Rachel Lindsay is expressing her frustration with “The Bachelor” franchise and its host Chris Harrison.
Chris came under fire after he admitted to “wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism” while discussing allegations against “Bachelor” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell with Rachel Lindsay, the former “Bachelorette” and a current correspondent for Extra.
During Thursday’s episode of Rachel’s podcast “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay,” the 35-year-old made her feelings known. “I can’t take it anymore,” she said. I’m contractually bound in some ways, but when it’s up, I am, too. I can’t. I can’t do it anymore.”
Rachel gave some context around her interview with the 49-year-old “Bachelor” host, saying, “When I finished that interview with Chris Harrison, he had no problems with it. He was fine. He texted me after. He appreciated the conversation…He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll probably get a little flack,’ but thought it was great that we could disagree but do it in a civil way.”
She says his tone changed when fans called him out on social media. “It wasn’t until the backlash came the next day, it wasn’t until people start talking, people start demanding and calling for different things, that he then apologized to me and then apologized publicly,” she said.
“I’m trying to reason—well, which one is it? Because to me, Tuesday was your truth and Wednesday is after the fact. Wednesday was a response to the backlash. During that whole conversation, he had the audacity to question me. During that conversation, he talked over me and at me. During that conversation, his privilege was on display,” she added. “He never gave me room to talk, and he never gave me room to share my perspective. He wasn’t trying to hear it, he was just trying to be heard.”
While Rachel acknowledges Chris’ apology, she says she needs some “space” to think, continuing, “I’m not saying that he can’t be apologetic, I’m not saying that he can’t learn and be better from it, like he said in his statement,” Lindsay added. “But you’ll have to give me some space, and you’ll have to give me some compassion and some grace to take the time to really reason and accept that. Because that was a lot.”