‘Bachelorette’ Runner-up Blake Horstmann Reacts to Garrett Yrigoyen’s Instagram Scandal

Blake Horstmann doesn’t condemn fellow Bachelorette suitor Garrett Yrigoyen over his offensive Instagram “likes.”

Becca Kufrin’s runner-up, who opened up about surviving a school shooting during his time on the show, discussed with Us Weekly Tuesday Yrigoyten’s Instagram scandal, during which he was discovered to have “liked” memes suggesting survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting were crisis actors, as well as those making fun of feminists, trans people and immigrants.

“That’s not the Garrett I knew in the house,” Horstmann told reporters during a conference call. “I’m sure he will learn from all of this and I trust Becca, I trust her decision and I trust her character.”

While he has not had the opportunity to catch up with Yrigoyen since early on in their journey, he hopes the two can talk in the future, adding, “maybe there will be a time in the future, but as of now… I’ll let them have their moment.”

Yrigoyen got down on one knee for Kufrin in Monday’s finale of the ABC reality series’ season, and the two are still engaged despite the fracas that came with his social media scandal. And while Yrigoyen issued a lengthy apology on Instagram soon after the news made headlines, he expanded on his apology during the conference call with Us.

“I just issued that apology on my Instagram and I stand by everything I said on there,” he explained. I’m just trying to grow and be a better person. I know I’ve made some mistakes and I recognized those mistakes and I’m just trying to be better and move forward, but I apology and I’m sorry to anyone that I hurt or offended. … I don’t believe David Hogg is a crisis actor, no, I don’t.”

He added: “I’m starting to read the posts now and going from there, whereas before I would kind of just scroll through and double tap the images. So now I’m reading into things before I’m supporting them.”

Kufrin has also stood by her man throughout the scandal.

“I got to see who he is — his heart, his soul,” she said during After the Final Rose. “And the Instagram situation, I don’t condone that, and I know that he stands by his apology and he feels so bad for everyone that he did offend and he didn’t mean it. But I just want to move forward and to learn and to grow and to continue to educate ourselves.”

Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo credit: ABC