T.J. Osborne Feels ‘So Incredibly Loved’ After Coming Out As Gay

The country singer-songwriter, who is half of the Brothers Osborne, came out as gay in a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine published Wednesday. His words drew instant praise from fans, fellow performers and a host of LGBTQ advocacy groups.

Appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Thursday, Osborne recalled feeling apprehensive prior to the publication of the interview, but now said he wishes he had begun living his truth sooner.

“The perfect time is always now,” the 36-year-old said. “I instantaneously felt like I wish I had done this a long time ago. … I expected a wave of love from family and friends [but] I did not expect it to feel the way it felt. I think it’s one thing when you just know and assume people love you, and it’s different when you hear it, and when you hear it with sincerity. Right now I feel so incredibly loved.”

Catch T.J. Obsorne’s “Ellen DeGeneres Show” appearance below.

LGBTQ performers, of course, have made incredible strides in the music industry in recent years, with stars like Sam Smith, Lil Nas X and Kim Petras scoring massive hits.

Compared to pop and rock, however, country remains widely seen as a conservative genre ― a point that Osborne acknowledged Thursday.

“I’m curious to see how it all plays out with us going into rural America,” he said, noting that some of his fans were devout Christians or otherwise adhered to an “old school way” of thinking. “[But] to have people that I never even expected to say anything reaching out to me ― people that I feel like personify masculinity and straight culture to the nth degree, who are coming out with a lot of pride for me ― that was really the moment to me that made me feel like, ‘Wow, that was there the whole time.’”

“Maybe through my insecurities, I built it up to maybe be a bigger hurdle than it really was,” he added.

As the Brothers Osborne, he and his real-life brother, John, have received four CMA awards and seven Grammy nominations. The duo’s third album, “Skeletons,” debuted to rave reviews last October.