Tyler Cameron is urging his followers to “lift” Hannah Brown “up from this” after the former Bachelorette was slammed for using the N-word while rapping along with DaBaby’s “Rockstar” on Instagram Saturday. Brown’s season runner-up took to his own social media Sunday to stand by his ex’s side in the wake of the scandal.
“In these moments, you have the opportunity to burry (sic) someone or lift them up. We need to lift HB up from this,” Cameron wrote on Instagram Stories. “She is learning and growing just like every single one of us. Love rids hate. Hate only makes more hate. Let’s learn and lift each other up with love.”
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Cameron also shared a video posted by former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay educating people on the history of the N-word, saying she “hit the nail on the head.” He also called out people in his DMs defending Brown’s use of the word, writing, “Y’all need to look at the comments. We have a long ways to go on this issue and a lot to learn. If you find yourself getting defensive, you are part of the problem.”
“This is not about dragging HB. This is about using your platform for reasons like this. So we can educate those who don’t get it. This is bigger than HB. This is a societal problem,” he continued. “Those that say it’s part of the song and that they can sing it are so out of touch. HB is not racist. I know. But blaming the rap artist is not the answer. Educate yourself and listen to what Rachel has to say about the word b— and hopefully it’ll start to click for you.”
After Brown’s offensive Instagram blew up, the Dancing With the Stars winner apologized in her Instagram Story. “I owe you all a major apology,” she wrote. “There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said. I have read your messages and see the hurt I have caused. I own it all. I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better.”
Lindsey, who broke ground as the first black Bachelorette, said in a response video that she had reached out to Brown directly after learning of the video. “I thought, you know what, let me just speak to the person directly and let them know how I’m feeling,” she said. “You know, it’s not an opportunity to call someone out, it’s not necessarily an opportunity to drag someone, it’s an opportunity to maybe educate them, to speak to them how you were personally upset about it. So that’s exactly what I did — never with the intention to come do an Instagram Live, never with the intention to call someone out. I thought, ‘Let me challenge this person to use their platform because last night it was used in a different way so let me challenge them to use it in a better way.’”
“Maybe it was a mistake, maybe they didn’t realize the intention behind it. So, let me give them opportunity to now use their platform to correct that mistake,” she continued, adding that she was “personally hurt and offended” that she “gave someone the opportunity to do that and it wasn’t done.” Lindsey said of Brown’s statement, “Now, I understand that an apology was made but when I know what could have been done, when I know what I challenged someone to do, they refused to do it, or they did not do it.”
