstoppable. Let your superpower fly, Will.
Love, Will
The Amazing Race's James Wallington
Dear James,
I know how lonely it feels right now, carrying something inside you that you don't yet have the words for, but keep watching those reality shows you love so much because your future is so much bigger than the one you can currently see. The moment you give yourself permission to be exactly who you are, everything starts to open up. You will live a life beyond your wildest dreams, and without even trying, you will become the very thing you needed most when you were a closeted kid hoping someone like you existed on the screen. And you will not walk any of it alone. Your great love is out there waiting for you, and one day a man will get down on one knee and propose to you at the finish line of the very show you grew up watching and dreaming about, and you will marry him in the wedding of your dreams. I promise it gets better. The world is waiting, James. Go after it.
With love, James
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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 6:30 AM.