‘Bachelorette’ Hannah Brown Speaks out About Her Use of the N-Word Amid George Floyd Protests

This past May, former Bachelorette star Hannah Brown was on Instagram Live where she was heard dropping the N-word and quickly came under fire for being racist. Brown has now put out a statement about two weeks after the incident and amid the George Floyd protests occurring across the U.S., with another Instagram Live video outlining her initial reactions to the backlash.

She admitted she was drunk at the time when she said the word while singing to a song by DaBaby. Brown said she does not want to be ignorant anymore, explaining that she has employed an educator to help give her a better sense of the weight that comes with the term. “I don’t want to be an ignorant white girl who uses the N-word,” Brown shared in the video. “But I also don’t want be someone who goes on their platform intoxicated and engages with their platform that way.” She said she was not aware of all the historical context behind the word.

During her session, the reigning Dancing with the Stars winner thanked her fans but told them not to “defend me” because what she said was “indefensible.” She urged her followers to “take the resources that I have and let’s go on this journey together,” noting that she will no longer be part of the problem.

Shortly after the original video surfaced, Brown was on the receiving end of some harsh words from those in Bachelor Nation, including Rachel Lindsay and Bekah Martinez. Lindsay, who appeared on The Bachelorette, was not appreciative in the manner that Brown first apologized by posting an image of a note she wrote, “You need be bold enough to use your face on camera and apologize in the same way you said the word.” Martinez, too, did not buy the initial remarks, telling Brown to make a “legitimate apology.”

Tyler Cameron, who has spent much of quarantine with Brown, came out and urged his followers to “lift” Brown up. “She is learning and growing just like every single one of us,” Cameron said. “Love rids hate. Hate only makes more hate. Let’s learn and lift each other up with love.” He also said that she was in the wrong but this is only part of a bigger societal issue, explaining that more education needs to be done.