Ty Herndon to Appear on Oprah Winfrey’s ‘Where Are They Now?’

Ty Herndon released a critically acclaimed new album, House on Fire, in 2016 -- his first release since publicly coming out as a gay man in 2014. The record explores Herndon's path to acceptance, and even his romance with his partner, Matt Collum, but he's ready to share even more of his journey: The singer-songwriter will appear on an upcoming episode of Oprah Winfrey's TV series Where Are They Now?

"I am a huge Oprah fan," Herndon tells The Boot. "I love the fact that she’s going back with Where Are They Now? and picking up interesting stories of people that have a story. So, we will get to talk about new music, and we will get to talk about a book that’s done."

Asked if he has any apprehensions about sharing his life story with millions of Winfrey's fans and viewers, Herndon says that he is willing to publicly bare his soul, if only to help others who are gay, especially children.

"I’m a crusader for the kids in the South. If my statistics are correct, there’s still in the thousands of kids under 14 that are killing themselves because of who they are," he says. "If my story continues to help that -- My Grandma used to say, ‘If you change one person’s life by your story, then you’ve not only saved your life, but you’ve saved someone else’s.’

"My story matters," Herndon adds, "and I’m glad that I’m in a place where I feel that way today. It’s going to matter to a lot of those kids who want to come to town and be a country music artist, or who want to come to town and be a publicist or a writer. You can be who you want to be in this business -- you’ve just got to get love and support."

Herndon describes his book, which does not yet have a release date, as "Oprah Winfrey SuperSoul Sunday meets the Kardashians."

"My life has been very crazy, and it’s been so spiritual and wonderful, but it’s also been filled with ups and downs and heartbreaks," the singer shares. "[It covers] everything from highest mountains to suicide attempts, which was the lowest valley -- so, my journey, and navigating the waters through all of that ...

"The songs that have come out because of that has brought true purpose for me to stay in the music business, and true purpose to share my gift," Herndon continues. "It may be the most boring book in the world to some people, but I think for people that are into music and the lives of people that have struggled through it, it’s a good story."

Herndon's Where Are They Now? episode will air on Saturday (Feb. 4) at 10PM ET on OWN. House on Fire is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

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