The producers of “The Bachelor” have broken their silence to condemn the harassment Rachel Lindsay has 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 inexcusable,” the statement began, which was he tweeted during the “Women Tell All” episode of the Monday night reality show series.
“Rachel has received an unimaginable amount of hatred and has been subjected to severe online harassment, which has often been rooted in racism. This is totally unacceptable,” the statement continued. “Rachel has been an incredible advocate for our cast and we are grateful that she has worked tirelessly toward racial equity and inclusion.”
Lindsay, 35, who was the first black contestant on “Bachelorette” in 2017, deleted her Instagram last week after a cyberbullying attack after she confronted Harrison over alleged past racist behavior. current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.
After the interview, in which Harrison defended Kirkconnell, the longtime ABC host apologized and stepped away from the show. He was replaced by Emmanuel Acho to present “The Bachelor: After The Final Rose”.
Lindsay said Harrison made the right decision to leave the franchise, but co-host of Lindsay’s “Higher Learning” podcast Van Lathan said the reaction made him leave social media.
“Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can’t read the room in these 2021 times. She’s not responsible for that,” he said. “It’s not your job to make excuses or cover up for someone who doesn’t understand what triggers people in today’s world. It is not. You’re going to look for the wrong person. “
Kirkconnell, who competes for Matt James’ heart, has also apologized for her previous behavior and asked fans to stop defending her.