The incident catapulted Hamlin into the public eye in a whole different way. And while he told E! News he considers himself a private person when it comes to his family and personal life, he noted that he’s happy to use his voice to help others.
“Naturally, with the business of the career that I chose, there’s little privacy,” Hamlin said. “But also, I think there’s also a space in it where we work to get to this point. It came my way in a different fashion. But ultimately, this is a place I’ve always strived to be in. I’ve always wanted to be a leader in the community.”
One way he hopes to achieve this is by being a positive role model for younger generations.
“I think we’re in like a war right now, especially social media-wise of who’s influencing us,” he continued. “I think there’s not many on the positive side. So, I’m grateful to be in this position, and I’m gonna be one of those who stands on that positive side to show people that there’s a different way of doing things.”