The Bachelorette alum Rachel Lindsay got real about how she was painted to be the villain after the interview she had with Chris Harrison and how it caused people to see him as a victim of cancel culture.
When Rachel interviewed Chris about Rachael Kirkconnell from Matt James’ season of The Bachelor, they found themselves on opposing sides of the issue.
Once it started to affect Chris’s position at The Bachelor, Rachel claimed many people vilified her and dubbed her as “a person who likes to cancel people.”
While Rachel may have felt like there was a bigger issue at hand, she felt the interview was ultimately regarded as a symbol of “cancel culture” and many people championed Chris in their crusade against it.
“Chris became a martyr for cancel culture to a huge audience,” Rachel said on Ellen Pompeo’s Tell Me podcast. “And so people who didn’t watch the show, then started to say, ‘Oh, she canceled him.'”
“And then I got attached to that as well,” Rachel admitted. “So it went beyond just what happened with the show and that interview.”
Why the Chris Harrison debacle made Rachel Lindsay distance herself from The Bachelor
Rachel admitted that she distanced herself not only from social media but The Bachelor franchise after the incident as it brought out a side in the audience that always lurked in the shadows.
“I think what happened with Chris was the last straw because it highlighted for the first time more in a way than anyone had ever had before, you saw what we go through as people of color are a part of this franchise when it comes to the audience,” she expressed.
Viewers will remember that Rachel took a hiatus from social media after the hateful and threatening messages she started receiving. She received support from friends and other Bachelor Nation stars including Nick Viall and Caelynn Miller-Keyes as well as her husband Bryan Abasolo and her former podcast co-host Becca Kufrin.
Why Chris Harrison parted ways with The Bachelor and Rachel’s involvement
Chris Harrison’s downfall started when his interview with Rachel began. Chris defended Rachael Kirckonnell for the racially insensitive social media content that she posted in 2018.
Chris defended her by stating it was a different time and she was being “thrown to the wolves.”
When Rachel brought up that Rachael hadn’t spoken out on the issue yet, Chris retorted, “Who the hell are you? Who are you that you demand that?”
When Rachael eventually did speak out, she took full accountability for her content and promised to do better.
Chris Harrison apologized as well and vowed he would make a return to the franchise. However, in June he parted ways with the franchise with a $9 million buyout after threatening to take legal action against the company.
The Bachelorette airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.