Rachel Lindsay deletes Instagram following racist ‘hate’ from ‘Bachelor’ fans
Lindsay's co-host on 'Higher Learning' podcast took to Instagram to speak on her behalf
Media personality and former “Bachelorette” Rachel Lindsay has deleted her Instagram account following racist hate that she has received from “Bachelor Nation.”
Rachel Lindsay, a former bachelorette on ABC’s highly successful The Bachelor franchise, has had enough. Lindsay was the franchise’s first-ever Black lead and since then, she has been a strong voice in the Bachelor community.
The franchise has frequently had issues with their contestants and their past inappropriate, often racist behavior, and this season seems to have the biggest controversy yet.
Read More: The Bachelor’s Matt James calls out franchise for racism controversy
As theGrio previously reported, a contestant on the current season of The Bachelor, Rachael Kirkconnell, has been a large topic of conversation while the show has been airing. Pictures resurfaced of the contestant with the confederate flag and in attendance at a “plantation-themed formal” in 2018.
Now a correspondent at Extra, Rachel Lindsay asked The Bachelor host Chris Harrison about the controversy in an interview last month.
The interview was a controversial one, with many feeling Harrison was rude to Lindsay and seemingly doubled down on Kirkconnell’s past behavior.
In the interview, Lindsay pressed Harrison, saying, “The picture was in 2018 at an Old South, Antebellum party…that’s not a good look.” Harrison pushed back against Lindsay, saying, “Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021, because there’s a big difference!”
Lindsay then said, “It’s not a good look ever. She is celebrating the Old South…what would I represent at that party?”
The interview immediately gained backlash, with Harrison eventually stepping back from his Bachelor duties. Now, in an odd twist of events, it seems Bachelor fans are taking it out on Lindsay, blaming her for Harrison’s absence.
Read More: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry discuss ‘shocking things’ in interview, Oprah says
Rachel’s co-host on her popular Higher Learning podcast, Van Lathan, said in a recent Instagram post that Lindsay had deactivated her Instagram account.
In the clip, Lathan explained, “My co-host on ‘Higher Learning,’ Rachel Lindsay, disabled her Instagram earlier today. She did it because that’s how much hate she’s getting from Bachelor fans, who are spamming her with all kinds of rude, hateful things to say.”
Lathan went on to tell the Bachelor fans that are spamming her to “get a f—– life.” Lathan explained, “Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can’t read the room in these present 2021 times. She’s not responsible for that. It’s not her job to make excuses or provide cover for somebody who doesn’t understand what the f— triggers people in today’s world.”
The current bachelor, Matt James, took to Instagram last week to speak out against Kirkconnell’s past behavior and the way Harrison conducted himself in the interview with Lindsay.
He wrote, “Chris’s failure to receive and understand the emotional labor that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on by graciously and patiently explaining the racist history of the Antebellum South, a painful history that every American should understand intimately, was troubling and painful to watch.”
James himself is the first Black bachelor in the popular franchise. It was recently announced that Emmanuel Acho, former NFL player, will be hosting the “After the Final Rose” special in place of Harrison.
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