The latest season of The Bachelorette on ABC has kicked off, and there's already controversy brewing. For once, it's not a controversy surrounding Arie's treatment of Becca. No, Bachelorette contestant Garrett Yrigoyen is in hot water after it was revealed that he used his Instagram account to allegedly 'like' posts mocking the trans community, liberal feminists, and undocumented immigrants, as well as spread inaccurate information about a shooting survivor. Yrigoyen has now taken to social media with a very different kind of message, posting this:
I am sorry to those who I offended, and I also take full responsibility for my 'likes' on Instagram that were hurtful and offensive... I decided to take it down and start fresh because I have learned an extremely valuable lesson and am taking steps to grow, become more educated, and be a better version of myself. I am not perfect, and I will never be anywhere close, but now I will always be more informed and aware of what I am liking and supporting, not just on Instagram, but in life.
Garrett Yrigoyen posted the apology message on his new Instagram account, having taken down his original account after news of his controversial 'likes' began to spread. At the time of writing, his new Instagram page consists only of his apology statement and a photo promoting The Bachelorette ahead of its two-hour premiere on May 28. He has already accumulated more than 8,400 Instagram followers. It should be interesting to see how his social media use changes in the coming weeks. As long as he remains a contestant on The Bachelorette -- which was filmed well ahead of the Instagram controversy -- the odds are that people will continue to dig into his past.
After the two-hour premiere, Garrett Yrigoyen emerged as a frontrunner to ultimately win leading lady Becca's heart. He received a special "first impression" rose from Becca, and he was the only contestant that she kissed in the first episode. Notably, the winning contestant of the past three seasons of The Bachelorette received the first impression rose from the leading lady. If Becca follows in the high-heeled footsteps of her predecessors, she may end up choosing the recipient of her first impression rose as well. Garrett Yrigoyen may very well emerge as the big winner. Could he be the person to whom Becca is already engaged?
We'll have to wait and see. The Bachelor franchise has featured plenty of contestants with questionable habits over the years, but few quite like Garrett Yrigoyen. Oddly enough, a previous Bachelorette contestant found himself in trouble after making some transphobic comments online as well.
New episodes of The Bachelorette air on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. There are plenty of other options now and in the coming weeks as well, and you can discover what to watch on our rundown of summer TV premiere dates. If you're ever more in the mood for some streaming TV, swing by our 2018 Netflix premiere guide and our 2018 Amazon Prime premiere schedule. Be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news.
