The Bachelor contestant Maquel Cooper apologizes for offensive Instagram post

Remember when The Bachelor / The Bachelorette producers seemed intent on vetting contestants for insensitive social media posts? This was one of the main narratives that came out following some of the controversy that surrounded Lee Garrett during Rachel Lindsay’s season. He had a Twitter past that the producers really should have been aware of.

Now, the same can be said for Maquel Cooper over an insensitive post on Instagram, one that features her mocking Hispanic people.

While the post has now been removed, you can still see it over on the show’s Reddit page. Her reaction was pretty quick, as she issued a statement to TV Guide later today apologizing for the decision to dress and act in such a way:

“Five years ago, I made a regretful choice for a costume. It came at a time when I was unenlightened and uninformed. I apologize to anybody who was offended by my choices. I am sorry for what I did and take full responsibility for my mistake.”

Interestingly, this is not even the first time in which Maquel’s Instagram has come up through Bachelor discussion circles this past month — there were some rolling their eyes over her having sponsored content before the season (a rarity for this franchise), though she did already have somewhat of an audience thanks to her modeling/photography work before the show. Obviously, there’s a difference between trying to promote product and then saying something offensive while wearing an offensive costume at the same time.

As for whether or not this becomes a major part of the Bachelor narrative this season, much of that depends on the way that the season is edited. In the case of Lee, what seemed to get him in trouble was the combination of his offensive social-media history alongside his conflict with some African-American men on the season. Also, this was a season featuring the first black bachelorette and race was also a discussion point for many in the press going in.

The one lesson every contestant should know

Go through your social media history before doing a show like this. ALL OF IT. Don’t just assume you didn’t say or do anything horrible. Hire someone to do it for you if you must. Clearly, producers / someone on the show itself is going to drop the ball when it comes to vetting. It’s up to you to keep yourself from being in this sort of position.

As always, we welcome some of your thoughts in the comments; meanwhile, like CarterMatt on Facebook to get more insight on The Bachelor. (Photo: ABC.)