Beartooth singer Caleb Shomo has spoken candidly about facing significant homophobia after publicly coming out as gay and divorcing his wife of 14 years. Shomo first came out to friends and family in September 2025, before announcing to the public in May 2026 that he is "a proudly gay man."
"I had already decided, like, I’m not gonna water myself down at all," Shomo, 33, stated on a recent 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. 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."
He described this approach as being 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."
Shomo explained that he was going through a difficult period and chose to withdraw from the internet temporarily to cope. Despite the challenges, he emphasized the importance of performing at his best. "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.
The opposition, he noted, did not diminish as more songs were released and continued to persist. "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," Shomo added.
He is currently working on his forthcoming record, stating that he has "a lot that [he] needs to say," process, and "work through." "So I’m just trying to think, baby steps," he stated.
Shomo and his wife, Fleur Shomo, jointly filed for divorce in May, the same month he officially came out as gay. At the time of his announcement, he received support from his bandmates and Fleur, who vowed to "love and support him."
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