Rachel Lindsay targeted by Chris Harrison fans after racism row: 'The Bachelor' producers slam 'online bullying'
The producers of 'The Bachelor' have finally managed to hammer out a statement surrounding all the racist behavior that people related to the show in the past and present have exhibited. Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's racism row has been doing the rounds since the beginning of this year and continues to be one of the biggest stains on the two-decade-old franchise.
To add to that, the inability of showrunners and producers who have been constantly slammed for not doing a great job at screening contestants for their past problematic history and failure to put out a statement or apology has been a constant concern among fans of Bachelor Nation.
However, on Monday, March 1, night, right before the 'Women Tell All' episode, the producers finally broke their silence on the matter, clarifying where they stand on the whole Rachael situation that also exposed host Chris Harrison's "racist" side.
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On February 9, Harrison did an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay where he requested fans to show "grace" to Kirkconnell, who according to him was "thrown to the lions". He defended her presence at the antebellum-plantation party and it was mayhem ever since.
Apart from attending an antebellum plantation-themed party celebrating the "old South", Rachael had also liked photos that showed two women posting in front of a Confederate flag as well as another photo that had three women in ponchos and sombreros.
Harrison faced a lot of backlash from fans of the show and he apologized for his comments that "perpetuated racism". He followed his apology with another statement saying he will be stepping away from the franchise for a while and won't be hosting the 'After the Final Rose' special.
While a lot of fans lauded Lindsay for helping bring out the "racist" side of Harrison to light, she was also subjected to a lot of hatred online from fans of the Bachelor host. Such was the impact of all the comments that she decided to deactivate her Instagram account.
This further ignited reactions among Bachelor Nation fans and other 'Bachelor' contestants including Kirkconnell who stood up for Lindsay. This is why the showrunners put out the statement an hour before the 'Women Tell All' episode.
'The Bachelor' franchise statement
"As executive producers of 'The Bachelor' franchise, we would like to make it perfectly clear that any harassment directed towards Rachel Lindsay in the aftermath of her interview with Chris Harrison is completely inexcusable. Rachel has received an unimaginable amount of hate and has been subjected to severe online bullying which more than often than not has been rooted in racism."
"That is totally unacceptable. Rachel has been an incredible advocate for our cast, and we are grateful that she has worked tirelessly towards racial equity and inclusion," the statement added.
Fans who read the statement went ahead to slam them for this "lukewarm" statement which came in a little too late. "Two weeks is a long time to craft this lukewarm statement. I’d love to hear what steps are being taken from the ep’s to prevent further harassment and/or how you’re being more inclusive in all aspects of the show." read a tweet.
"This could’ve and should’ve been said when y’all decided to put an openly racist man on her season and failed to defend her from the hateful and racist comments she’s since received," another fan wrote. Lindsay had earlier opened up about having a racist person on her season in an interview but didn't reveal his identity.
"So what about the bullying they ALLOWED on the show? Let’s address that?" read another tweet demanding more action. "The interview was Feb 9. It's that hard for you as a franchise to support a Black woman that works for you and did nothing wrong? It's that hard to educate your audience about racism and support BIPOC? A statement a month after is not enough. What actions are you gonna do?" wrote another fan.
Two weeks is a long time to craft this luke warm statement. I’d love to hear what steps are being taken from the ep’s to prevent further harassment and/or how you’re being more inclusive in all aspects of the show.
— brenna minor (@brennaminor) March 2, 2021
This could’ve and should’ve been said when y’all decided to put an openly racist man on her season and failed to defend her from the hateful and racist comments she’s since received.
— Liesel (@ellemceebee) March 1, 2021
So what about the bullying they ALLOWED on the show? Let’s address that?
— Juliana (@nulie87) March 2, 2021
The interview was Feb 9. It's that hard for you as a franchise to support a black woman that works for you and did nothing wrong? It's that hard to educate your audience about racism and support BIPOC? A statment a month after is not enough. What actions are you gonna do?
— Lia (@Shadow_of_Lia) March 2, 2021
