April 12, 2021 • bachelor insider
Mike Johnson Addresses the Hate He's Received in the Past for Dating Outside of His Race
On this week’s episode of “Talking It Out,” Mike Johnson opened up about the hate he’s received in the past for dating outside of his race.
According to the co-host, he is often subjected to hurtful messages from social media users who assume he isn’t attracted to Black women after competing for Hannah Brown’s final rose on “The Bachelorette” Season 15 in 2019.
“I have a hard time talking about this, man. On our podcast, I vowed and promised to always talk it out,” Mike began. “The reason I have a hard time with this is because I’m a light-skinned dude that’s successful — in terms of some people’s eyes — and now I’m on TV and it’s like, ‘Oh, he only like white girls.’”
After Hannah sent Mike home, the handsome Air Force veteran headed down to the beaches of “Bachelor in Paradise,” where he pursued Caelynn Miller-Keyes, who is white, and Sydney Lotuaco, whose mother is white and father is Filipino. Following his stint on Season 6 of the summer spin-off show, Mike was linked to pop superstar Demi Lovato, whose late father was of Mexican descent.
Despite perceived optics, Mike clarified that he is indeed interested in dating Black women.
“I dated a white girl on TV. So therefore, people automatically assume and only feel that white girls are all I like when that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “The only woman I’ve ever been in love with was a mixed-race woman, Black and white, from England. I’ve dated everybody. But as far as girlfriends, they’ve all been Black, and so it truly is frustrating for me to have this conversation about this topic.”
The “Making the Love You Want” author added, “I get so many DMs. Literally, on my most recent post, one woman [commented], ‘If only he liked Black girls.’ It hurts me. It hurts my soul because I speak about my three queens who are all Black women: my mom, my sister, and my grandma.”
Listen to the latest edition of “Talking It Out with Mike & Bryan” below.
