‘Bachelorette’ Star Rachel Lindsay Deletes Her Instagram After Hate From Fans Amid Racism Controversy

Rachel Lindsay

‘Bachelorette’ Star Rachel Lindsay Deletes Her Instagram After Hate From Fans Amid Racism Controversy

Rachel Lindsay of ABC’s The Bachelorette has left Instagram after receiving hate from viewers.

The reality star, who served as the first black Bachelorette on the long-running show in 2017, has been vocal about racism in the franchise.

Van Lathan revealed Friday, Feb. 26th:

“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 and hateful things to say…Y’all have got to get a f— life. Seriously.”

He referenced the recent controversy concerning host Chris Harrison, who backed away from the show recently. He faced criticism of his own after he defended a contestant on the current season who attended a plantation party in 2018.

Van Lathan added,

“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. 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. It’s not. You’re going after the wrong person.”

 

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He ended with,

“Rachel, we love you, we’re with you.”

Rachel Lindsay said that Chris Harrison’s decision to step away from the show was a good one, referencing the alleged underlying racial connotation of the reality show.

She said earlier this month,

“We had racist issues on the show in 2017. There was a racist contestant [cast] for my season. In 2018, the lead picked someone who was liking racist, xenophobic, transphobic, homophobic things on social media. So we’ve dealt with this within the franchise.”

Chris Harrison, host of more than 25 seasons across "The Bachelor" franchise, steps aside after facing criticism for his comments about a contestant's racially insensitive social media posts.

Rachel Lindsay, a former 'Bachelorette,' joins CNN's @DonLemon to discuss. pic.twitter.com/F6RB1Z4zAX

— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) February 16, 2021

She said of Chris Harrison’s comments:

“I was shocked. I thought maybe [Harrison] misspoke. But when he continued down this path, I thought, ‘Oh, no. This is really what he wants to say.’ And I felt I needed to let him say it.”

“He knew how to defend himself and what he represents. It was baffling to me that he was preaching grace and space and compassion, but you’re talking to someone and you’re not giving them that same thing or the community that she represents or the very people who are offended by the actions of the girl that you’re defending. It really was baffling in the moment but I thought, ‘If you’re going to say this, then folks need to hear it.'”

Chris Harrison apologized to Rachel Lindsay, which she later said was difficult for her to “fully accept.”

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