'Bachelor' Star Juan Pablo Galavis Apologizes After Calling Gays 'More Pervert' and 'Bad Example' for Children
The star of reality TV dating show "The Bachelor," Juan Pablo Galavis, apologized after saying gays are "more pervert" and arguing that they shouldn't be allowed to have their version of the show as it would not be a good example for children.
"I want to apologize to all the people I may have offended because of my comments on having a Gay or Bisexual Bachelor. The comment was taken out of context. If you listen to the entire interview, there's nothing but respect for Gay people and their families," Galavis said on Facebook on Saturday, adding that English is his second language and that he did not mean to say the word "pervert."
"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. The show is very racy as it is and I don't let my 5 year old daughter watch it," the 32-year-old former Venezuelan soccer player added.
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In an interview with The TV Page on Friday night, Galavis was asked if the dating show should feature one day a gay or bisexual bachelor, to which he replied: "I don't think it is a good example for kids to watch that on TV."
Galavis added: "Obviously people have their husband and wife and kids and that is how we are brought up. Now there is fathers having kids and all that, and it is hard for me to understand that too in the sense of a household having peoples … Two parents sleeping in the same bed and the kid going into bed … It is confusing in a sense. But I respect them because they want to have kids. They want to be parents. So it is a scale … Where do you put it on the scale? Where is the thin line to cross or not? You have to respect everybody's desires and way of living. But it would be too hard for TV."
He also commented, "There's this thing about gay people. It seems to be, I don't know if I'm mistaken or not, I have a lot of friends like that, but they're more pervert in a sense."
The comments were almost immediately criticized by ABC and the executive producers of "The Bachelor."
"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 network said.
Last week, an industry insider shared with FOX411 that ABC and CBS Network executives were supposedly upset with A&E for reinstating "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson to the show, after it had initially suspended him for speaking out against homosexuality in the January issue of GQ magazine.
"Several high-ranking executives have expressed upset over the way this all played out. The network execs think that in allowing Phil to come back so quickly and seamlessly, without apology, sets a bad standard," the unnamed insider said. "The standard being that talent can say whatever offensive thing they want about gay people or other groups and get away with it. No consequences."
