Brothers Osborne lead vocalist T.J. Osborne publicly came out as gay in a TIME profile published February 3, 2021. He had told his brother and bandmate, John Osborne, and other people close to him before making the announcement publicly.
What T.J. Osborne announced—and when
The February 3, 2021 TIME profile, “T.J. Osborne Is Ready to Tell His Story,” reported that T.J. Osborne was gay. He is the lead vocalist of Brothers Osborne, the duo he formed with his older brother, guitarist John Osborne.
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The announcement was public, not his first disclosure. T.J. had told John when he was in his mid-twenties, and had shared the truth with people close to him before speaking publicly.
How John Osborne responded
John recalled feeling emotional when T.J. confided in him, because he could finally be honest with his brother. He also said he valued T.J.’s fulfillment above the duo’s success: “If I had to have all my money and success erased for my brother to be truly fulfilled in life,” he said, “I wouldn’t even think about it. Not for a second.”
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T.J. described why he chose to speak publicly despite uncertainty about the response: “At this point, my happiness is more valuable than anything else I’d ever be able to achieve.” The profile says he worried that people might see the announcement as opportunistic or attention-seeking and considered the possibility of losing fans.
Why the announcement drew attention in country music
TIME described T.J. in 2021 as the only openly gay artist signed to a major country label at that time, and suggested he might have been the first to come out while holding a firmly established place in mainstream country. Those are the publication’s time-specific characterizations, not a current census or a claim that he was the first queer artist connected to country music.
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The same profile acknowledged other openly queer performers with country connections, including Brandi Carlile, Orville Peck, Lil Nas X, Chely Wright and Billy Gilman. It also noted that Brothers Osborne’s “Stay a Little Longer” video had featured gay and interracial couples. The response to that gesture was mostly positive, though some hostile comments appeared. These details offer context for the announcement without establishing how all country fans or the industry responded.
Singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves, whom TIME identified as a close friend of T.J.’s, put the broader hope this way: “Country music deserves a future even more honest than its past.”
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What the brothers said in later coverage
In April 2021, CBS News covered an interview with the brothers about their personal lives and the effects those experiences had on their careers. The Sunday Morning segment was scheduled for April 18, with additional coverage on CBS This Morning on April 19. The interview also discussed John’s anxiety and depression during the period when the brothers were preparing their album Skeletons.
The coverage addressed how the brothers navigated personal and professional life; it does not establish that T.J.’s announcement caused a measurable change in his career.
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