Beloved Bachelor season 18 star Juan Pablo Galavis is facing backlash for his beliefs on homosexuality expressed in an interview Friday night, reminding many of the outrage over similar comments from Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson.
The TV Page’s Sean Daly asked Juan Pablo the question, “Do you think it would be a good idea at some point to have a gay or bisexual bachelor?”
He answered simply, “No.”
Galavis went on to explain that he respects homosexuals but doesn’t think that it sets a good example to kids who will watch the show. Later on in his response, he said that it is hard for him to understand two fathers having kids because people are all brought up with two parents, a husband and wife. He then used the words ‘more pervert’ to describe his gay friends and said it would be too much for TV.
The ABC Network and Studio released a statement on Saturday condemning Galavis’ remarks.
“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,” the statement read.
Following the outrage, Galavis apologized on his Facebook on Saturday.
“The word ‘pervert’ was not what I meant to say, and I am very sorry about it,” he wrote. “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.”
Just last month, social media erupted when Robertson was suspended from his A&E show for his comments on homosexuality in an interview with GQ Magazine. The suspension lasted only about a week, but it led to Cracker Barrel pulling Duck Commander merchandise Barrel off of its shelves and to Charlie Sheen writing a poem lambasting Robertson.
Listen to Galavis’ interview below.
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