Michael Rapaport says he 'felt gaslit' during “The Traitors” exit and Colton Underwood argument
- - Michael Rapaport says he 'felt gaslit' during “The Traitors” exit and Colton Underwood argument
Sydney BucksbaumJanuary 21, 2026 at 7:09 AM
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Peacock
Michael Rapaport on 'The Traitors'
This article contains spoilers for The Traitors season 4, episode 5.
Michael Rapaport wants to clear the air about his controversial exit from The Traitors.
The actor is well aware that he's a polarizing figure, and that his loud "crap talk" constantly gets him into trouble. But he's shocked at how his campaign against Colton Underwood at the roundtable in episode 5 was taken personally, leading to his own banishment.
Michael tried to argue that Colton was a Traitor because "nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you." Colton and other cast members immediately fired back at Michael for his comment that seemed to be about the now out and gay Bachelor alum hiding his sexuality for most of his life, including when he dated women on other reality shows. However, Michael claimed that the remark had "nothing to do with it," and he meant it only from within the context of the game.
Despite being a Faithful, Michael was ultimately banished by the majority of the cast. Most of them even admitted their decision had nothing to do with whether they believed he was a Traitor, and they just didn't want him in the castle anymore.
Below, Michael opens up to Entertainment Weekly about what he really meant by his comment to Colton, how he felt when his costars made his banishment personal, his relationship with Colton after filming ended, and more.
Euan Cherry/Peacock
Michael Rapaport on 'The Traitors'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: During the roundtable, you said to Colton that "no one in this room would be better at holding a secret than you." Everyone else interpreted that comment as a "low blow" about his sexuality, but you said it had nothing to do with that. So now's your chance to clear the air: what exactly did you mean by that?
MICHAEL RAPAPORT: Well, I thought that he was a Traitor, and I was riffing. I was going at him because he was going at me, and I felt defensive and I was doing my best to deflect all of the attention, which had been on me the previous four roundtables. Obviously, I didn't get voted out [before this], but I was getting votes. And I was annoyed that he had come at me earlier in the evening at the kitchen table. I was just flowing, I was just talking. I was talking about him being conniving, cowardly, and commiserating. Those words are thrown around a lot during this game: lying, secrets, dishonest, deceitful, betrayal. And that was just one of the words I used, and I would've used it towards anybody that I felt was coming at me, but I truly felt that he was a Traitor in that moment. I was dead set that he was a Traitor.
What was your reaction to how everyone thought you were talking about Colton's sexuality?
I felt completely misunderstood. I felt gaslit. I felt that they didn't understand what I was saying. And I think that if the conversation had stuck to just me and Colton, it wouldn't have gotten to the level that it got to, because I feel like I acknowledged it and apologized right there. But then when Johnny, Kristen, Natalie, and Yam Yam started adding on, that got the other people involved. I regret that it went to that point. I like Colton. I actually had a great time with him on the set. I probably had the most intimate and personal conversations with him up until that moment. But I did think he was a Traitor. Just things got a little bit out of hand.
Euan Cherry/Peacock
Michael Rapaport on 'The Traitors'
Do you regret saying that now, knowing what it led to?
Yeah. I do regret that it hurt his feelings. I do regret that it offended him. It obviously did offend him and some other people at the table, and it caused and brought negative attention to his world and his young family. It obviously brought negative attention to my life. It brought negative attention to the show, and it's not what my intention was. And I wish I had used different words. I wish it never happened.
When I spoke to Colton, he said that he was trying to keep everything in that conversation focused on the game, but you made it personal.
No, I think he misunderstood me. And he had a right to misunderstand me. I wish it didn't get to that point — I wish I would've been a little bit more chill and a little bit more careful with the words I was using, but it happened. I spoke to him as soon as I could after production and we had a very, very, very good, grown-up conversation, and it was very funny. We laughed and we moved on. I actually heard from him when the episode dropped Thursday too. He reached out to me.
Colton, Natalie, Johnny, and other cast members openly said they were voting you out because they just didn’t want to be around you in the castle anymore, and that you were lucky to make it this far. What did you think about their reason for voting for you in the moment and as you watching it back in the episode?
I didn't like it. I wasn't happy with it. I understood it, but they voted off the dopest, smartest, best looking Faithful.
You were also told that even if you were a Faithful, you were too distracting to the other Faithfuls to stay. Do you agree that you weren't a helpful Faithful?
We're not solving cancer. We're not curing any diseases. It's not like I was running around the house doing jumping jacks, screaming and yelling, and tickling people, and knocking things over. I was trying just as hard as everybody else. There are cliques, and I was trying hard within the cliques that allowed me in the cliques. So I think that is ridiculous. It ain't that serious, it ain't that complicated. I was busting my butt to try to catch dirty, deceitful Traitors just like everybody else, so I didn't agree with that.
Peacock
Michael Rapaport on 'The Traitors'
Do you think they were just jealous that you were going to get more screentime?
I didn't think about that specifically. I have no idea about that.
Many cast members criticized your gameplay for only accusing people as Traitors because they accused you first, and not because you were basing it on any real evidence. Do you think that's how your played now that you've seen it on TV?
Well, I accused Porsha of being a Traitor, and she didn't accuse me of being a Traitor. I can't remember who else I accused of being a Traitor. I don't even think that night when the thing with me and Colton went down that I accused him of being a Traitor — I think I voted for Ron. The only time that I accused somebody of being a Traitor that was accusing me was Yam Yam, and he was accusing everybody of being a Traitor. So was Natalie. They were going up [to people saying], "Are you a f---ing Traitor?" Right up to people's faces. That happened to me a couple of times where Natalie came up to me when we weren't even filming, [saying], "Are you a f---ing Traitor? You look surprised." I was like, "Yeah, because we're not filming."
So I am who I am. Nobody's perfect. It's a lot of big personalities. The gamers come in there with this whole thing, because they've won on other shows and they think that they're going to get the big prize again. And I'll tell you this, it's on record: I was the first and the only person up in these five episodes to peg Rob Love Island [as a Traitor]. I did it twice on camera. I did it the first night! And when I did it the first night, I had no support. Everybody was like, "No, why would you say that? You're just jealous that he doesn't need to talk, because if you look like all that..." But I had him pegged dead to center.
Too bad no one believed you, because you were actually right.
Twice! His name hasn't been said by anybody else [except] me. I'm the only person who said it. You're welcome.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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on Entertainment Weekly
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