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 want to make it perfectly clear that any kind of harassment against Rachel Lindsay in the aftermath of her interview with Chris Harrison is completely inexcusable,” began the statement, which was tweeted during the episode “Women Tell All” of Monday night’s reality series.
Rachel has received an unimaginable amount of hatred and is the victim of serious online harassment, more often than not rooted in racism. That is completely unacceptable, ”the statement continued. “Rachel is an incredible advocate for our cast and we are grateful that she has worked tirelessly for racial equality and inclusion.”
Lindsay, 35, who was the first black “Bachelorette” contestant in 2017, deleted her Instagram last week following a cyberbullying attack after confronting Harrison with alleged racist behavior from current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.
After the interview, in which Harrison defended Kirkconnell, the longtime ABC presenter apologized and stepped away from the show. He was replaced by Emmanuel Acho to host ‘The Bachelor: After The Final Rose’.
Lindsay said Harrison had made the right decision to leave the franchise, but Lindsay’s ‘Higher Learning’ podcast co-host, Van Lathan, said the reaction caused her to get off social media.
Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who cannot read the audience in this 2021 time. She’s not responsible for that, ”he said. It’s not her job to make excuses or provide cover for someone who doesn’t understand what triggers the fk people in today’s world. It is not. You’re going after the wrong person. “
Kirkconnell, who is vying for Matt James’ heart, has also apologized for her past behavior and asked fans to stop defending her.