A rock frontman spent a decade burying his feelings in alcohol. Now, he’s ‘proudly gay’

After spending a decade “burying feelings” in alcohol, the lead vocalist of US rock band Beartooth, Caleb Shomo, has come out as gay.

Shomo, who founded the band in 2012, uploaded a statement to Instagram on Sunday (AEST) to share the news. “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 wrote. “I am a proudly gay man.”

Shomo said reckoning with his sexuality had been a difficult journey, often channelling negative emotions into his music and turning to alcohol use to suppress them.

“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 [four] very self-deprecating albums about exploring my religious upbringing, depression, self-hatred, self-loathing, and hopelessness,” he said.

“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.”

Following the announcement, Shomo’s wife of 14 years, Fleur, took to Instagram to support his decision – but admitted her mental health suffered while trying to care for him and process the end of their relationship.

“The past few months have been a very disorientating and hurtful time to navigate. For both of us. But I will always want to love, protect and support Caleb. I have cared more about his well-being over the years than anything else in the world,” Fleur wrote.

“To see the confusion and pain he went through and the highs and lows, and wanting to help but not knowing how. You never want anything more for your person than for them to just be OK. You also ask yourself constantly if you’re a bad person for wondering [what the f—] this means for your world and the anger you also feel. I am the only person that is having to deal with the duality of this situation.

“To support him whilst losing everything has been incredibly hard to figure out. You can love and support your person through the hardest time in their life, whilst also being completely demolished and losing yourself at the same time.

“I already miss it and my husband more than anything. Our story was a good one. And now it’s done.”

For Shomo, sharing his sexuality was about more than just self-acceptance, but also a step towards creating more honest music.

“One thing I decided before I wrote a single note or lyric of the upcoming album is that whatever happens, I will express myself wholeheartedly 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,” he said.

He finished his statement by encouraging anyone struggling with their sexuality to give themselves “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,” Shomo said.

Beartooth will perform at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion and Melbourne’s Festival Hall in January 2027.