‘The Bachelor’: Juan Pablo Galavis apologizes, producers respond to gay ‘Bachelor’ comments
Well, you probably knew that this was coming. Only a mere matter of hours after Juan Pablo Galavis’ comments regarding a potential gay “Bachelor” went viral, the studio behind the show has quickly done their best to do one thing: Completely distance themselves from a guy that they were touting mere hours ago as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Just remember that less than 24 hours ago, this was a guy who was being paraded around the entire TCA event like he was the golden child, being praised for almost every little thing imaginable. Now, the entire franchise has to be concerned about losing some of its viewing audience.
Before we do anything else, let us start with the statement released today by Warner Horizon, the producers of the show, making it clear that they do not agree with what was said, whether it be that gay contestants could be more “pervert,” and also that the show would not be right for families.:
“Juan Pablo’s comments were careless, thoughtless and insensitive, and in no way reflect the views of the network, the show’s producers or studio.”
As for Juan Pablo himself, he posted a pretty lengthy apology on Facebook, citing that his words were twisted thanks to everything from the language barrier to context:
“I want to apologize to all the people I may have offended because of my comments on having a Gay or Bisexual Bachelor. The comment was taken out of context. If you listen to the entire interview, there’s nothing but respect for Gay people and their families. I have many gay friends and one of my closest friends who’s like a brother has been a constant in my life especially during the past 5 months. The word pervert was not what I meant to say and I am very sorry about it. Everyone knows English is my second language and my vocabulary is not as broad as it is in Spanish and, because of this, sometimes I use the wrong words to express myself. What I meant to say was that gay people are more affectionate and intense and for a segment of the TV audience this would be too racy to accept. The show is very racy as it is and I don’t let my 5 year old daughter watch it. Once again, I’m sorry for how my words were taken. I would never disrespect anyone.”
To break that down, Galavis is saying here mostly that he has no problem with a gay “Bachelor,” but that he thinks that the show would be much more limited in its following and that many people would tune it out. You can choose to believe this or the original statement if you want, but what we are mostly curious about now is if “The Bachelor” regrets throwing someone to the media without preparing him for every question, or if Juan Pablo regrets signing up now. Regardless of anything that happens now, this is going to follow him for the rest of the season.
What do you think about ABC’s statement on the matter, and do you think that there is any way that they can work themselves out of this situation? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below.