Fans have fallen in love with Bachelor Nation star Brandon throughout his time on Michelle Young’s season of “The Bachelorette.”

As he’s still vying for Michelle’s heart onscreen, Brandon also stopped by the “Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation” podcast for a candid discussion about his life off-screen.

Brandon opened up to host Mike Johnson about his upbringing in northeast Portland and the challenges that came along with being one of the only biracial students at his school.

Brandon revealed, “I went to a predominantly all-white school and people would say things like, ‘Oh, you’re not Black because you’re not full,’ or that I had to pick a side. I had to make an ultimatum. I couldn’t be mixed race. I couldn’t be half Black or half white. I had to pick one side or the other.”

While he explained he did make amazing friends living in Portland, he often felt like he didn’t fit in a box, saying, “I did have those instances where just being mixed race wasn’t the best. It isn’t something you can pick in a box on a sheet. You can’t pick half Black or half white on a sheet; you have to pick Black or white. In people’s minds, it’s like you have to pick one. People would say things like, I don’t have a Black enough voice, so I must be white because I sound white.”

And the Bachelor Nation star shared that he wasn’t the only one who dealt with struggles coming from a racially diverse family.

Brandon said, “They made fun of my parents. My father for dating a white lady and my mother for dating a Black man. I think it was actually more other adults who had more to say about it growing up rather than kids. My parents went through that, and they taught me the strength to not give power to people’s words when they are saying things like that.”

Brandon explained that his experience growing up and feeling different really made him feel connected to Michelle and her poem during the poetry date.

The Bachelor Nation star said, “That’s why we hit it off so well on the poetry date, because we literally had the same childhood. I was also never picked first for prom and I had braces for five years, including all through high school. I had a terrible haircut, the outfits I was wearing had no style whatsoever, and everything was going wrong. So people just didn’t really care unless I was dribbling a basketball or involved in a sport. So that’s where we connected.”

To hear more of Brandon’s honest conversation on the “Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation” podcast, check out the full episode below.