Bachelor contestant Greer Blitzer apologizes for previous blackface comments

First Impression Bachelor Season 27 winner Greer Blitzer apologizes for past blackface comments she made on social media in 2016.

Zach Shallcross gave contestant Greer Blitzer his first impression during the premiere of Rose The bachelor Season 27 and less than 24 hours after the premiere, she apologized for a racist controversy that involved blackface and online comments in 2016. Greer is a medical sales rep from Houston, Texas, and she quickly impressed Zach on the first night. For her exit from the limousine, Greer brought Zach a cup of Bodega coffee that she had brought from New York. Later that night, Greer and Zach bonded further and Greer earned Zach’s First Impression Rose.

Bachelor Nation watched Zach meet the other 25 ladies rounding out his cast of potential suitors on the evening of January 23. Ahead of the premiere, Reddit users shared screenshots of The Bachelor Greer Blitzer defends another student who wore blackface as part of a Tupac Shakur Halloween costume. In the morning hours after the premiere, Greer took to Instagram to issue a statement of apologies and withdraw her earlier support of the blackface situation.

Greer wrote: “In my past I have made some uneducated, ignorant and frankly wrong comments on my social media accounts. Specifically, in 2016, I used misguided arguments on Twitter to defend a student who dressed in blackface [sic] as Tupac for Halloween.”

Also see: What Bachelor fans want to see in Zach Shallcross’s season

The Bachelor’s Greer Blitzer Says ‘She’s Deeply Sorry’ Amid Controversy

Greer’s original stance in the argument, as evidenced by the Reddit screenshots, claimed that the students did not know what blackface was and therefore did not intentionally commit a racist act. The bachelor The candidate’s logic and position has evidently evolved since then, as she wrote: “I am deeply sorry for those I have hurt, especially those within the Black community, not because these screenshots have resurfaced, but because I ever shared these harmful opinions. Time and age don’t excuse my actions, but that doesn’t reflect who I am today.Greer closed her Instagram apology by repeating condemnation of her previous actions,”I do not stand by the harmful opinions and behaviors I shared at this stage in my life and will forever regret making those offensive remarks.”

The bachelor Franchise is no stranger to racial controversy. The series has repeatedly felt connected to individuals who have to publicly apologize for racist statements. Erich Schwer, who meanwhile received Gabby Windey’s last rose The Bachelorette Photos of him with a black face resurfaced in Season 19 in 2022. In 2021, former franchise host Chris Harrison was fired from his longtime role after defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell during her scandal. While in college, Rachael attended a plantation-themed school festival that spanned the antebellum era of the South.

Bachelor Nation has expressed frustration at the cast’s lack of judgment and due diligence in selecting the cast. Those making the final decisions either choose to look the other way once they realize a potential contestant has a troubled past, or the show doesn’t have the necessary safeguards in place to spot such things. Furthermore, The bachelor The failure of showrunners and ABC execs to properly address each of these controversies has angered the franchise’s fanbase. How Zach and the network decide to handle the situation with Greer remains to be seen. However, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when they callously whitewash the situation to minimize backlash, especially when Greer is Zach’s last lady The bachelor.

More: Why Zach Shallcross thinks Bachelor fans will love his season

Credit: Greer Blitzer/Instagram