The producers of “The Bachelor” broke the silence to condemn the harassment that Rachel Lindsay received from Bachelor Nation.
“As Executive Producers of The Bachelor Franchise, we would like to make it perfectly clear that any harassment directed at Rachel Lindsay after her interview with Chris Harrison is completely unforgivable,” began the statement, which was tweeted during the “Women Tell All” episode of the reality show on Monday night.
“Rachel received an unimaginable amount of hatred and was subjected to serious online bullying, which, for the most part, has its roots in racism. This is totally unacceptable, ”continued the statement. “Rachel has been an incredible advocate for our cast and we are grateful that she has worked tirelessly for equality and racial inclusion.”
Lindsay, 35, who was the first black bachelorette contestant in 2017, deleted her Instagram last week after a cyberbullying attack after she confronted Harrison about the alleged past racist behavior of current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.
After the interview, in which Harrison defended Kirkconnell, the former ABC presenter apologized and left the program. He was replaced by Emmanuel I think to present “The Bachelor: After The Final Rose”.
Lindsay said Harrison made the right decision to leave the franchise, but the co-host of Lindsay’s “Higher Learning” podcast, Van Lathan, said the reaction had driven her out of social media.
“Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can’t read the room 2021 times. She is not responsible for that, ”he said. “It’s not your job to make excuses or cover for someone who doesn’t understand what the hell is causing people in today’s world. It is not. You are going after the wrong person. “
Kirkconnell, who is competing for Matt James’ heart, also apologized for her previous behavior and asked fans to stop defending her.