Bachelorette star and podcast host Rachel Lindsay disabled her Instagram account this week after receiving a wave of hateful comments and harassment from Bachelor Nation, Variety reports.
The online bullying comes after Lindsay, who became the show’s first Black Bachelorette in 2017, sat down for an Extra interview with franchise host Chris Harrison. During the interview, Harrison defended current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who had been called out for prior racist behavior that included attending a plantation-themed party.
After facing backlash for his comments, Harrison apologized and decided to step aside from his hosting duties for an undetermined “period of time” due to the racist controversy. As a result, Bachelor fans have been directing hate and blame towards Lindsay online.
Lindsay’s Higher Learning podcast co-host Van Lathan shared a post on Instagram confirming that his collaborator left the platform because people were “spamming her with all kinds of rude, hateful things to say.”
“My co-host on ‘Higher Learning,’ Rachel Lindsay, disabled her Instagram earlier today,” Lathan said. “She did it because that’s how much hate she’s getting from Bachelor fans.”
“Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can’t read the room in these present 2021 times,” Lathan added in his video post. “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 fuck triggers people in today’s world.”
Other former contestants and fans of the show also stepped up to defend Rachel. Check out some of those reactions below.
