T.J. Osborne of Brothers Osborne tells Ellen DeGeneres he wishes he had come out gay sooner

During an appearance Thursday on Ellen DeGeneres' daytime talk show, country music star T.J. Osborne of the Brothers Osborne said that he wishes he had come out gay sooner.

Osborne, 36, came out gay this week in an interview with TIME.

"I'm ready to put this behind me," he said. "I'm very comfortable being gay."

According to TIME, Osborne is the only openly gay artist signed to a major country label.

Osborne told DeGeneres that coming out has been a "wild experience" considering he had previously only come out to friends and family.

"I kinda got to this point where I knew there was never going to be the perfect time," Osborne said. "And really, honestly, now that I'm kind of behind it, the coming out, that it's so, like, wild to me to think about; the perfect time is always now."

"I instantaneously felt like I wish I had done this a long time ago," he said.

Osborne added that he did not expect the "wave of love" he received.

"Not only is it a weight off of my shoulders to kind of tell my truth. I expected a wave of love from family and friends and I did not expect it to feel the way it felt. ... Right now I feel so incredibly loved," he said.

In an Instagram post, bandmate and brother John Osborne wrote: "Proud of you, TJ."

The Brothers Osborne, which has had seven Grammy nominations, is best known for its songs "Stay a Little Longer" and "It Ain't My Fault."


Related: Brothers Osborne's T.J. Osborne gets love from Dierks Bentley, Kacey Musgraves and others after coming out