EXCLUSIVE: Sunny Long shares how she wants to use her newfound platform.

The Golden Bachelor’s Sunny Long has hit back at racist comments. Photos: Instagram/itssunnylong / Channel 9

The Golden Bachelor’s Sunny Long has opened up about the racist comments she received online while the reality show was beamed into households around the country. The 58-year-old CEO, who was born and raised in South Korea, found love with Barry ‘Bear’ Myrden in Sunday night’s dramatic finale, and the pair have since confirmed that they are still together.

Although Sunny’s experience on the Channel 9 series had a fairytale ending, she has since admitted to having “mixed emotions” about the response from viewers. She told Yahoo Lifestyle that she has avoided reading every comment about her on social media because a lot of it is “really hard to swallow”.

“I was confronted with blatant racism simply because I’m Asian, simply because I am a confident, outspoken lady,” she said.

“Hello, we’re living in 2025. Australia, we are so behind.”

While a number of her co-stars have since signed with talent management and begun seeking out new opportunities, Sunny shared that she wanted to use her newfound platform to speak out against racism.

“I’m very passionate about it now, so I’d like to be more vocal,” she said.

“We’ve got to change society; we can’t just tolerate it and be blind and be silent about it. It’s not right.

“I feel responsibility, and we should all feel that, to make this country better for the next generation. We’re not going to tolerate racism in any form, living in Australia.”

Sunny says she wants to use her newfound platform to speak out against racism. Photo: Channel 9

Sunny’s daughter speaks out

This comes shortly after Sunny’s daughter, Chloe, posted a video on TikTok calling out the racist comments about her mum.

“Living in Australia with an Asian mum, I have seen mum experience so much racism,” she said.

“And so obviously, you know, her being on the show, I was terrified for that from the possible contestants and the Australian public, and it’s just worse than I could have imagined.”

Chloe went on to say that she thought there would be “at least some moderation from Channel 9” in deleting certain comments on social media, but it’s “actually a joke”.

Yahoo Lifestyle has contacted Channel 9 for comment, but has yet to receive a response.

‘Glass half full’: Golden Bachelor’s Sunny opens up about her fans

Thankfully, Sunny has also received an outpouring of love and support from viewers who have praised her for wearing her heart on her sleeve.

“I never thought in my entire life I would have lots of love and support from the public — not all of them, I understand that and I accept that,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.

“But I’m always the girl who tries to look at things glass half full.

“I’m quite vulnerable, and I was just truly being myself during the whole journey, because authenticity is the main factor for any relationship as a result.”

The mother-of-three added that she’s thrilled The Golden Bachelor put a spotlight on people in their 50s and 60s finding love because “it can happen at any time”.

“I think that’s why Australia is so invested — they want to see love stories later in life, and I think we need to celebrate our life,” she said.

“It shouldn’t be any racism. It shouldn’t be any bickering. It should be a love story.”