Peter Weber is standing by Victoria F. Following the Monday, February 3, episode of The Bachelor, Cosmopolitan magazine revealed they would not be running Victoria Fuller‘s digital cover after discovering photos of her wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt. The day after the episode, Weber, 28, opened up about the decision.
“Just being completely honest, I can’t really speak too much on it, because I don’t really know too many facts about the whole situation,” the pilot said on AOL’s Build Series on Tuesday, February 4. “I just recently heard about that with the cover being removed. But you know, obviously, during that moment too, I knew nothing about that. None of us did.”
He then explained what he does know — and that’s who Fuller, 26, is as a person.
“All I can speak on is the time I was able to spend with Victoria throughout this experience,” he continued. “And I truly enjoyed my experience with her. I really feel like she’s a good person. She’s got a lot of endearing qualities.”
During Monday’s episode, Cosmopolitan’s editor in chief Jessica Pels wrote an open letter explaining the brand’s decision not to run her cover. “Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand,” she stated. “We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and any cause that fights to end injustices for people of color.”
The photos in question were from a Marlin Lives Matter campaign, one that Fuller apologized for in January after the photos surfaced.
“It would be nice for you to gather all the facts before jumping to bash someone,” the medical sales rep wrote in the comments on an Instagram post by Bachelor Clues on January 3. “The company ‘We Love Marlins’ is in support of catching white, blue, & black marlins & releasing them back into the wild.”
She also added: “In regards to a sensitive topic, I come from a very diverse background & am in support of all races! Virginia Beach is a VERY large fishing town where Marlin tournaments are held every year! Glad to clear this up. … I definitely see how this could be offensive. I apologize immensely it was never my intention to lessen this matter.”
The Bachelor airs a special two-hour episode on ABC Wednesday, February 5, at 8 p.m. ET, before returning to Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
