The maiden Former student Rachel Lindsay, who became the first black star in the ABC franchise, now says she will not renew it Bachelor contract when it expires, as the precipitation continues from a current Bachelor controversial photos of the competitor and Chris Harrison’s response to them.
“I’m f – king tired. I’m exhausted. I really had enough, ”said Lindsay in Friday’s episode about her. University education podcast with Van Lathan. “How much more do I want to affiliate with this? … I said I would leave if they didn’t have colored clues. Okay, they did that and some other changes. They hired a diversity consultant. Who didn’t go to class? Chris Harrison couldn’t take it? … I can not take it anymore. I am contractually bound in some ways. But when everything is ready, I am too. “
Lindsay is referring to a Extra an interview she gave with Harrison, during which they discussed recently emerged photos of current competitor Rachael Kirkconnell – who is vying for the heart of Matt James, the first black bachelor – participating in an Antebellum party three years ago. (Because of the painful and racist history of the pre-Civil War Antebellum South and the triggers of slavery, many avoided romanticizing the era and its images.) In the interview, Harrison defended Kirkconnell’s reputation and criticized what he called a “culture of cancellation. “:” This’ judge, jury, executioner ‘thing where people are destroying this girl’s life and immersing themselves in her parents’ vote history … it’s incredibly alarming to watch that. “
After serious reactions, Harrison apologized: “What I now realize that I did was to cause harm by speaking wrongly in a way that perpetuates racism, and for that I deeply regret.” Lindsay says he personally apologized to her as well, “but I’m having a very, very hard time thinking or, like, really accepting and accepting that apology.” She recalled that “during that conversation, he spoke over me and me … He never gave me space to speak. And he never gave me space to share my perspective. He was not trying to listen … I felt that he had an agenda that he was trying to push. “
Kirkconnell offered his own apologies for the photos, acknowledging that his actions were “offensive and racist” and stating that “they are not acceptable or ok in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist ”. She pledged to “put my energy into preventing people from making the same offensive mistakes that I did.” This season is another Bachelor The contestants also released a joint statement, saying that “we are deeply disappointed and we want to make it clear that we denounce any defense of racism”, adding that they agree with Lindsay, “we listen to it and we advocate change alongside it”.
Lindsey, who made it Bachelor debuted as a competitor in Nick Viall’s season, later the next star of The maiden in 2017, becoming the first black person to star in one of the editions of the long-running franchise, which debuted on ABC in 2002. She chose Bryan Abasolo as the winner of the season and the two got married in 2019. She made several appearances on Bachelor shows since then, and currently hosts the Single Happy Hour podcast with fellow former student Becca Kufrin.