Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo came out as gay on Saturday, ending weeks of speculation around his personal life with a direct post on social media. He said he felt compelled to set the record straight before the chatter affected the people he loves any further.

"I am a proudly gay man," Shomo wrote, adding that the issue was something he had been "unpacking and reckoning with" for quite some time. He said it had been difficult to navigate the feelings around it and figure out what to do with the fact.

The announcement lands after a turbulent stretch for the Ohio rock band. A few months ago, Beartooth released "Free," a song that drew mixed reactions for its pop-leaning sound and a video that showed Shomo in flashy outfits and makeup. Some fans and musicians mocked the clip, including Attila frontman Chris Fronzak, who joked on X, "Looks like Caleb Shomo dropped the 'S.'" Fronzak later apologized for the homophobic remark.

Not everyone responded that way. Disturbed singer David Draiman praised Shomo for his self-expression, writing, "Bowie, Mercury and so many others, took rock to a level only few dared to go, and did it with power, class and grace." He said he had watched Caleb Shlomo become one of the most formidable young frontmen in rock.

The backlash to "Free" was intense enough that Shomo deleted his personal Instagram account afterward. He returned to the platform earlier this month, then released another song, "Pure Ecstasy," last week. That track is the title song from Beartooth’s upcoming album, which arrives on Aug. 28.

For Beartooth, the timing matters. The band is preparing to put out a new record and follow it with a headlining U.S. tour that begins in November, so Shomo’s public statement arrives just as the group moves into a major new chapter.

The speculation he referred to had already been circling before Saturday, and the reaction to "Free" showed how quickly a frontman’s image can become the story around the music. Now that Shomo has spoken plainly, the question for fans is no longer what he meant to say, but how the band will carry that honesty into the album cycle ahead.