The Bachelorette bachelor Justin Glaze has apologized for offensive and "hurtful" tweets from his past that have resurfaced now that he's competing for Katie Thurston's heart on the show.
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Justin had apparently tweeted the term "f-g" and "g-y ass" and made a joke about a "rude Black b-tch" about a decade ago. He also wrote as a teenager that he "can't date a girl... if she dark as [rapper] FlavorFlav."
During Monday's episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast hosted by The Bachelorette alum Becca Kufrin, Justin issued an apology for his "unfortunate" words which had promoted colorism, insulted Black women and slammed the LGBT community.
"As I reflect on everything that I just went through with this whole journey, often times people ask me what I took from it," began the investment sales consultant from Baltimore, MD.
"And one of the biggest takeaways for me was just my personal growth, and one of those things is being able to hold myself accountable, which is something that historically I wasn't able to do."
Justin noted to Becca and her guest podcast co-host Tayshia Adams that he has "no issue with owning up" to his mistakes and faults.
"And so, you know, I have no issue with... apologizing from the bottom of my heart for the really hurtful words that I used back in 2009 or 2011. The last thing that I want to do is run from it. That's not who I am," Justin said.
"I just want to kind of speak from the heart, and hopefully, people will get an understanding of where I was then versus where I am now."
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Justin went on to explain that 14-year-old Justin was "immature" and impressionable.
"I was in high school and quite frankly I was the type of person who, for whatever reason, felt the need to fit in and say funny things and keep up with what my peers were doing and saying to get a laugh or whatever the reason," Justin explained.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"The folks I had associated with at the time would throw around really hurtful slurs that, at the time, I didn't really think anything of."
Justin continued, "The last thing I want is for people to defend me and say, 'Oh it was 10 or 12 years ago.' What I said was ignorant and hurtful then [and] it's ignorant and hurtful now. I don't care if it was 10, 15 or 20 years ago."
"No matter how long it was, those words shouldn't have come out of my mouth," he insisted.
"And so I'm obviously in a much different place now, over a decade later as a 27-year-old, and I can look back and be embarrassed and ashamed of the words that I used."
Justin said those "hurtful" words should never have left his mouth in any context.
"I know as I've matured and evolved and grown as a person, I'm a totally different version of Justin now than I was then," he said.
"I know those words would never come out of my mouth, because I know the weight that they carry, no matter what context they're used in. I understand how much allyship and support those groups that I offended need."
Justin said he now volunteers and supports groups advocating for inclusion and supporting women in the workplace.
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"Unfortunately, my underdeveloped brain [over a decade ago] wasn't thinking, 'How can these words hurt people later on in life if they were to ever resurface?' I'm not making any excuses. I need to be fully held accountable for my actions and my words."
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Justin reiterated how he fully understands he must hold himself accountable.
"I just want people to know that from 14-year-old Justin, I've changed immensely since then and I'm fully aware of the weight that my words carry and that we all need to do better and continue putting in work," he concluded.
Later in the podcast, Justin recalled that after ABC cast him on Season 17 of The Bachelorette, he didn't think there would be much to scrub or clean up on his social-media accounts since he would never use that type of offensive language today.
"My mindset now [is different]. It didn't cross [his] mind to think, 'Hey Justin, you were an immature, insensitive teenager at one point in your life. Go back and make sure that [your social media] aligns with the person you are today,'" Justin explained.
Justin received a rose from Katie during a one-on-one date that aired on the latest episode of The Bachelorette.
Katie considered Justin to be kind and talented with a big heart, and she told the cameras that she felt safe with the bachelor.
"I feel like one date can really just change everything. Justin is someone I can see myself falling for," Katie said in a confessional during Monday night's episode, adding that being with Justin just "felt like normal life" and it was the beginning of "what could be love."
Click here to learn more about Justin, and click here to read spoilers on Katie's The Bachelorette season and find out how far Justin made it in the process or if he won the Bachelorette's heart.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
