Tyler Cameron, Rachel Lindsay and More Bachelor Nation Stars Speak Out About Hannah Brown Using the N-Word

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Tyler Cameron, Rachel Lindsay and More Bachelor Nation Stars Speak Out About Hannah Brown Using the N-Word

Bachelor Nation stars used their voices to speak out after Hannah Brown faced immense backlash for singing the N-word. The former Bachelorette, 25, went live on Instagram on Saturday, May 16, while trying to learn the TikTok dance to rapper DaBaby’s song “Rockstar.” During the chorus, she sang lyrics that included the racial slur, although she claimed she did not realize it came out of her mouth until fans began leaving comments. “I did? I’m so sorry … I don’t think … maybe it was [my brother] Patrick,” she said at first. “Um, anyway.” As commenters continued to call out Brown, she insisted that she “really [didn’t] think I said that word” before apologizing for her language. [jwplayer 75APDrlN] “I’d never use that word. I’ve never called anybody that. We don’t say that word,” she said on Instagram Live. “So, you know what, I’m going to stay here, and y’all can think I said whatever I did or think I’m something I’m not, but I’m not that. Look, people are going to want to think whatever they want to think of me, get mad at me, whatever. And even if I did accidentally say it, I’m very sorry. I was singing a song and not even thinking.” The Dancing With the Stars champion issued a more formal apology on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, May 17, as her livestream went viral and started making headlines. “I owe you all a major apology. There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said,” she wrote. “I have read your messages and seen the hurt I have caused. I own it all. I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better.” Bachelor and Bachelorette alums including Brown’s ex Tyler Cameron, Rachel Lindsay and Bekah Martinez were among those who took to social media to address the controversy. Scroll down to read their reactions. [podcast_block]

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Tyler Cameron, Rachel Lindsay and More Bachelor Nation Stars Speak Out About Hannah Brown Using the N-Word

Bachelor Nation stars used their voices to speak out after Hannah Brown faced immense backlash for singing the N-word. The former Bachelorette, 25, went live on Instagram on Saturday, May 16, while trying to learn the TikTok dance to rapper DaBaby’s song “Rockstar.” During the chorus, she sang lyrics that included the racial slur, although she claimed she did not realize it came out of her mouth until fans began leaving comments. “I did? I’m so sorry … I don’t think … maybe it was [my brother] Patrick,” she said at first. “Um, anyway.” As commenters continued to call out Brown, she insisted that she “really [didn’t] think I said that word” before apologizing for her language. [jwplayer 75APDrlN] “I’d never use that word. I’ve never called anybody that. We don’t say that word,” she said on Instagram Live. “So, you know what, I’m going to stay here, and y’all can think I said whatever I did or think I’m something I’m not, but I’m not that. Look, people are going to want to think whatever they want to think of me, get mad at me, whatever. And even if I did accidentally say it, I’m very sorry. I was singing a song and not even thinking.” The Dancing With the Stars champion issued a more formal apology on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, May 17, as her livestream went viral and started making headlines. “I owe you all a major apology. There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said,” she wrote. “I have read your messages and seen the hurt I have caused. I own it all. I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better.” Bachelor and Bachelorette alums including Brown’s ex Tyler Cameron, Rachel Lindsay and Bekah Martinez were among those who took to social media to address the controversy. Scroll down to read their reactions. [podcast_block]

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Rachel Lindsay

The season 13 Bachelorette, who was the franchise’s first black lead, took to Instagram on Sunday to say that she was “personally offended” by the Alabama native’s use of the racial epithet. She posted a video message to “educate people on the word” and its origins — and also called out Brown’s apology.

“It’s easy to make a statement, it’s easy to hide behind words, but when you’re bold enough to say the N-word on camera, on your platform … then you need to be bold enough to use your face on camera and apologize in the same way that you said the word,” Lindsay said. “I’m not discrediting the apology, I’m just saying we can’t give people a pass for this. You have to hold people accountable for what they’re doing.”

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Tyler Cameron

The model — who was the runner-up on Brown’s season of The Bachelorette in 2019 and more recently quarantined with her at his Florida home amid the COVID-19 pandemic — reposted Lindsay’s video on his Instagram Stories on Sunday.

“Rachel hit the nail on the head,” Cameron captioned his post. “Y’all need to go look at the comments. We have a long ways to go on this issue and a lot to learn. If you find yourself getting defensive, you are part of the problem. This is not about dragging HB. This is about using your platform for reasons like this. So we can educate those who don’t get it. This is bigger than HB. This is a societal problem.”

In response to a direct message from a fan who insisted Brown “did nothing wrong” and was simply reciting lyrics, the general contractor wrote, “Those that say that it’s part of the song and that they can sing it are so out of touch. HB is not a racist. I know. But blaming the rap artist is not the answer. Educate yourself and listen to what Rachel has to say about the word Bitch and hopefully it’ll start to click for you.”

Cameron concluded, “In these moments you have the opportunity to burry [sic] someone or lift them up. We need to lift HB up from this. She is learning and growing just like every single one of us. Love rids hate. Hate only makes more hate. Let’s learn and lift each other up with love.”

Credit: Courtesy of Bekah Martinez/Instagram

Bekah Martinez

The Bachelor season 22 star blasted Brown on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, writing, “You can’t say the N-word because black people say it. Black people reclaimed the use of a word that was used for centuries to oppress and dehumanize them. … So no, it’s not cool to just sing it along the lyrics of a song especially not ON YOUR PLATFORM WITH MILLIONS OF FOLLOWERS?!! smh. it’s 2020. at least make a legitimate apology and acknowledge your behavior.”

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Mike Johnson

The Air Force veteran, who also competed on the former pageant queen’s season, took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday after some fans called him out for “not defending women of color because of something that Hannah Brown did.”

“She shouldn’t have said the N-word. It’s pretty damn simple to me,” Johnson said. “I haven’t seen the video. I would like to see the video. But people, don’t come at me like I’m watching everything that’s going on between my cast members on the show.”

The next day, he told TMZ, “What Hannah did was unacceptable. Issues like this bring light to the bridge of pop culture and racism within our country. … I’m inviting her and everyone to a conversation, in hopes to educate everyone that this type of behavior needs to be changed and is unacceptable. My aim is that in this moment we don’t divide, we come together, learn from this and create change for the better.”

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Nick Viall

The season 21 Bachelor said on his Instagram Stories on Sunday that Brown’s video was “deeply disappointing to see.” He added, “There is no excuse. Period. Super sad and disappointing to see.”

Two days later, Viall addressed the situation more thoroughly on his “Viall Files” podcast, saying, “I don’t think Hannah Brown should be canceled. ... This is a learning opportunity, hopefully, for Hannah. Let’s see how she responds. So far, her response hasn’t been great, but I personally am willing to see how she handles this.” He also called her use of the N-word “very ignorant.”

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Ashley Spivey

The Bachelorette season 15 star went live on Instagram on Sunday with Bachelor blogger Steve “Reality Steve” Carbone. Spivey suggested that Brown “doesn’t understand the power behind her platform,” adding, “It’s not black people’s jobs to explain why you can’t use that word.” Reality Steve, meanwhile, noted that the University of Alabama graduate should not have taken “over 12 hours to address it.”

Credit: Courtesy of Taylor Nolan/Instagram

Taylor Nolan

The Bachelor season 21 star took to Instagram on Monday to weigh in, writing, “I will say this...this is an opportunity for white people, especially those in bachelor nation, to practice being an ally to black people. It is an opportunity for you to hold other white people accountable when they’re not living or acting in a way that is anti-racist, to educate them and to educate yourselves on how to be an ally. Being an ally is a practice, and I’m going to call on you today to put that into practice.”

Nolan continued, “You all know where I stand. Frankly, I’m not surprised. I have had countless interactions with a white person in that situation, and I’m just triggered. I have repeatedly had the word personally used against me throughout my life, in a way to belittle me, make me feel less than, and frankly to de-humanize me to justify treating me like s--t. Words carry weight. Words are powerful. Be intentional and thoughtful with the words you use, even in what you think is a playful settings, because your words matter.”

Credit: Courtesy of Sydney Hightower/Instagram

Sydney Hightower

The Bachelor season 24 star tweeted on Sunday that Brown’s livestream was “extremely disturbing to watch” due to her use of “the most degrading word in the human race.” She added, “To have millions and millions of people watching you, having a platform people dream of, then to use it that way, and laugh it off like it’s funny is just not okay. We have to do better, take responsibility, be better. The times we are living in this is unbelievable.”

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Jed Wyatt

Brown's ex-fiancé subtly shared his thoughts on the controversy on Wednesday, May 20. In response to former costar Johnson's Instagram post, Wyatt simply commented, "Amen."

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Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert

“She’s in a tough spot, obviously. It’s a long way down from the top when you come off the show. Like, everyone loves you and it’s all positive usually, and then everyone’s looking for a reason to bring you down,” Tolbert told Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday. “Not defending what she did, what she did was wrong. … She just needs to own it a little bit more and truly, like, apologize and use her platform to try and make it right.”

Roper chimed in, “It’s kind of that, like, know better, do better type of thing. Now she knows better, so maybe she can use it on her platform to do better.”