The Bachelor star Marlena Wesh apologized to contestant Sarah Hamrick for her recent TikTok, which she has now deleted, that made several insensitive jokes towards the women in her season. Marlena is in the current season of The Bachelor and stood out to fans early on for being an Olympian. She was born in Virginia but was able to represent Haiti during the 2012 London Olympics due to her parents’ citizenship. For the most part, Marlena hasn’t gotten much screen time in Clayton’s season of The Bachelor. Despite this, she’s still managed to get Bachelor Nation’s attention through her stunning outfits and standout group date moments.
However, recently she’s attracted attention in the worst way. The most recent episode saw Marlena on yet another group date; this time, it was a roast. The women were supposed to come up with jabs and jokes about Clayton as well as the other women. And Marlena did not hold back. She made waves on Twitter with her funny and cutthroat comebacks. After the episode aired, Marlena took to social media to ask Bachelor Nation if they wanted to hear some of the roasts that weren’t featured. In response to a resounding yes, Marlena uploaded a TikTok of her roasting more of the women, with their faces green-screened in the background. While Marlena teetered the line with some of her comments, no one got it worse than Sarah, whom Marlena literally called her little “Asian Persuasion” and made more racially insensitive comments, stating, “If Clayton ends up with Sarah, at least we know he’s gonna get a happy ending.“
The Bachelor contestant Marlena has since deleted the TikTok and, after facing quite a bit of backlash, publicly apologized for her comments. The apology, which was posted on Marlena’s Instagram page, started off by saying she has spoken to Sarah in private. “I needed a moment to gather myself to truly understand how the context of my joke could harm the Asian community,” Marlena went on to say. “As a woman of color myself that has dealt with microaggressions pertaining to my culture, my intention was never to hurt anyone and I see that my comment did just that. I perpetuated a dangerous stereotype and because of that I want to truly apologize to all that were offended and hurt by such an ignorant and cruel comment.” Marlena ended her post by promising to learn and grow from the situation and do better in the future.
For the most part, Marlena’s apology has been received well, with Bachelor Nation showering her comments section with appreciation and love. Some praised her candid apology for taking accountability and acknowledging the impact her words have had. No one seems more appreciative of Marlena’s actions than Sarah herself, who commented on the post, “My girl! You have the best heart and are one of the most caring women I’ve ever met, who especially stands up for what is right. I love you!” Sarah ended her comment with a little heart emoji.
In a time where public apologies are so common and disingenuous, Marlena’s stood out as an honest attempt at taking accountability. Her life experience as a POC makes it easy for her to spot the stereotypes she was perpetuating and recognize the damage that could be done by them. It’s important for the public to see someone not shying away from their wrongdoings but actually accepting the consequences of them. Hopefully, Marlena continues to learn and do better, and get more screen time as Clayton’s season of The Bachelor progresses.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
