Bachelorette: Clay Apologizes for ‘Controversial Opinion’ About Michelle

Bachelor Nation’s Clay Harbor received some backlash on social media after a controversial tweet regarding the appearance of current Bachelorette Michelle Young. Despite the positive intention of Clay’s tweet, he was unable to avoid some harsh criticism over his comments, resulting in him deleting the tweet and issuing an apology to try and clear the air.

Harbor, 34, featured on the 14th season of Bachelorette back in 2018 on former Bachelorette Rebecca Kufrin’s season, during which he exited the show in the third week. He was later on the sixth season of Bachelor in Paradise in 2019, appearing on the program just after a breakup with Bachelor Nation’s Angela Amezcua. There, he struck up a relationship with Nicole Lopez-Alvar while on Paradise, but the pair split up during the season finale when he decided he wasn’t ready for an engagement. The former NFL player, who was a tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars, suggested back in March that his time on the Bachelor was likely over for good. But that hasn’t stopped him from keeping up to date with the show and tweeting out his opinions, though not all of them are well-received.

In Harbor’s original tweet, he wrote that Young was the most beautiful Bachelorette to ever be featured on the series, per E! News. While he meant his words as a compliment to Michelle, he was criticized for ranking women based on their appearance. The backlash prompted Clay to issue an apology and offer an explanation for his initial statement. “Guys, when I said ‘controversial opinion Michelle is the most beautiful bachelorette’ I meant no disrespect. The controversial part is bc there has been so many beautiful women in that spot. (18 I think) Just trying to compliment. Apologies if you were offended.” said Clay Harbor via Twitter. Clay has since deleted the original tweet, though his apology remains online. 

Despite Clay’s kind intentions, not everyone took his comments about Michelle after the controversial Nov. 2 episode in such a positive manner, though he insisted he meant no harm. In response to a reply to his apology tweet, Clay commented “You’re beautiful used to be a compliment.” Some fans offered support for Harbor, while others doubled down on their criticism, suggesting it was wrong to compare the appearance of the 28-year-old schoolteacher to that of the previous women in her position. Other fans were critical of the nature of Harbor’s apology, with one person tweeting “’Apologies if you were offended’ isn’t an apology.”

Michelle has not responded to Clay’s comments, as she has her hands full with drama from her own season. This isn’t the first time that Clay has been involved in Twitter drama, either, as he was previously roasted for coming to the defense of former The Bachelor host Chris Harrison.

The Bacheloretteairs Tuesdays on ABC at 8 p.m. EST.

Sources: E! Online