'Bachelorette' Hannah Brown apologizes, says she has 'no excuse' for singing the N-word during Instagram Live video
Hannah Brown, of The Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars fame, is apologizing for using the N-word during an Instagram Live.
"I owe you all a major apology," Brown wrote in an Instagram Story on Sunday. "There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said. I have read your messages and seen the hurt I have caused. I own it all. I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better."
The offending video, from Saturday night, has since been deleted (TMZ captured it), but it saw Brown trying to recall the lyrics to DaBaby's "Rockstar,” repeating the N-word in a verse while trying to remember a TikTok dance.
Brown — who appeared in Season 23 of The Bachelor and Season 15 of The Bachelorette before going on to win Dancing With the Stars in 2019 — was apparently first called out by fans in the comments and she suggested that she didn’t realize she said it.
"I did? I'm so sorry... No, I was singing... I'm so sorry," she said.
Her full apology was then issued on Sunday in a new story.
Among those voicing criticism of Brown early on were other The Bachelor stars. Bekah Martinez (Season 22 of The Bachelor) posted several stories on the topic after initially writing, "How are people still gonna defend CELEBS with access to SOOO much privilege, knowledge, and education saying the N-word...even if it's 'just the lyrics to a song'...especially when that person had the wherewithal to skip over the F-word lyrics first.”
Rachel Lindsay (Season 21, The Bachelor and Season 13, The Bachelorette) did an 8-minute Instagram Live discussing why “non-black people should not use the word n****.” In it, Lindsay said Brown should have done better with her apology, which appeared in text in an Instagram Story.
“It’s easy to make a statement, it’s easy to hide behind words, but when you’re bold enough to say the N-word on camera, on your platform … then you need to be bold enough to use your face on camera and apologize in the same way that you said the word,” Lindsay said. “I’m not discrediting the apology I’m just saying we can’t give people a pass for this. You have to hold people accountable for what they’re doing.”
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