ABC/Craig Sjodin
(LOS ANGELES) — When Garrett Yrigoyen stepped out of the minivan on Monday night’s season premiere of The Bachelorette, Becca Kufrin seemed to instantly be smitten. In fact, she gave him the first impression rose, making him an early front runner.
But, reports about his social media practices have been called into question, sparking a controversy. Yrigoyen has “liked” photos on Instagram that mock feminism, transgender people, and immigrants. One post he “liked” jokes about throwing children over the border wall. In another, he supports the belief that the Parkland student activists were actors.
Kufrin opened up to Entertainment Tonight Thursday to talk about the scandal.
“I want viewers to be open to everyone, and I want them to go through this season with me and watch my love story unfold with all of these men… because that’s how I went into this journey,” she said. “I did things in the past that I’m sure wasn’t the best thing, but I just want people to stay open-minded to everyone.”
She continues, “I am a strong woman and I do believe in certain things, but again, that’s what’s so great about our country — everyone is entitled to their own opinions.”
In a separate interview with Entertainment Tonight, ABC’s Senior Vice President of Alternative Sales, Specials and Late-Night Programming Robert Mills commented on the scandal.
“It is starting to be looked into, and addressed,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to do anything now when the show has been shot, but I think that we will certainly look into how we would address this on the show once we get all the facts.”
Yrigoyen has deleted his Instagram account after having it private.
Kufrin earlier announced she is engaged since taping the show. The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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