Tyler Cameron Urges People to ‘Lift Up’ Hannah Brown Following N-Word Backlash: ‘She Is Learning’
Former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron encouraged fans to “lift up” Hannah Brown on May 17 after she used the N-word on Instagram Live. “In these moments you have the opportunity to [bury] someone or lift them up,” her ex urged.
“She is learning and growing just like every single one of us. Love rids hate,” the 27-year-old wrote in a written statement on his Instagram Story about the situation. “Hate only makes more hate. Let’s learn and lift each other up with love.” He added Hannah is “not racist.”
That’s not to say he fully defended the former Bachelorette, 25. Tyler also shared Bachelor Nation alum Rachel Lindsay’s response to Hannah using the racial slur while singing the lyrics to “Rockstar” by DaBaby as she recollected the moves to a TikTok dance.
In the former lawyer’s IG live on May 17, she pointed out she did not want to “drag” the Alabama native, but she reached out “directly” to speak with Hannah about what happened. “It’s an opportunity to maybe educate them, to speak to them [about] how you were personally upset about it,” Rachel explained.
The Dallas native claimed she gave Hannah an “opportunity” to use her powerful platform to “correct that mistake.” However, she said “it wasn’t done,” which led her to publicly discuss the debacle. Rachel continued her eight-minute video by educating people about the history behind the racial slur, and why it was not OK for Hannah to use it — even if she was singing a song.
Tyler praised Rachel’s video and shared it on his own Instagram Story. “This is not about dragging HB. This is about using your platform for reasons like this,” he added. “So we can educate those who don’t get it. This is bigger than HB. This is a societal problem.”
The Florida stud encouraged people to “listen” to Rachel’s message and learn. “Hopefully, it’ll start to click for you,” he wrote.
Hannah first addressed the situation after fan comments called her on the IG Live out for using the N-word. At first, she didn’t recall saying it and blamed it on her brother, Patrick Brown. “I did? I’m so sorry … I don’t think … Maybe it was Patrick. Um, anyway,” she said in the video.
She talked about the instance again during the same Live video. “I really don’t think I said that word, I don’t think I said that word, but now I’m like, ‘Oh God,’” she said on-camera. “I’d never use that word. I’ve never called anybody that. We don’t say that word … So, you know what, I’m going to stay here, and y’all can think I said whatever I did or think I’m something I’m not, but I’m not that.”
However, she later issued a formal apology. “There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said,” she wrote on her Instagram Story on May 17. “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.”
