Star of The Bachelorette Mike Johnson opened up about his struggles with his mental health after appearing on the reality show and being trolled by fans. The 32-year-old appeared on the 15th season of the show, vying for the heart of Hannah Brown. Although he was ultimately sent home at week 7, he quickly became a fan favorite with his million-dollar smile and charm for days, and many called for him to be cast as the next Bachelor.
The 32-year-old found an outpour of support for The Bachelor to cast him as the upcoming seasons lead, cementing his status as the first Black Bachelor in the history of the show. Of course, those dreams didn’t come true as Matt James was chosen for the role, leaving many fans confused as to why the air force vet was snubbed. Although Mike took the high road, assuring fans he wasn’t hurt about the perceived snub and that he fully supported Matt James, he also had to deal with the painful comments that came after being catapulted into the spotlight. While there were many Bachelor fans out there rooting for Mike, his road after the rose hasn’t been an easy one.
The world of reality TV is a fast track to fame, with millions of viewers suddenly becoming invested in a complete stranger. In the case of Mike Johnson, his mental health suffered after the fanfare died down, leaving him open to internet trolls slinging racial slurs. In an interview with Us Weekly, the San Antonio native opened up about the difference between being on the show and after, “Being on the show, I’m around a bunch of alpha dudes. That’s no big deal to me personally,” he explained. “I think being in the air force helped me out a lot and dealing with different personalities … so to me it wasn’t a big deal at all.”
But his world view changed after he was done filming, “After the show, I’m dealing with … certain friends that think they [can] make fun of you and say, ‘Oh, you’re acting brand new now.’ When you’re not, you’re the exact same individual or you know, we all got those trolls that call me the N-word.” Sadly, the nasty side of reality TV showed up for Mike with people continuing to cast negativity on the starlet saying things like, “This is why you’re not the Bachelor.” He continued by sharing how he protected himself mentally from the hate, “Honestly, it used to annoy me, but I might as well be putting on my clown makeup if I allow them to deteriorate from my happiness.”
Mike has since written a book called Making the Love You Want as a guide to promoting self-love, and went on to look at his experience from the show from a positive angle, “I think it’s good that I actually went through it because now I have a different form of experience in dealing with mental health from the public eye aspect, from the military aspect, from growing up.”
The experiences of many people who go into the public eye include dealing with hateful comments from people they’ve never met. Mike’s experiences as a Black contestant on The Bachelorette mirror those of others, like Rachel Lindsay, who also shared the racism she had to endure after appearing on the show. While appearing on reality TV garners love from fans and financial opportunities, Mike Johnson’s experiences reveal that there is an equal amount of hate that follows, highlighting the toxicity that comes with the reality TV world.
Source: Us Weekly
