Juan Pablo Galavis revealed he's opposed to a gay or bisexual man starring on The Bachelor over the weekend, sparking public uproar and apologies from both Galavis and ABC.

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When asked whether he thinks it's a good idea to have a gay Bachelor, Galavis told The TV Page, "No," while promoting The Bachelor at a press party Friday night.

"Just because -- I respect them, but honestly, I don't think it's a good example for kids to watch that on TV... [Gay relationships] are more pervert, in a sense," added the 32-year-old single dad and former pro soccer player from Venezuela.

Galavis explained there's a "very thin line" as to what would be considered appropriate for TV if ABC was to have a gay Bachelor.

"It's hard... My boy Peter, he spends every day with me and he has his partner, and I respect that 100%. But obviously people have their husband and wife and kids and that is how we are brought up. Now there is fathers having kids and all that, and it is hard for me to understand that too in the sense of a household having peoples -- two parents sleeping in the same bed and the kid going into bed, you know, it's confusing in a sense," Galavis explained.

"But I respect them because they want to have kids. They want to be parents. So it is a scale... Where do you put it on the scale? Where is the thin line to cross or not? You have to respect everybody's desires and feelings and way of living. But it would be too hard for TV. Too much. Too much... To me, the show would be too strong, too hard to watch on TV."

Galavis did admit, however, that the show is over-the-top anyway and "is like a soap opera."

Galavis was bashed on social media for the comments he made. Many people were outraged, saying he was being insensitive and inappropriate, which resulted in Galavis issuing an apology on his Facebook Fan Page on Saturday.

"I want to apologize to all the people I may have offended because of my comments on having a Gay or Bisexual Bachelor. The comment was taken out of context. If you listen to the entire interview, there's nothing but respect for Gay people and their families. I have many gay friends and one of my closest friends who's like a brother has been a constant in my life especially during the past 5 months. The word pervert was not what I meant to say and I am very sorry about it," Galavis wrote.

"Everyone knows English is my second language and my vocabulary is not as broad as it is in Spanish and, because of this, sometimes I use the wrong words to express myself. What I meant to say was that gay people are more affectionate and intense and for a segment of the TV audience this would be too racy to accept. The show is very racy as it is and I don't let my 5 year old daughter watch it. Once again, I'm sorry for how my words were taken. I would never disrespect anyone."

ABC and Warner Brothers, the studio that produces The Bachelor, also released a statement to the media over the weekend.

"Juan Pablo's comments were careless, thoughtless and insensitive, and in no way reflect the views of the network, the show's producers or studio," they wrote.

This controversy comes on the heels of family patriarch Phil Robertson being suspended from A&E's hit show Duck Dynasty for making homophobic comments. He was reinstated only about a week afterwards.

Whether Galavis will similarly experience any consequences for his statements is currently unknown. However, The Bachelor's currently-airing eighteenth season has brought in very high ratings for ABC. 
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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