Caleb Shomo Comes Out as Gay Before Beartooth Album Cycle
Caleb Shomo came out as a proudly gay man in a Saturday social media post, ending weeks of speculation around his personal life. The Beartooth frontman tied the announcement to how he wants to present himself heading into the band's next album era, after a stretch of backlash around the group’s recent releases.
Shomo’s Saturday Post
Shomo wrote, "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." He added, "I am a proudly gay man."
He said the identity has been "unpacking and reckoning with" for "quite some time," and described the process as difficult to navigate. "I spent a decade burying feelings with alcohol," he wrote, adding that putting alcohol down and examining why he felt that way became "a direct path" toward reconciling with his sexuality.
Free Backlash
Beartooth released "Free" a few months before the post, and the song drew mixed reactions for its poppy sound and a video that featured Shomo in flashy outfits and makeup. Some fans and musicians mocked the clip; Attila frontman Chris Fronzak later apologized after joking on X, "Looks like Caleb Shomo dropped the 'S.'"
David Draiman pushed back with praise for Shomo’s self-expression, saying, "Bowie, Mercury and so many others, took rock to a level only few dared to go, and did it with power, class and grace." He also wrote, "I have watched Caleb Shlomo, the singer of Beartooth, become one of the most formidable young frontmen in rock."
August 28 Album
Shomo said he decided before writing a single note of the upcoming album that he would express himself "whole heartedly and fully," without watering down the music, the lyrics, or the way he portrays himself. Beartooth released "Pure Ecstasy" last week as the title track from the album, which arrives on Aug. 28.
That puts the coming rollout in a sharper frame: the public statement is not a side note to the campaign, it is part of it. Beartooth is also set to support the album with a headlining U.S. tour that kicks off in November, so the next phase will test how openly Shomo carries this version of himself onto a larger stage.
