Rachel Lindsay Said ‘Something Is Getting Lost’ in the Chris Harrison ‘Bachelor’ Situation

Chris Harrison’s appearance on Extra in February, which led to a heated conversation with Rachel Lindsay, on his part, created quite the upset in Bachelor Nation. He’s stepped down from his hosting abilities for now because of the outcry he caused, but it brought a lot of hate Lindsay’s way as well. In all of this commotion, Lindsay recently wanted to highlight where the attention should go instead of asking her about her opinion on it all. 

Rachel Lindsay just wants to move on from the Chris Harrison situation

Harrison’s comments on Extra all stemmed from the fact that he defended Rachael Kirkconnell, a current contestant on The Bachelor. Kirkconnell faced racism allegations which included old photos of her at an antebellum-themed Old South party in college. She’s since come out and accepted responsibility for those racist actions, but Harrison at the time tried to downplay them, saying that the lens in 2018 was different than it is in 2021 which — as many could assume — rubbed many the wrong way. 

Since then, he’s stepped down and a lot of people have called for his complete firing. While that doesn’t look like it’s happening, there’s been a lot of talk around what Lindsay thinks. Lindsay was the first Black Bachelorette and the first Black lead in the franchise. She’s been an outspoken voice for diversity and responsibility in the franchise, but Lindsay did say that the first step is to just move on from this situation. 

“I have a lot of thoughts, but I think for me to move on, for me to move forward— because we’re staying in this place. And it just keeps stirring and stirring and stirring,” Lindsay said on the Higher Learning podcast episode on March 5. “And I’ve been stirring in it for almost a month at this point, it’s crazy to think that that interview is almost a month ago.”

This also comes after Harrison’s Good Morning America apology, his first on camera. 

“I accept the apology, like let’s move forward,” Lindsay said.. 

Lindsay said that people are overlooking the current contestants and ‘The Bachelor’s future

She did say, however, that she’s not going to give an opinion on how or what the franchise should do to move forward. And while many called for Lindsay to host, that doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for her. Plus, she emphasized that she’s had her time with the franchise; she’s done.

“I think something is getting lost here. And that is I’m not on the show anymore,” Lindsay said on the podcast. “I’ve been on Bachelor, Bachelorette, I found my husband, I moved on.”

Lindsay said that the public — and ABC — need to turn the mic over to the current contests and those who are currently with the franchise, along with anyone who will be on it in the future. 

“What Chris did has a trickle-down effect for all people of color who are affiliated with the franchise and who will in the future. Assuming it continues,” Lindsay said. “We need to be asking them how they feel. What they think about this. What their feelings are about how the franchise should be moving forward. And nobody is. Everybody wants to ask me.”

She said that it’s turned into a Harrison vs. Lindsay battle royale instead of a revolutionary moment in The Bachelor’s history where change can be made. Or even what negative effects it’s “having on people of color in this franchise,” she said. 

“It’s not, ‘What does Rachel think about what Chris said?’” Lindsay said. “Chris said it, what he said had… what he said was problematic, which we’ve all recognized, so how do the people feel who were impacted by that. And I think that’s the question we need to be asking.” 

How have current contestants reacted to Harrison? 

This all went down as the current season is wrapping up and the women have spoken out about it. Many of them released a joint statement after the initial interview, standing with Lindsay and against racism. 

Since then, members like Serena Pitt said she found the interview “upsetting.”

“With The Bachelorette season being so soon… I would struggle [with Chris as host], because the amount of work that needs to be done here,” Pitt told Entertainment Tonight on March 2. “I would need to see the changes that have been happening in his life, and the actions that he has taken, and will be continuing to take moving forward, to feel comfortable welcoming him into The Bachelorette season.”

Chelsea Vaughn, who helped create the statement that the Season 25 women put out along with Kristin Hopkins, told Refinery29 that the interview “weighed heavily” on her which prompted her to want to do something. 

It’s hard to say where it will all go from here, but with so many voices saying something about how they want this franchise to represent them and treat them, The Bachelor’s future should look different.