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Ex-Queensland councillor fined $4000 for ‘offensive’ Bachelorette appearance
Former Queensland councillor Jess Glasgow has been fined more than $4000 over his “offensive” appearance on reality-television show The Bachelorette.
Mr Glasgow was booted from the program in 2019 after appearing in just two episodes, in which he donned fake mayoral robes and indicated he would kiss women without their consent.
Former Noosa councillor Jess Glasgow during his controversial appearance on “The Bachelorette”. Credit: Ten Play
The Councillor Conduct Tribunal on Thursday found the former councillor from Noosa Shire, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, “recklessly” engaged in misconduct during his appearance on the TV show and in subsequent media interviews.
In handing down its decision, the tribunal found Mr Glasgow’s behaviour was so unacceptable it would have recommended his dismissal or suspension had he still been in office.
Instead, it fined Mr Glasgow more than $4000, formally reprimanded him, and ordered he make a public admission of his misconduct and reimburse the Noosa Shire Council $1000 in costs.
The “offensive” behaviour occurred while Mr Glasgow was on annual leave in June 2019, when he took part in filming two episodes of The Bachelorette that aired in October that year.
In the first episode, Mr Glasgow appeared in mock mayoral robes, carried a throne and identified himself as a Noosa politician, telling Bachelorette Angie Kent, “I’m a local councillor, so the one below the mayor”, despite not being the deputy mayor.
The following night, he was seen dressed up as a horse’s rear end during a photo shoot and was filmed making lewd gestures and sexualised comments, and attempting to bite and lick Ms Kent.
Mr Glasgow stated: “Don’t mind me if I get some wandering fingers all right” and “Damn, I’m going to be the first person she gets to ride”.
He also indicated he would kiss Ms Kent and other women without their permission, saying “I would have just grabbed that sweetie and laid one on her”, and “I’ve kissed plenty of girls who’ve turned their heads before”.
When he was ousted, Mr Glasgow commented he was “going back to Noosa to find the love of my life in a dirty, dingy nightclub”.
After the episodes aired, Mr Glasgow told journalists he had the mayor’s approval to be on the show.
However, the tribunal heard he had not sought authorisation and advised the mayor he would be on The Bachelorette only about three weeks before it was broadcast.
Mr Glasgow, who was a councillor from 2016 until he failed to win re-election in March 2020, told the Brisbane Times he would appeal against the decision and there was “zero evidence”.
“Those days are done, I’m not a councillor. I really thought there were bigger issues to be actioning right now,” he said.
“Basically, I’m asking for evidence – this was a scripted, edited TV show, which we all agree not to be the best decision for me to go on.
“It was a bit naive and unsuspecting of what this reality-TV stuff was.”
Mr Glasgow said he regretted appearing on the Network Ten show and his family had received death threats.
“One-hundred per cent, it’s a toxic environment,” he said. “But we all make bad decisions, and we learn, and it’s definitely not the show for love that I thought it was.”
The tribunal described Mr Glasgow’s comments on the show, especially about women, as “offensive”, his behaviour during the photo shoot as “disrespectful”, and found his “misleading” statements to the media reflected poorly on the office of councillor.
The tribunal rejected Mr Glasgow’s assertion that he could do as he pleased during his time off, as well as his suggestions the show was edited and that it was not a real-world situation.
It found evidence “clearly showed” him making gestures and saying words of his own volition, and that his conduct was made worse by the fact he could readily be identified as a councillor for Noosa on a show with “national and international exposure”.
The tribunal noted that being “off duty” did not disconnect a serving councillor from the possibility their conduct could reflect poorly on their own character, or that of a council, pointing out the Office of the Independent Assessor received 128 complaints from the public about Mr Glasgow’s time in the media spotlight.