Caleb Shomo, the driving creative force and lead vocalist of heavy rock outfit Beartooth, has officially come out as a gay man. The deeply personal announcement arrives following a recent wave of online speculation regarding the singer’s private life.
Prior to the announcement, the frontman had temporarily stepped away from his social media accounts to distance himself from a barrage of ho**phobic backlash and negative commentary directed at his visual presentation in the music video for the band’s latest single, “Free“.
Choosing to address the situation on his own terms and embrace his truth, Caleb Shomo returned to social media today, May 23, sharing a comprehensive, unflinching, and emotional statement with his global fanbase.
He 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.”
“I am a proudly gay man.”
“This is something I’ve been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now. It’s been difficult to navigate the feelings surrounding the subject and figure out what to do with this fact.”
“When it comes to my art / Beartooth, I have always strived to chase who I am in the deepest part of my soul from album to album. As you could gather if you’ve followed the band at all in the earlier years, there are 4 very self deprecating albums about exploring my religious upbringing, depression, self hatred, self loathing, and hopelessness. I am grateful for all these albums, yet feel embarrassed at times that I wouldn’t allow myself to really dig up the roots for so long.”
“I spent a decade burying feelings with alcohol, and honestly when I decided to put it down and focus on exploring why I felt this way for so long, it’s been a direct path to me reconciling with my sexuality in hopes that it will eventually lead to me experiencing self love. One thing I decided before I wrote a single note of the upcoming album is that whatever happens, I will express myself whole heartedly and fully. Wherever it takes me I will follow and I refuse to water any part of it down, from the music, to the lyrical content, and way I portray myself. I will only do what makes me happy at the deepest level and what is the most honest depiction of who I am. I believe it’s impossible to love every part of you when you won’t face every part of you head on. I am trying to finally be proud of who I am and I think this is a massive part of that journey.”
“To those who have shown me love, empowerment through living life freely and openly in my presence, supporting the queer community, or simply telling me you love me whoever I am, I am forever in your debt and I hope you know what you mean to me.”
“I encourage anyone who’s struggling with who they are to give yourself grace. Give yourself patience. Be honest with yourself. Do the hard work instead of burying it down as deep as you physically can thinking it will change like I did. Holding these things in only hurt you and those around you.”
“Love you all, and hopefully this is a step in the right direction to loving myself one day.”
The singer’s profound personal journey serves as the primary thematic backbone for Beartooth‘s highly anticipated sixth studio album, Pure Ecstasy. The record is officially scheduled to launch worldwide on August 28 via Fearless Records.
During a recent appearance on the KLOS radio show “Whiplash” with host Full Metal Jackie, Caleb tackled the vocal pushback aimed at the band’s single, “Free“. Co-written and co-produced by former Bring Me The Horizon member Jordan Fish, the track signaled a major stylistic shift for the group.
When questioned about how he handles the negative feedback from the fanbase who are unhappy with his evolving sound, he offered a blunt and deeply personal perspective.
“Yeah, to be completely honest, that’s totally up to them and that’s their choice. I don’t make this art solely to be gaining fans and solely [for] monetary success and critical success and all those things. Truth be told, especially with ‘Free‘, I’m really doing this for myself. I’m doing this just so I can really be putting out the most honest art that I can be putting out and be the most true depiction of myself through my art that I can give, because that’s the point of Beartooth. And I really don’t wanna shy away from that,” he said at the time.
He further explained that he actively avoids reading online reviews or comments, choosing instead to focus on gratitude and his own mental well-being.
“For me, I, at least currently, am really trying not to focus at all and I’m really actively trying to stay away from hearing any of the critical reception. Obviously, on a broader scale, I see if people are listening to it, I see if people are coming to our shows, so on and so forth. But I think everybody is entitled to their opinion, and there are just inevitably going to be a lot of people that don’t like the way this sounds or maybe don’t like the way I look or the way I’m dancing or what I’m wearing, or whatever that may be. And again, that’s up to them. And all I’m trying to do is just be as honest as I can and enjoy this very, very amazing gift that I have of being able to be in a band and that be my job, and make the art that I wanna make. I understand how rare it is. I understand how blessed I am to be able to do this, so I just wanna make the most of it. And I know if I kind of get wrapped up in how people are reacting or get wrapped up in the people who don’t resonate with it, then maybe I’ll lose sight of all the people who do resonate with it. And more importantly, I’ll lose sight of the only person who truly resonates with it, and that is me. And I just wanna be happy doing what I’m doing. So, that’s all I’m trying to focus on at the moment.”
Earlier in March, Disturbed frontman David Draiman publicly stepped up to give his support for the young singer. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Draiman praised Shomo‘s bold self-expression, comparing his flamboyant new style to some of the greatest legends in rock history.
“Some of the greatest frontmen of all time have never held anything back, fully embracing their own aspects of flamboyance and expressing themselves as powerfully as they knew how.”
“Bowie, Mercury and so many others, took rock to a level only few dared to go, and did it with power, class and grace. I have watched Caleb Shlomo, the singer of Beartooth, become one of the most formidable young frontmen in rock. The song is great, the video is great, and the band is firing on all cylinders.”
“Bowie, Mercury and so many others, including yours truly, are PROUD OF YOU.”
Meanwhile, Attila vocalist Chris Fronzak found himself in hot water after making a homophobic remark directed at the Caleb. Fronzak initially posted a since-deleted message on X stating: “Looks like Caleb Shomo dropped the ‘S.’”
Facing immediate backlash from the rock and metal community, the Attila frontman walked back his comments on Tuesday, March 3, issuing a lengthy, multi-part apology explaining his skewed perspective on internet humor.
“I would like to formally apologize for my tweet about Caleb Shomo.”
“I meant it as a joke, but it didn’t come across that way. I don’t know what he’s going through at the moment, but I wish him the best. The world has too much hate [right now] & I don’t want to add any fuel to that fire.”
“People will probably twist this into more negativity, but I am being honest. I meant it as a joke, not a jab at gay people. I personally thought it was lighthearted but I suppose that’s subjective. From my perspective – I get death threats daily for over a decade. People call me horrific things & make up terrible stories. Horrible stuff every day. My perspective is skewed, the internet has desensitized me so I thought it was a 1/10 light joke.”
“The reality is, people are struggling in their own ways, and jokes are subjective. You never know what someone is going through. Therefore, I am sorry, and I will work towards thinking about things deeper before I just word-vomit s**t into this bird app. Love yall.”
