Beartooth singer Caleb Shomo vulnerably opened up about facing “a lot of homophobia” after he came out as gay and split from his wife, Fleur Shomo.
The musician reflected on first coming out to friends and family in September 2025, before publicly announcing in May 2026 that he was a “proudly gay man.”
“I had already decided, like, I’m not gonna water myself down at all,” he shared on Friday’s episode of “The Breakdown with Nath & Johnny.”
“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,” Caleb, 33, continued.
“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,” the songwriter added.
“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.”
Caleb explained he was “going through so much” in life and decided to shut out the noise by “get[ting] off the internet for a while.”
The “I Was Alive” singer explained that he needed to be at the top of his game during his performances, but admitted it was still “tough.”
“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–king job,” he said.
“And it didn’t really change as we kept releasing more songs, and the very vocal opposition continued and still continues to,” Caleb said. “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 teased his forthcoming record, saying how he has “a lot that [he] needs to say,” process, and “work through.”
“So I’m just trying to think, baby steps,” he stated.
Caleb officially came out as “a proudly gay man” to his fans via a vulnerable Instagram announcement in May.
At the time, he received support from his bandmates and Fleur, vowing to “love and support him.” That same month, the exes jointly filed for divorce.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, contact the Trevor Project by calling 1-866-488-7386 or texting “START” to 678-678.
