Peter Weber gave Matt James some sound advice before he began filming the Season 25 of The Bachelor.
In a nutshell, you can’t please everybody.
Peter was the series’ leading man in 2020 and proposed to Hannah Ann Sluss. The couple decided to separate after the finale aired due to a reported lack of communication and Peter began dating one of his former contestants Madison Prewett.
In an interview with Page Six, Peter shared the advice he gave to Matt prior to filming.
“The main advice I told him was — I learned it, you know, trial by fire — that you’re not going to make everybody happy,” Peter explained.
“Me, being a people-pleaser, and that’s just kind of in my nature, I’ve definitely grown from that and learned from it,” he continued.
Bachelor Nation will always have their own opinions
Peter said that the most important thing was that Matt stay true to himself in spite of any outside influence. This will include the franchise’s devoted fans called Bachelor Nation.
“Going into it, just understand that there are millions of people, right, that are part of Bachelor Nation that watch and are going to have different opinions,” he remarked.
“You’re not going to make everyone happy, and as long as you follow your heart and treat everyone with the respect that they deserve, that’s all you can do and it’s OK if you’re going to have people disagree with you,” Peter concluded.
Peter addressed the racial issues plaguing the franchise
Peter also addressed the recent controversy that caused longtime series host Chris Harrison to temporarily step down from his role in the franchise. Chris defended contestant Rachael Kirkconnell who was accused of bullying a high school classmate and wearing antebellum-style clothing for a plantation-themed fraternity event in 2018.
The host found himself in the hot seat after speaking about Kirkconnell with Rachel Lindsay in an interview for the television news show Extra. Harrison said of the controversial Reddit photo of Rachael and some college friends, “Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018? Or, is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.”
She responded by saying, “It’s not a good look, ever.”
Peter said of the exchange to Page Six, “There are changes that need to be made in regards to just equality, and racial equality, and, obviously, I totally support that. Conversations are happening though, which is great, and that’s a step in the right direction.”
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus.