HGTV's David Bromstad's Emotional Journey To Coming Out & Accepting Himself

Since he won "HGTV Design Star" and went on to host the series "My Lottery Dream Home," tragic details about the life of David Bromstad have emerged, from his father's health issues to the HGTV star's messy split from his former partner, Jeffrey Glasko. However, his emotional coming-out story long precedes his rise to fame.

Hailing from a small Minnesota town in the early '80s, Bromstad's childhood was defined by the traditional values imposed on him by his environment, and thus he had a lack of exposure to the LGBTQ world. "Back in the day there was no such thing as LGBTQ where I was," he told Watermark in October 2024. "There wasn't even a term, so there was no community to look for. I'm 51 years old and that was not even talked about. It was not a thing." In that time, if someone were to talk about being gay, it was often used as a slur or carried a stigma. "Talking about being gay was not even a thing that you would do," he said. "Growing up like that back then, the only thing that we heard about being gay in the '80s was AIDS."

Shallow views about queerness also carried over into Bromstad's school life, where he was bullied and faced difficulty coming out during the '80s. Bromstad said he endured mockery from hundreds of his peers, and even adults in the building. "Even the junior high principal, who wanted to be cool and probably didn't realize the meaning of what the kids were doing, joined in the ridicule," he told Passport.

Flash forward to 2006, when David Bromstad recognized his self-worth and confidently came out to the public in a more accepting society. Now, he's one of many HGTV hosts who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. "I finally accepted myself for who I was and loved myself for who I was," he told Passport. "It was a struggle for me, as it went against everything I was raised to believe."

Bromstad has since basked in his identity. After it was announced that he would serve as one of the grand marshals in the 2024 Come Out with Pride parade in Orlando, he said that being selected for the role checks off a major entry from his bucket list. As a whole, he feels pride events are an important way to spread awareness and make the LGBTQ community feel represented. "I think it's the most amazing thing," Bromstad told Watermark. "And I love that these celebrations are in the smaller towns now. I think it's the most important thing to have them in the smaller towns, so people don't feel like they're alone."