Openly gay country singer TJ Osbourne made a splash at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards last night (November 10) by kissing his boyfriend after his win.
Osborne and his brother John – who form the country duo Brothers Osbourne – took home the award for best vocal duo. Upon the announcement of the win, Osbourne gave his boyfriend Abi Ventura an on-screen kiss before going onstage to accept the award.
TJ Osborne openly kissing his date upon winning Vocal Duo of the Year is a very special moment. #CMAawards pic.twitter.com/8sn3s6yOGn
— Jason Scott (@JasontheScott) November 11, 2021
The kiss comes nine months after Osbourne publicly came out in an interview with Time Magazine. “I’m very comfortable with being gay,” he told Time. “I find myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don’t have a problem with. That feels so strange.”
According to Vulture, at the time Osborne was the only gay artist signed to a major country label.
“It’s been a crazy roller coaster of a year for us in so many ways, especially for me emotionally,” Osbourne said during his CMA Awards acceptance speech. “To have you all support me, it really does feel like love wins tonight.”