Esera Tuaolo Biography

How Is Esera Tuaolo's Personal Life Going On?

The retired athlete Esera Tuaolo has found his soulmate in Joshua, his beloved partner. Their relationship has reached a significant milestone as they are now engaged to be married.

The former NFL star shared that he connected with his partner through Grindr, a dating app tailored for the LGBTQ+ community, revealing the app's pivotal role in bringing them together.

Evident in the captivating snapshots shared on The former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle's Instagram, their love story unfolds through their enchanting travels to diverse destinations. 

Although they have not yet exchanged vows, their unwavering commitment and shared experiences hint at an imminent wedding day on the horizon.  Their journey as a gay couple radiates happiness and the anticipation of a beautiful future together.

Esera, however, has not shared much information about his current love life. He prefers to be silent on that matter.

Was In a LongTime Relationship In The Past

Esera was previously in a relationship with Minnesota businessman Mitchell Wherley. The two first met at a nightclub in Minnesota in 1995.

In their first encounter, the two had a simple chat and, in the end, exchanged phone numbers. Within a couple of weeks after that, the two started dating and became lovers.

Although they were in an intimate relationship for many years, Tuaolo's relationship with his gay lover Mitchell did not come to light until he revealed it in the early 2000s. 

The duo also shared twins; son Mitchell Tuaolo and daughter Michele Tuaolo whom they adopted in 2000. Along with their kids, there was good bonding between the two, and everything seemed to be going on well. 

Unfortunately, after more than ten years of relationship, the two parted ways in 2007. The exact reasons for the pair split are not revealed.

In an interview in 2016, American television personality Carson Kressley revealed that he once dated Esera.

The "Queer Eye" star said: 

"I once went out with a football player who was in the Super Bowl, so there."

Carson further stated that he is an "awfully nice guy" and told that he and Tuaolo are friends. However, he did not give details on when and how long they were in romance.

Coming Out As Gay

It had not been long since Esera hung his football jersey and retired from the NFL, he came out and opened up about his sexuality and told that he was gay in 2002.

The 1.93 meters tall man came out after struggling for many years to open up about it, fearing the wrath of people.

The big man revealed that he knew about his sexuality from a young age, he said:

"I have always known what I was, even before I knew what gay meant. I grew up poor on a banana plantation in Hawaii, the youngest of eight kids. We went to a Pentecostal church with my mother, and that's where I learned how to sing. But from a young age, I knew that I was different. I was attracted to men."

Tuaolo also told that he thought of killing himself many times, but whenever he thought of his mother, he could not do it. 

In 2001, while he was on a rafting trip with his then-boyfriend Mitchell along with his kids and in-laws, and was recognized by one of the other rafters who was a Vikings fan. 

Esera and his partner had to lie about their relationship, and it hurt him. After returning home, they decided that it was time, to tell the truth.  

After revealing his sexuality, the former Jacksonville Jaguars player said that his "life right now is wonderful."

Arrested For Violence 

Esera is mostly renowned among the audience for being a friendly, kind, and humble guy, but everyone has that one dark side that they don't often show. Similarly was the case for Esera.

In June 2010, the 51-year-old allegedly assaulted someone in North Oaks. Police kept the alleged victim's identity secret and arrested the former NFL player and charged him with domestic assault and disorderly conduct.

Police arrested Tuaolo on July 20, 2010, and released on a $2,000 bail. The judge gave him a domestic abuse-related no-contact order with the victim and set a hearing on the matter for August.

Journey In The Voice

Besides playing football, there is one more thing Esera is passionate about that is singing. In 2017, he went for an audition for season 13 of the American singing competition "The Voice." He sang American singer Andra Day's "Rise."

The retired athlete managed to impress judges and two of the four judges, Jennifer Hudson and Blake Shelton turned their chair.

Check out the clip of Esera Tuaolo singing at "The Voice"!

After thinking hard about it, Tuaolo chose to be on Team Blake. In the Battle round, he was paired with Team Blake contestant Rebecca Brunner.  Both of the participants sang NSYNC's "This I Promise You." Coach Shelton chose Tuaolo to go to the Knockouts round.

In the Knockout round, he came up against Adam Cunningham. Tuaolo sang "Superstar" from Delaney & Bonnie. Coach Shelton decided to keep the former football player for the playoff round, dropping Cunningham from his team.

On the Playoffs broadcast on November 13, 2017, Esera sang LeAnn Rimes' song "How Do I Live." His coach Blake Shelton was forced to pick only three of his team's six finalists and eventually chose to exclude Tuaolo from his final three, thus eliminating Tuaolo from the competition and ending his dream to win the competition.

Asked how he felt while being eliminated and his journey in "The Voice,"

He said:

"Gosh, it was sad being eliminated but I got my voice and something I put on the back burner because of football, I got to kind of bring that back and pursue this dream that I've always wanted and that's singing. So, I am going to take this with me and continue to sing and continue to spread the Aloha and spread the love."

Esera is singing still today, and he looks just as happy as he always has when singing. 

Esera Tuaolo's Net Worth 

Esera has an estimated net worth of $2 million from his career as a football player.

In nine years of his professional football career, he played with numerous NFL teams such as Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers. Thus, he should have made a lucrative sum by playing in such high-profile clubs.

Tuaolo is also the author of his biographical book titled "Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL." The book costs $15.99 on Amazon.

Quick Facts: Esera Tuaolo

• Esera Tuaolo was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. 
• His father died when he was only ten years old.
• Their single mother raised him and his seven older siblings. 
• Esera played college football at Oregon State University.
• He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity.
• He won the Morris Trophy given for the best defensive lineman in the Pac-10 in 1989.
• He was drafted by the  Green Bay Packers in the 1991 NFL Draft 1991.
• He played 20 games for the Green Bay Packers in his debut NFL season from 1991 to 1992. 
• After that, he joined Minnesota Vikings in 1992 and played with them from 1992-1996.
• Tuaolo joined Atlanta Falcons in 1998, where he played 13 games.
• In 1998, Atlanta Falcons won NFC Championship.
• In 1998, while he was in Atlanta Falcons, he also played Super Bowl XXXIII but lost to the Denver Broncos.
• In 2017, he came on Ellen Degeneres' talk show, "The Ellen Show."
• The father of two has also been to various world-renowned television talk shows, including "The Tyra Banks Show," "Good Morning America," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," etc.
• His celebrity crush is singer Ricky Martin.
• Recently, on December 24, 2019, he sang the national anthem at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota before the NFL game Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers. 
• He is an advocate for the LGBT community and a board member of the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation. 
• He is also into philanthropic works and gives speeches on anti-bullying programs.
• Due to his Hawaiian ethnical background, he is nicknamed Mr. Aloha.

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