Chris Conran Instagram/Chris Conran
Not here for it. Bachelor in Paradise contestant Chris Conran called out fans and social media trolls for making assumptions about his sexuality after his debut on the Monday, August 30, episode of the show.
“I’ve noticed rumors of people questioning my sexuality online and on podcasts,” the Bachelorette alum, 28, tweeted on Wednesday, September 1. “I am not gay. It is disrespectful that society effeminates Asian men and uses ‘gay’ as a derogatory term. Don’t impose sexuality on individuals.”
One follower suggested that the Utah native’s mention of “podcasts” was a reference to Nick Viall, who discussed Chris’ arrival during the Wednesday episode of “The Viall Files” where he recapped the latest season 7 drama with comedian Dave Holmes.
“First off, no joke, when he was walking down we only got a shot of his legs,” the former Bachelor, 40, said of Chris, who initially appeared on Clare Crawley‘s season of The Bachelorette. “I wasn’t sure. I was like, ‘Oh, is this a guy or a girl?’ Forget about the rotation, he has very pretty legs.”
The former MTV personality, 50, suggested that Chris and Chasen Nick, who also joined BiP on Monday, were added to the cast as an attempt to add a bisexual element to the show.
“I was getting kind of a fluid vibe from Chris and Chasen when they showed up,” the writer said. “I was certain that it was, like, ‘Oh, these are the guys who are sort of bicurious, and Wells [Adams] is gonna make ’em a cocktail and who knows what may happen next.’ That was my feeling. Because we’ve been there with women. We haven’t been there with men yet.”
Dave was referring to season 6 of BiP, which aired in summer 2019, when Demi Burnett came out as bisexual and revealed that she was in love with a woman. Producers brought the woman, Kristian Haggerty, to the Mexico beach, and the pair finished the season by getting engaged. (They split in October 2019.)
“I wasn’t sure about Chris,” the Wisconsin native added. “I mean, even from the legs right off the bat.”
The duo then discussed Chris and Chasen’s frequent use of the term “smokeshow,” which led to the rest of the cast jokingly referring to them as the “smoke bros.”
“Smokeshow just reeks of performative heterosexuality to me,” the comedian said during the podcast. “I think it is a very silly thing to say. It feels like something a panicky 12-year-old boy says in the locker room just to be like, ‘I like girls.’”
After Chris posted his message, his BiP costar Tammy Ly, who is also of Asian descent, showed support with a retweet. Tammy, 26, has previously spoken out about the racism she’s experienced since appearing on Peter Weber‘s season of The Bachelor in 2020.
During the season 24 Women Tell All special, the New York native said that she’d received messages from trolls telling her “to get coronavirus” or “go back to Korea and die.” She is of Vietnamese descent.
“It’s extremely rude because they want to hurt you and they know that’s the only way that they can hurt you,” she said at the time. “And it’s just disgusting that people think that that’s OK to say.”
Bachelor in Paradise airs on ABC Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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