Michael Rapaport’s final roundtable of The Traitors came during the Jan. 22 episode, after the rest of his season four cast members chose to banish him.
The banishment was only a small part of the roundtable, however, as Rapaport’s comments to fellow contestant Colton Underwood became the focus of the fifth episode of season four. Rapaport, who says he thought Underwood was a Traitor, tried to convince the table that Underwood should be the player who is banished, but took it to a level that the rest of the cast immediately pushed back against.
“Nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you,” Rapaport told Underwood, who first became known on reality television for his stint on The Bachelorette and later, as the lead of The Bachelor. The comment immediately caused an uproar among the cast members, as Underwood publicly came out as gay in 2021. The reality star responded, “You think it was fun for 29 years of my life?”
Rapaport denies that he was speaking of Underwood’s sexuality when he made the comment, instead saying he “just was talking.” He says that he and Underwood have since spoken about the situation. Below, he gets deeper into that last roundtable and reveals where he and Underwood stand now while looking back on his overall experience on the cutthroat Emmy-winning reality series — and why he thinks it will help his bid to run for NYC mayor: “The campaign is going. We have soft launched,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “If you can have a mayor of New York who is a failed rapper, a failed actor, a failed music supervisor and who’s rapped and said so many regrettable things that he did … I have shown, especially on Traitors, that I am what you see and you’ll get an honest mayor.”
***
Let’s get into your exchange with Colton Underwood that ultimately led to you leaving the show. Where do you stand with Colton now? Have you spoken to him since?
That night, I thought he was a Traitor. I was playing the game at a high level. I had my guard down [for the first time since the game started] when he first accused me in the kitchen, which is my fault. That’s why when he asked me about what Alan [Cumming, host] wears in the turret, you could see [it] on my face. By the time we got to the roundtable, I was in defense mode. I also thought he was a Traitor because he went after Tiffany the night before and that was a failure. I was frustrated that he was going after me after making a failed coup at Tiffany and I was riffing. I was talking trash, which I do at a very, very high professional level. I was talking about him being conning, cowardly, conniving and commiserating, which made for another great iconic moment of Traitors.
When I said what I said, he was offended and I apologized in the moment and I feel bad that I offended him. I feel bad that it offended anybody else in the house or people watching. I spoke to Colton after production. We had a very, very, very good FaceTime. We talked, we laughed. I know that I don’t hold a grudge to him, and he seemed very honest about him not holding a grudge to me. He actually reached out to me when the episodes dropped the other day to touch base with me. I really appreciate that. There’s no beef. It sucks that it happened, but I apologize.
What did you mean, if it wasn’t about his sexuality?
I just was talking, to be totally honest. What they showed was a good chunk, but there’s probably another minute — and on TV, it’s a long time — [or] 90 seconds of me just riffing. I was just going, and I thought someone was going to interject and stop [me]. But the performer and trash talker in me just kept going, and we got to that point. Like I said, I acknowledged it in the moment. I talked to him afterwards. I said it after I was banished, and I regret that it happened.
Have you been looking online at the reception to you on the show?
Of course.
How do you feel about it?
Up until I got banished, I felt like it was pretty negative. But then when I got banished, the tide turned and people really appreciated the greatness of the smartest, dopest, best-looking Faithful to ever play the game. I didn’t come in there to be quiet. There’s some cast members who people are saying are not in the show ; they’re not saying anything. I came in there to do what I do — put on a good show, have a good time and entertain. I wanted to bring it to the Traitors once I realized I was a Faithful.
I feel like some of my humor was lost and people will catch on later. Some people who don’t like some of the stuff, it ain’t the first time I’ve rubbed people the wrong way. But I’m not the type of person who goes out of the way. I could sit there and put on a good show and make everybody like me and seem sweet and likable — and not say anything [and be] soft-spoken. I’ve done that performance also, but that’s not what I was coming on Traitors to do. I’m sure that’s not why they brought me on — to bring the noise, and I brought the noise.
How do you feel your gameplay was, particularly in regards to the other Faithfuls?
Excellent. I tried so hard. I tried to form alliances with everybody a lot harder than some people tried to form alliances with me. I busted my butt in those challenges. I tried and gave every single thing I could. I tried to bond on and off camera. I tried to build trust on and off camera with every single person in there. I could tell you a tidbit about every single person in that castle off the top of my head. Obviously, I didn’t make it as far as I wanted, but I didn’t come in there for the money. I came in there for the honey. I came in there to put on a good show.
Did you find it difficult to make alliances?
I felt like the Housewives were cool with me because they’ve all heard me. I fawned over every single one of them. All of them — except for the great Porsha Williams — I had met in person and fawned [over them] in real life. I now have Porsha Williams in my top five of Greatest Real Housewives of all time. There were a couple of people I got vibes from, and a couple who noticed my jewelry. That being said, I had a great time.
You recently announced that you are planning to run for mayor in New York. Can you tell me a bit about that. Do you think this show helped or hurt that bid?
I feel like this show helped the campaign. The campaign is going. We have soft launched. We have been taking meetings for the campaign for New York for 2029. I think that if you can have a mayor of New York who is a failed rapper, a failed actor, a failed music supervisor and who’s rapped and said so many regrettable things that he did… if nothing else, I have shown once again, especially on Traitors, that I am what you see and you’ll get an honest mayor. In 2029, you’ll get a mayor who will acknowledge his mistakes. You will not get a word salad mayor. You will get a mayor who is only doing it because it’s his best interest of the city. You’ll get a mayor who will not be in politics after I bring New York City back to greatness.
So you only want to run to change what you think is going to happen over the next however many years and then leave?
I mean, I might do two terms, but initially we have to focus on the 2029 election. Right now we’re focusing that. I can’t talk to you about going further because that’s eight years away. But 2029, there are a lot of people that are supporting me. There’s a lot of people that are concerned. There’s a lot of people that are frustrated with the potential of where things are going and where we’ve gotten in the first 20 days of this administration. I’m from New York, I’m born and raised in New York. Every single thing that I do, for better or for worse, it represents New York. The way I talk, the way I walk is all New York, so unless somebody comes in that has the same beliefs, along my mindset that’s more qualified for the job, Michael Rapport will be mayor of New York City in 2029.
