‘Bachelor’ Contestant Tracy Shapoff Apologizes for Her ‘Hurtful’ Tweets
Just hours after Kevin Hart stepped down as this year’s Oscars host due to overwhelming backlash over old homophobic tweets, Tracy Shapoff, a contestant from the upcoming 23rd season of The Bachelor, found herself issuing an apology for similar reasons.
The 31-year-old wardrobe stylist came under fire when a Reddit user’s post highlighting a slew of her old tweets went viral. Posted in 2010 and 2011, the messages include offensive commentary on both everyday people and celebrities.
Taking to Instagram on Friday night, Shapoff addressed the controversial tweets, writing, “I want to start by expressing my sincerest apologizes for the extremely hurtful words that I said many years ago. I’m so sorry for those who I have offended. I am beyond mortified that I ever had those thoughts and then proceeded to express them. By no means does this reflect the person who I am today. To the people who do not know me, I am a loving, kind, thoughtful, generous, and compassionate woman. I am not mean-hearted or hurtful.”
She went on to say that she had changed since tweeting the offensive messages. “The people I have always surrounded myself with are very diverse and come from all over the world. I have a huge heart and a very open mind,” she proclaimed. “In the many years since writing those tweets, I have made a conscious effort not to be judgmental and to be accepting of all people. I have gone into a field of work where I am able to help women and men have positive images of themselves, their bodies, and feel beautiful in who they are. It is the most rewarding feeling being able to work in such a diverse field. It shows me the beauty in all people and I am so lucky to have this opportunity.”
Before signing off, Shapoff added, “I do not defend any of the words I have tweeted, I just want to deeply apologize and learn from my mistakes. I wholeheartedly reject all of those sentiments. That being said, I take full responsibility for my tweets and will use this as a learning experience. I hope that we can continue to spread love and kindness in the world. With love, Tracy.”
Season 23 of The Bachelor doesn’t premiere until January 7, 2019, but it has already seen it share of drama, including haters refusing to accept Colton Underwood as the Bachelor and an over-the-top teaser showing the 26-year-old trying to escape cameras.
Will you be watching Season 23 of The Bachelor? Tweet us @BritandCo.
(photo via Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Delilah with Delilah Hamlin)