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David Archuleta is opening up more about his romantic past, including revealing that he has been engaged multiple times.
During a recent appearance on The Zach Sang Show, the American Idol alum, 34, shared how he was engaged to three different women over the years before he came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in 2021, per People. Archuleta, who grew up in the Mormon church, explained that while his multiple engagements may seem "weird from an outside perspective," it wasn't that out of the ordinary from what he saw from others of his faith.
"Mormons get engaged really fast because you're supposed to get married. And you're not supposed to do anything before marriage," he said. "So naturally, those impulses and those urges lead to 'Let's get married fast because we're feeling a lot of urges.' And just wanting to be intimate with each other."
The Earthly Delights singer struggled with his sexuality and how it fit in with the teachings of his church which differentiated being gay from "[struggling] with same-sex attraction." He said he was told, "There's a difference because gay people live out their life, which they shouldn't. But people who struggle with same-sex attraction acknowledge that they have the urges, but they don't act on them. And that's okay with God.'"
Archuleta "was so obedient" to his faith at the time that he believed the teachings, adding that he did "what I thought I was supposed to" when he got engaged to his girlfriends.
"They're like, 'Well, if you get married, God will bless you.' And so I thought by doing that I will naturally fall more and more in love with my girlfriend, and I'll have enough faith where this won't be an issue," he said. However, he is "really grateful" that he never followed through with any of the marriages. "I just realized... I feel like these girls deserve better than this."
He continued, "I know a lot of people do follow through with it and have kids, and they're like, 'Oh I'm still queer or I'm still gay.' I was just like... I can't be dishonest. I've been told all my life to not be dishonest, so why would I suddenly make a decision for the rest of my life where I would be being dishonest?"
After "[trying] a few times" and the relationships not working out, he realized that he had to "just come out" instead of suppressing his real self. In the years since, he has been open about his struggles with his queer identity within the context of his faith and how it culminated in him leaving the church.