‘Bachelor’ Peter Weber Defends Contestant Victoria Fuller After Her White Lives Matter Photo Contr

The Bachelor‘s Peter Weber is showing support for contestant Victoria Fuller after her past controversial modeling campaign came back to bite her on the hit ABC dating show.

In case you missed it, Fuller was chosen to grace the cover of Cosmo alongside Weber after winning a competition on a group date in Costa Rica. But shortly after the episode aired, the outlet’s editor-in-chief Jessica Pels announced they would not publish the special feature after photos of the 26-year-old reality TV starlet posing with a “White Lives Matter” baseball cap began making the rounds online.

As we reported, Pels issued a statement on behalf of the glossy’s decision to distance itself from anyone or anything that “does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand.” Victoria modeled for an apparent marlin conservation group that focused on preventing white and blue marlin from being overfished — but the ad’s messaging appeared all too similar to WLM and struck a chord with Cosmo and fans alike.

In an interview with the Build Series on Tuesday, Weber addressed the mag’s announcement. He began:

“Just being completely honest, I can’t really speak too much on it, because I don’t really know many facts about the whole situation.”

The 28-year-old star said he only “recently” learned about the campaign and knew “nothing” about it during the time he was filming the reality series:

“All I can speak on is the time I was able to spend with Victoria throughout this experience. I truly enjoyed my experience with her. I really feel like she’s, you know, a good person and she’s got a lot of endearing qualities.”

Well, making smart choices about her gigs must not be one of those qualities…

Peter then implored viewers to appreciate Victoria for how she is portrayed on the show (which hasn’t been great, either) instead of getting caught up on something she did in her past:

“I just hope people can form their opinion on her based on what they see between the two of us and her time on the show.”

That might be a tall task for Bachelor Nation, but watch him tell it all in his own words (below):

BTW, if you’re curious to see those photos, they’re still up on Cosmo‘s site.

Victoria’s Apology

Meanwhile, it appears Victoria has already addressed the issue! While most of us learned about her old modeling gig shortly after Monday night’s episode aired, one internet detective apparently discovered the WLM campaign photos about a month ago and called the contestant out in a shady Instagram post shared on January 3.

Speaking in defense of her choice to pose for the marlins apparel company, Fuller explained last month:

“Hello bachelor clues & followers! It would be nice for you to gather all the facts before jumping to bash someone. The company ‘We Love Marlins’ is in support of catching white, blue, & black marlins & releasing them back into the wild.”

She referenced her own “diverse background” and added:

“In regards to a sensitive topic, I come from a very diverse background & am in support of all races! Virginia Beach is a VERY large fishing town where Marlin tournaments are held every year! Glad to clear this up.”

After another IG user commented, “regardless of the fishing connection it’s really racist,” Fuller finally admitted:

“I’m sorry if you or anyone else’s feelings were hurt. That was never my intention. I definitely see how this could be offensive. I apologize immensely it was never my intention to lessen this matter.”

What do U think of her apology and the issue altogether? Sound OFF with your thoughts in the comments (below)…

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