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Erich Schwer, the last remaining candidate for The Bachelorette's Gabby Windey, has apologized for a high school yearbook photo circulating online that shows him wearing blackface.
The old picture was uncovered by Bachelorette fans on Twitter on Thursday, with many fans accusing him of racism. In the picture, Eric was seen wearing a blackface, an Afro wig and dressed as Jimi Hendrix as part of a Halloween costume in his high school. The caption next to the picture reads,
"It was swell."
Post criticism, Erich took to his Instagram and issued an apology, saying that he was “deeply ashamed” of his actions. He wrote:
"I wholeheartedly apologize for the insensitive photo of me in Blackface from my high school yearbook that has been circulating. What I thought at the time was a representation of my love for Jimi Hendrix, was nothing but ignorance."
He noted that he was "naive to the hurtful implications" of his actions "to the Black community" and that he is regretful of his "offensive and damaging behavior."
He "took accountability" of his actions and apologized for his dress-up.
"I am deeply ashamed by my actions and understand that my apology is only the first step in taking accountability."
Fans react to Bachelorette finalist Erich Schwer's old blackface photo
Many fans did not appreciate Erich's old picture and thought that he was being offensive. Many fans even took to Twitter to express their anger.
Erich is not the first contestant to face a scandal of such proportions. Earlier, Rachael Kirkconnell, who won Season 25 of The Bachelor, was also called out for attending an Antebellum-themed fraternity formal in 2018 at the university. Later, Rachael apologized for her "offensive and racist" actions in an Instagram post.
Even former Bachelorette Hannah Brown apologized for using the N-word during an Instagram Live broadcast in 2020. She too apologized for using "unacceptable" language, saying there was "no excuse" for using the racial slur.
At the time, Hannah wrote on Instagram:
"There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said. I have read your messages and seen 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."
Long-time host of the Bachelor franchise, Chris Harrison, also exited the show after receiving widespread criticism for his comments on race.
Gabby has not yet addressed her suitor’s race-related controversy.
About The Bachelorette finalist Erich Schwer
The 29-year-old real estate analyst from New Jersey, Erich has finally made it to The Bachelorette Gabby Windey’s heart.
After parting ways with Johnny and Jason during the Fantasy Suite episode, Gabby is to decide on Erich in the finale of the reality dating show.
For a date, Erich even took Gabby to his hometown and introduced her to his now late father, who was battling terminal cancer at the time. But after the latest teaser of The Bachelorette, it looks like the couple will hit a rough patch as Erich tells her in the preview:
"I want to date you. Getting engaged before that happens is not how things usually go."
Listening to Erich’s words, Gabby cries, saying:
"I’m so sick of this. What am I supposed to do? Walk away because he’s not ready to propose? It makes me feel like I’m unlovable."
While speaking to ET at the Men Tell All taping, Gabby’s friend and Bachelorette Rachel teased the emotional episodes ahead, saying:
"There are always going to be tears, me especially, but Gabby as well, we really wear our hearts on our sleeves. We're so in touch with our emotions and people are going to see that up until the end. I know it's been a little bit of a controversy online with the crying, the emotions, but it's real and it's human. I hope people are able to go on this ride with us and ultimately just see that we're following our hearts."
Tune in on Tuesday, September 13 at 8 pm ET on ABC to watch Part 1 of The Bachelorette's live, two-part season finale.
