LOS ANGELES — The star of ABC’s “The Bachelor” has made anti-gay comments that drew a swift rebuke from the network and an apology from the bachelor himself.
On Friday, Juan Pablo Galavis told the online site The TV Page that he didn’t think a gay bachelor would set a good example for kids. Galavis also said in the interview that gays are “more pervert in a sense,” but said he could be mistaken.
Galavis posted an apology on his Facebook page Saturday, but said his remarks “were taken out of context.”
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“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.”
ABC called Galavis’ comments “careless, thoughtless and insensitive” and not representative of those of the network or show.
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“I have heard from many gay Latinos today who are hurt because of what I said and I apologize,” Galavis said. “I know gay parents and I support them and their families. They are good parents and loving families.”
“I also want gay and lesbian youth to know that it is fine to be who you are. Gay or straight, Black or White, Latin or American, what matters here is to respect who we are,” he added.
Galavis is the second reality TV star to draw recent attention over anti-gay comments. A&E briefly suspended “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson after he labeled gays as sinners in a GQ magazine interview and said that African-Americans were happy under Jim Crow laws.
Supporters of Robertson’s right to voice his opinions rose to his defense before the network reinstated him. Unlike Galavis, Robertson did not publicly clarify or apologize for his comments.
Audio of Galavis’ remarks is here:
