Sad Details About HGTV Star David Bromstad's Childhood

David Bromstad is known by HGTV fans for his positive attitude and bold style. But the designer and TV host didn't always feel comfortable showing his true colors. Now a confident king, one of the tragedies of Bromstad's life is that he struggled to be his authentic self when he was growing up, especially when it came to his sexuality. He comes from humble beginnings in Minnesota, and he dealt with the challenge of relentless bullying. "Six hundred kids in the cafeteria made obscene gestures targeted at me," he remembered when talking to Passport Magazine. "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."

It wasn't until Bromstad was 22 years old when he finally accepted that he was gay. "It was hard in those days and I was not comfortable with myself." He admitted to struggling with his identity due to what he was taught growing up. Bromstad came out publicly about a decade later, telling the outlet, "I came out in confidence in 2006, which means that I finally accepted myself for who I was and loved myself for who I was ... So it took me ten years to understand that I am an amazing human being no matter what." Even though some viewers of HGTV are not fans of Bromstad, the host doesn't let it stop him from living authentically.

Today, David Bromstad is a proud and unapologetic member of the LGBTQ+ community. Bromstad has transformed into a confident socialite and has participated in charity events that benefit LGBTQ+ youth. He spread goodwill by donating $5,000 to the Safe Schools South Florida organization in 2013. Bromstad said his difficult high school experience is what inspired his donation. "I was bullied and harassed continually through high school, and I know what hell that can be," he revealed in a statement, per Equality Florida. "I wanted to support Safe Schools South Florida's great work on behalf of LGBTQ students and help prevent this bullying and harassment from happening to others."

Also in 2013, Bromstad hosted The Red Shield ReDesign Bash fundraiser for The Salvation Army. He received criticism for working with the organization, as The Salvation Army has a reported history of discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community. In response, Bromstad posted on Facebook that he accepted the event invitation in hopes of making positive changes. "If we simply separate ourselves from those that we assume [oppose] us or our beliefs then we will never make strides in the right direction," he said. "I applaud the Salvation Army's symbolic handshake towards acceptance and would be foolish to not extend my hand in acceptance."