After weeks of controversy, Bachelor Competitor Rachael Kirkconnell released a statement apologizing for the images that emerged of her participating in a plantation-themed party, wearing insensitive Halloween costumes and “enjoying” offensive posts on social media, including one in which two people pose in front of an American flag. Confederation. And in a surprising and unprecedented move, the entire cast of the season posted a shared statement on their social networks denouncing racism.
“While rumors are circulating, there are also truths that have surfaced and that I need to address,” Kirkconnell wrote in a statement late on Thursday. “At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them. My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or correct in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist ”.
“I am sorry to the communities and individuals that my actions have harmed and offended,” continued Kirkconnell. “I am ashamed of my lack of education, but it is not the responsibility of anyone to educate me. I am learning and will continue to learn to be anti-racist, because it is important to speak at the moment and not after being called. If you are a person who does not understand the offense in question, I recommend that you learn from my mistakes and encourage you to use them as a learning moment. “
Bachelor diehards have spent this season wondering when, if ever, Kirkconnell would approach the images, which are particularly worrying considering his vanguard status in the competition for the heart of the first black bachelor, Matt James.
During a recent interview with Rachel Lindsay, the first black single, Bachelor Presenter Chris Harrison tried to smooth things over by minimizing Kirkconnell’s transgressions, although Lindsay clearly expressed why the images and rumors about his racist behavior were so disturbing. The almost 14-minute interview remained friendly all the time, but it did not please the fans.
Harrison asked viewers to take it slow with Kirkconnell – although Lindsay pointed out precisely why Kirkconnell’s photo at a particular plantation party “was not looking good.”
“Well, Rachel, are you looking good in 2018?” Harrison replied at one point. “Or is it not looking good in 2021? Because there is a big difference. “
“It’s not looking good ever”Said Lindsay. “Because she is celebrating the Old South. If I went to that party, what would I represent in it? “
“You are 100% right in 2021,” said Harrison. “It was not the case in 2018. And, again, I am not defending Rachael. I only know that, I don’t know, 50 million people did it in 2018. It was a type of party that many people went to. And again, I am not advocating that. I didn’t go for that. “
On Thursday, Harrison apologized for his comments.
“For my Bachelor Nation family – I will always recognize a mistake when I make one, so I’m here to sincerely apologize,” wrote Harrison on Instagram. “I have this incredible platform to talk about love and yesterday I took a position on topics that I should be better informed of.”
“Although I don’t speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf,” Harrison continued. “What I now realize that I did was to cause harm by saying the wrong thing in a way that perpetuates racism, and for that I deeply regret. I also apologize to my friend Rachel Lindsay for not listening to her better on a subject she understood firsthand, and I humbly thank the Bachelor Nation members who came to me to take responsibility. I promise to do better. “
Now, it looks like the entire Matt James cast is also blaming the franchise with a shared statement on Instagram.
“We are the women of the 25th bachelor party season,” write the contestants. “Twenty-five women who identify themselves as BIPOC were selected for this historic season that was intended to represent a change. We are deeply disappointed and we want to make it clear that we denounce any defense of racism. Any defense of racist behavior denies the lived and continued experiences of BIPOC individuals. These experiences should not be exploited or tokenized. “
“Rachel Lindsay continues to ‘grace’ those individuals who identify themselves as BIPOC within this franchise,” concludes the statement. “Just because she is speaking louder does not mean that she is alone. We are with her, we listen to her and we advocate change alongside her. “
The bachelor has an irregular history with race, to say the least. The franchise waited nearly two decades to choose a black single and 13 seasons to choose a black single. In their early years, it was believed that black women generally would not survive beyond the first few weeks.
Lindsay Smith, who competed in The bachelor The tenth season of 2006 reflected on her experience in a rehearsal for Vox, in which she remembered being the only black woman of the season, despite the producers’ promise that this would not be the case. She also noted that on at least one occasion, “the producers were intentionally creating an environment where I would feel uncomfortable due to my race”.
“I left the series disgusted,” wrote Smith. “When the program aired, I remember watching myself within the contours of a highly edited plot – reduced to the stereotype of a hysterical woman. It was a shocking and shameful experience. ”The program declined to comment at the time.
There is also the issue of contestants with worrying social media stories that somehow go through the program selection process. In Rachel Lindsay’s season, for example, there were screenshots of racist tweets allegedly from competitor Lee Garrett – posts including, for example, “What’s the difference between NAACP and KKK? Wait … Someone is ashamed to cover their racist faces. Lindsay ended up dealing with a racial rivalry involving Garrett during her season, a burden she should never have faced during her search for love. And then there was Garrett Yrigoyen, who won Becca Kufrin’s season only after viewers revealed images in which he seemed to “like” posts mocking Parkland survivors, trans people and undocumented immigrants, among others.
It is for these reasons that seasoned viewers knew all along that a black bachelor would not be enough to rectify this franchise’s worrying relationship with race. But Kirkconnell’s statement, apparently launched in a coordinated effort alongside his fellow cast members, seems like a big step in the right direction. Although Kirkconnell does not go into detail about the charges, she also seems sincere in her regret and committed to moving forward constructively.
“While thinking about what I wanted to say,” wrote Kirkconnell, “I couldn’t help thinking about how sick people must be to read that kind of statement; how a person did not realize the trauma that his actions would inflict on other people. It must be very tiring. I want to put my energy into preventing people from making the same offensive mistakes that I made at the beginning, and I hope I can prove it to you going forward. “
“Racial progress and unity are impossible without (white people’s) responsibility,” concluded Kirkconnell, “and I deserve to be held responsible for my actions. I will never grow up unless I recognize that what I did is wrong. I don’t think an apology means that I deserve your forgiveness, but I hope I can earn your forgiveness through my future actions. “
Representatives from ABC and Warner Bros. did not respond to The Daily Beast’s request to comment on Kirkconnell or Harrison’s conversation with Lindsay.