Rachel Lindsay is back on social media.
The former “Bachelorette” returned to Instagram on Saturday, more than a week after deactivating her account amid reported harassment from Bachelor Nation fans. Rachel announced her new chapter on the platform with a photo of sunflowers and an inspirational message.
“I want to be like a sunflower so that even on the darkest days I will stand tall and find the sunlight,” she wrote.
Rachel’s Insta disappeared after she received a string of negativity from trolls who weren’t happy about longtime “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison stepping aside from the franchise. Chris’ announcement came in the aftermath of a bombshell interview with Rachel last month in which he defended current “Bachelor” frontrunner Rachael Kirkconnell as she faced allegations of past racism.
After the controversy ignited, Rachel said she intends to leave Bachelor Nation for good when her contract is up. Chris and Kirkconnell have both since apologized for their actions but Rachel continued feeling the heat from some viewers, and many fellow “Bachelor” alums rallied to defend her.
Rachel’s husband and “Bachelorette” winner Bryan Abasolo gave her his unwavering support in a heartfelt Instagram post last weekend, while pal and fellow “Bachelorette” Becca Kufrin spoke out in a lengthy social media message of her own to let critics know exactly what she thought of their attitude toward Rachel.
“If you are one of the people that have sent any hate or cruelty her way, you should be embarrassed and need to be better. Nastiness ain’t a cute look,” Becca wrote in part.
Rachel, who was the first Black lead in the “Bachelor” franchise, previously explained her thoughts about Chris’ apology and why she believed he made “the right decision” to take a temporary leave of absence.
On Thursday, Chris joined “Good Morning America” for his first interview since the scandal and admitted that his controversial remarks were wrong.
“It was a mistake. I made a mistake. I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake — and I own that,” he said, later confirming that he plans to return to “The Bachelor” eventually.
Hours later, Rachel told Extra’s Billy Bush that she’d reached a place of closure with the situation and wanted to go public with her hopes to start fresh.
“I think it’s important for me to say that because I haven’t really talked about, you know, Chris and the statement because I’m not trying to make this a Chris-versus-Rachel. But the fact that, once again, you know — this isn’t the first time he’s apologized to me — he apologized again on ‘GMA’ today and I do accept that and I think it’s important for me to say that because we need to move forward,” she said.
Last weekend, ABC announced that former NFL player Emmanuel Acho will take over for Chris on the “After the Final Rose” finale special set to air March 15.
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