Robert Sepulveda Jr. was in his early 20s with just $2.14 in his bank account when he was faced with a life-changing decision.
"The small furniture store I was working at suddenly went out of business," the star of the gay dating reality show
Finding Prince Charming says in the current issue of People. "I didn't know how I was going to pay rent or my [college] tuition or buy food."
But Sepulveda had a friend who was making good money as an escort.
"I
saw no other way to support myself so I decided to do it too," says
Sepulveda, 33. "I had all those expenses, I just knew that I had to do
something. I had no other choice."
The
former Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale student says he escorted
off-and-on for the next two years until he graduated in 2006 and got his
first "real job."
Sepulveda
didn't hide his source of income from his family or close friends, but
he never imagined he'd be cast as the lead of Logo's gay dating reality
show and have to share his past
with the world.
"I
didn't want to have to talk about that time in my life again," says
Sepulveda, who now owns an interior design firm and runs a non-profit.
"But I'm not ashamed of my past. I own it,
and I talk about it with the guys on [Finding Prince Charming.]"
("We are aware of Robert's past and fully support him as he moves forward in his search for love on
Finding Prince Charming," reads a statement released by Logo to People.)
While
Sepulveda owns up to his past, he hates seeing "misinformation" – and
an explicit video of him – spread on the internet as the Sept. 8 premiere of
Finding Prince Charming nears.
"There
are stories that I did porn. I never did porn," says Sepulveda. "There
is a video circulating out there that I shot privately and sent to an
ex-boyfriend. It feels so violating
that someone would take something so private and share it with the
world. I want to work to make sure there are laws protecting people from
similar situations. It's just not right."
But
even more bothersome to Sepulveda are the claims that he lied about
founding the non-profit the Atlantic Rainbow Crosswalks Project.
"I've
worked very hard with the community in Atlanta to get a historic arts
project done and it hurts that people are pretending that doesn't
exist," he says.
As for his escorting, "it really messed with my self-worth," says Sepulveda.
But now, as the prince on
Finding Prince Charming, Sepulveda feels he's "open and receptive to finding real love."
And
despite the spotlight causing him and his family emotional turmoil over
the past few weeks, Sepulveda is grateful to be part of the
groundbreaking reality show.
"This
show is not afraid to tackle subjects like escorting and HIV and
homelessness. It will be very funny and romantic but also very real and
talk about things that a lot of people
are afraid to talk about," says Sepulveda. "I hope my own story helps
others see that you can move forward from your past, that anything is
possible, and everyone is worthy of love."
Finding Prince Charming premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on Logo.
