Michael Rapaport breaks silence on explosive The Traitors US Season 4 exit, insisting his bombshell comment to Colton Underwood had ZERO to do with sexuality – but the damage was done.
The Traitors US Season 4 delivered one of its most shocking roundtables yet when Michael Rapaport, a self-proclaimed Faithful, was blindsided and banished after an intense showdown with Colton Underwood. What started as heated game talk quickly spiraled into accusations of a “low blow,” with castmates interpreting Michael’s words as a cruel dig at Colton’s past journey with his sexuality.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the outspoken actor is finally setting the record straight – and he’s not holding back.
Michael insists his now-infamous line – “nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you” – was purely strategic. “I thought he was a Traitor, and I was riffing,” Rapaport explained. “I was defensive, deflecting attention that had been on me for four straight roundtables. I was just flowing, talking about him being conniving and cowardly. ‘Secrets’ is a word thrown around constantly in this game – lying, deceitful, betrayal. I would’ve said it to anyone coming at me.”
But the table erupted. Colton and others took it personally, seeing it as a veiled reference to the former Bachelor star’s years spent hiding his sexuality before coming out as gay. The backlash was immediate and overwhelming.
“I felt completely misunderstood. I felt gaslit,” Michael admitted. “If it had stayed between me and Colton, it wouldn’t have escalated. I acknowledged it and apologized right there. But when Johnny, Kristen, Natalie, and Yam Yam piled on, it pulled everyone else in.”
The fallout was brutal. Multiple castmates – including Colton, Natalie, Johnny, and others – openly admitted they voted Michael out not because they thought he was a Traitor, but simply because they didn’t want him in the castle anymore. Some even said he was “lucky” to have lasted this long and that he was too much of a distraction for the Faithfuls.
Rapaport didn’t mince words watching it back: “I didn’t like it. I understood it, but they voted off the dopest, smartest, best-looking Faithful.” He rejected the idea that he was unhelpful, adding, “We’re not curing cancer here. I was busting my butt to catch Traitors just like everyone else.”
Despite the regret, Michael stands by his gameplay – and drops a major flex: he was the only person in the first five episodes to correctly peg Rob from Love Island as a Traitor, calling it out twice on camera, including on night one. “I had him pegged dead to center,” he said. “You’re welcome.”
As for his relationship with Colton now? All is forgiven. “I spoke to him right after production. We had a very good, grown-up conversation – very funny. We laughed and moved on,” Michael revealed. “He even reached out when the episode aired.”
Still, the star admits he wishes he’d chosen different words. “I regret that it hurt his feelings and offended people. It brought negative attention to his life, his young family, to me, and to the show. That wasn’t my intention.”
The Traitors US continues to deliver jaw-dropping drama – and Michael Rapaport’s explosive exit proves no one is safe when game talk turns personal.