ABC/Ed Herrera
Bachelor star Peter Weber is changing his stance from defending contestant Victoria Fuller to condemning the controversial ad she was involved in.
Weber addressed Fuller’s involvement with the clothing campaign featuring the offensive slogan “White Lives Matter” during an interview with PEOPLE, making his stance on the situation clear.
“It’s definitely been tough to see this unfold. To be honest I’m learning about all of this in real time just like everybody else is,” he told the outlet. “At this point right now, I see a lot of headlines about my response, and my support has been taken out of context. I in no way support that kind of campaign.”
The Bachelor star admitted he was unaware of the scandal while they were still filming the show.
“I didn’t know anything about it during the time that Victoria and I were on the show together,” Weber said. “I think it’s important to let Victoria make a comment to the public and make some type of response. It has a lot more to do with her than myself. I don’t want to speak on her behalf.”
“My only problem is that I would never support any campaign like that,” the reality star added.
Fuller’s modeling gig was reportedly linked to the White Marlin Marina, which used slogans “White Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” to promote the conservation of certain types of fish, specifically white marlin, USA Today reported in 2016.
However, Fuller’s involvement in the campaign didn’t make headlines until Cosmopolitan‘s editor-in-chief Jessica Pels announced on Monday, February 3, that the magazine would be pulling its digital cover, which was supposed to feature the Bachelor contestant and Weber as a prize for winning the group date challenge.
“Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand,” Pels wrote. “We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and any cause that fights to end injustices for people of color.”
While Fuller has not commented on the controversy since Cosmopolitan spoke out, she did comment on BachelorClues Instagram account – who shared a photo of Fuller modeling the clothing with the offensive slogan before news broke – almost a month ago.
“Hello bachelor clues followers!” she began her statement. “It would be nice for you to gather all facts before jumping to bash someone. The company ‘We Love Marlins’ is in support of catching white, blue, and black marlins & releasing them back into the wild. In regards to a sensitive topic, I come from a VERY large fishing town where Marlin tournaments are held every year! Glad to clear this up….”
“I definitely see how this could be offensive,” she wrote in another comment. “I apologize immensely it was never my intention to lessen this matter.”
On Tuesday, February 4, Weber said Fuller was a “good person.”
“I really feel like she’s a good person,” he said of what he learned about her while filming. “She’s got a lot of endearing qualities.”
“I just hope that people can form their opinion on her based on what they see between the two of us and her time on the show,” Weber continued. “She’s not perfect, I’m not perfect, no one’s perfect, but, yeah that’s all I can really say on that.”
The Bachelor airs every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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