The Bachelor's Ratings Unaffected by Star's Antigay Statements

The Bachelor star Juan Pablo Galavis stirred up a storm of controversy last week after he made comments claiming a gay version of the reality show would not be "a good example for kids" because gay people "are more pervert[ed] in a sense." However, outrage over the reality star's remarks didn't affect the show's ratings, reports E! Online.

Monday night's episode of The Bachelor attracted 7.8 million viewers and scored a 2.3 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic -- a minor drop from the previous week's episode, which snagged the same rating with 7.9 million viewers.

The backlash that followed Galavis's comments caused ABC to shift into damage control mode, issuing a joint statement with Bachelor producers distancing the network and the production team from the reality star's remarks, saying, "Juan Pablo's comments were careless, thoughtless and insensitive, and in no way reflect the views of the network, the show's producers or studio."

Galavis later issued two separate apologies of his own: one on his Facebook page claiming he misspoke because his "vocabulary is not as broad as it is in Spanish," and one through GLAAD in which he addressed LGBT parents directly, saying, "I have heard from many gay Latinos today who are hurt because of what I said and I apologize. I know gay parents and I support them and their families. They are good parents and loving families."