UPDATE: Jake Bain appeared on Monday’s delayed telecast of “Ellen,” talking about the support he received when he came out in high school and the love he’s gotten from his Indiana State teammates. Plus, Ellen surprise Bain’s boyfriend, Hunter Sigmund, with a special trip. We sure hope he brings his boyfriend! Plus actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson faced off against Bain in a matchup of wits and throwing arms.
Check out the video interview of Jake here, and the big competition here.
Jake Bain, an openly gay freshman football player at Indiana State, will be a guest on the “Ellen” show on Friday (check listings for time and channel).
”Ellen loves inspirational stories, so today she welcomes college football player Jake Bain from St. Louis,” the show’s website says in its Jan. 4 promo.
“Jake, an openly gay athlete, is a Division 1 football player at Indiana State University, where he is currently on a full-ride scholarship as a running back. He bravely came out to his peers, giving a speech at a his high school assembly, and is hoping that his coming out will encourage others and lead to more representation among college athletes. Hear him tell his story today on the show.”
Bain first came to prominence in December 2017 when he came out publicly in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Outsports has featured him in several stories for his activism and relationship with Hunter Sigmund, a high school classmate and swimmer, now at the University of North Carolina. It is unclear whether Sigmund will be on “Ellen” with Bain, though he will be traveling to Los Angeles with him.
A New York Times profile of Bain in November referred to him as an accidental activist and noted the influence he has had on social media, including helping LGBT people struggling with their sexuality. “Ellen” gives him a huge platform to continue to tell his story.
