Rachel Lindsay Reacts to Chris Harrison Leaving ‘The Bachelor’ Amid Racism Controversy: ‘He Needs to Understand What Was Done’
Rachel Lindsay thinks Chris Harrison should step away from Bachelor Nation.
On Monday (Feb 15.), the former Bachelorette, now a correspondent for Extra, sat down with Billy Bush to share her thoughts on Harrison’s apology and the aftermath of her interview with The Bachelor host.
"Where do we go from here as a franchise? It's hard to say," Lindsay told Bush. "Chris has stepped aside, which I think is the right decision... and I think he needs to understand what was done, what was wrong in that interview. He needs time. He needs to step away to do that."
On Saturday (Feb 13.) Harrison announced that he will not be hosting The Bachelor's upcoming After the Final Rose special following the controversial interview where he defended Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's past racist actions, which include accusations of bullying, liking racist photos and resurfaced photos of Kirkconnell attending an Old South plantation-themed party while in college.
Last week, Harrison issued a statement, apologizing for "wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism" by defending Kirkconnell's racist actions.
"It was never my intention to see Chris Harrison step aside but it was my intention for others to see and hear this interview. It’s important to further and highlight these discussions. The only way to do that is to have these uncomfortable conversations so we can understand the underlying issues and implicit racism that exists within our society,” Lindsay said. “When we can learn to recognize implicit and unconscious bias that history of our environments have taught us, then we can challenge one another to be better for ourselves but also for this society.”
“Let’s not label, let’s not cancel, but let’s hold people accountable for their actions. Let’s set the example in this generation so that we don’t repeat the horrific mistakes from the past and so we can unify and be the change that this country needs to make this society better for the next generation,” the 35-year-old reality show star concluded.