The bachelor Presenter Chris Harrison apologized for the comments he made during a recent interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay in Extra.
“For my Bachelor Nation family – I will always recognize a mistake when I make one, so I’m here to sincerely apologize,” said Harrison in a tweet on Wednesday night. “I have an incredible platform to talk about love and yesterday I took a position on topics that I should be better informed about. Although I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf. What I now realize I did was to cause harm by speaking incorrectly in a way that perpetuates racism and for that I deeply regret. “
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In the interview, Harrison and Lindsay were discussing the photos that recently emerged of Rachael Kirkconnell, the current vanguard of this season The bachelor. The photos, for which Kirkconnell is under scrutiny, show the 24-year-old participating in a formal pre-war planting fraternity ceremony in 2018. The photos generated a reaction on social media due to the painful and racist history of the South Antebellum ahead of the Civil War.
Harrison defended Kirkconnell’s reputation, saying the photos were taken a long time ago and also spoke out against the cancellation of the culture.
“I didn’t speak to Rachael about it,” Harrison told Lindsay. “We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion. Because I saw some things online – this thing of judge, jury, executioner where people are just destroying this girl’s life and diving into, like, their parents, their parents’ vote history. It is incredibly alarming to watch this. I haven’t heard Rachael talk about it yet. Until I really hear this woman get a chance to speak, who am I to say that? I saw a picture of her at a fraternity party five years ago and that’s it. “
Lindsay continued to pressure Harrison.
“Well, the photo was from 2018 at an old Southern / Antebellum party, so it’s not looking good,” Lindsay replied.
Harrison said he “is not defending him”, but said people are not looking at the party “under the same lens” now.
“It’s never a good look,” said Lindsay, before emphasizing the slavery component over being black. “She is celebrating the old south. If I went to that party, what would it represent? “
– Chris Harrison (@chrisbharrison) February 11, 2021