Speaking her mind. Former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay and her “Higher Learning” podcast cohost Van Lathan hosted an Ask Me Anything on Reddit on Monday, February 15, to answer fan’s questions — and she did not hold back.
Lindsay, 35, answered numerous questions about different Bachelor Nation topics, many about race following the latest controversy regarding Rachael Kirkconnell. The current Bachelor contestant, 24, came under fire when past racially charged Instagram photos that she “liked” resurfaced, as well as photos of her in 2018 at an Old South party on a plantation.
On February 9, Lindsay asked host Chris Harrison for his thoughts on the posts and he seemingly defended Kirkconnell — who has since apologized — and asked the Texas native if her social media actions are only a bad thing because it’s 2021.
“These girls got dressed up and went to a party and had a great time, they were 18 years old. Now, does that make it OK? I don’t know Rachel, you tell me,” the producer, 49, said during an Extra interview. “Were we all looking through [that lens] in 2018?”
After backlash, Harrison later apologized and has temporarily stepped away from the show, announcing he will not host the upcoming After the Final Rose special.
“I took a stance on topics about which I should have been better informed,” his February 10 statement read. “While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf. What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry.”
However, that conversation and Kirkconnell’s social media past are only the latest issues with the franchise, which up until January 2021, never had a Black Bachelor.
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During the AMA, Lindsay revealed what changes the show needs to endure and also spoke out about Hannah Brown, who came under fire in May after saying the N-word during an Instagram Live and vowed to do better.
Scroll through the gallery below for a breakdown of what Lindsay said during the AMA:
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