‘The Bachelorette’ 2022 Finale: Kaitlyn Bristowe Calls out the Show for Not Addressing Erich’s Blackface Controversy
The Bachelorette 2022 finale didn’t address all the drama that has come up this season. The final episode showed Rachel and Tino’s dramatic breakup and text messages leaked by an ex-girlfriend of Erich Schwer. However, the finale didn’t address the controversy surrounding an old photo of Erich in Blackface. Kaitlyn Bristowe recently shared her feelings on this.
[Spoiler alert: The Bachelorette Season 19 finale spoilers ahead.]
‘The Bachelorette’ 2022 finale did not address Erich’s Blackface photo
The Bachelorette 2022 finale included the After the Final Rose live special, where Jesse Palmer sat down with Rachel, Gabby, and their final contestants. The live special addressed Rachel and Tino’s messy breakup, where Tino admitted to cheating on Rachel by kissing another girl.
Next, Erich and Gabby sat down on stage. Jesse brought up the recent statement made by Erich’s ex-girlfriend, saying that he broke up with her to go on the show, as well as text messages that she leaked. However, non of them talked about the Blackface controversy surrounding Erich.
Recently, a high school yearbook photo of Erich dressed in Blackface as Jimi Hendrix resurfaced. Though Erich apologized for the photo on his Instagram, the show did not address it.
Kaitlyn Bristowe called out the show for ignoring the Blackface controversy
Some fans of The Bachelorette have responded with outrage that the finale did not address the controversy surrounding Erich’s photo. Former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe also shared her thoughts on Instagram.
“The show, Erich and Gabby had a real opportunity to use their voice and acknowledge Blackface. I don’t think we needed to read texts from his ex or set up a fake mansion for Zach. I think we needed to continue to evolve and show up with that many people watching,” she wrote.
“Michelle, myself, and Becca were all under the impression this would be addressed,” she continued. “It wasn’t, and that’s not ok. Am I happy for them being happy? 10000%. I’m always rooting for love. I hope we hear more from them on this.”
At the end of her post, Kaitlyn added, “This show has given me so much. I am so grateful, yet I still want to hold people accountable. Please, Bachelor Nation, listen to voices that need to be heard. That deserve to be heard.”
“I don’t want to speak for Michelle [Young], but I know she committed to being the lead with a promise of change,” Kaitlyn continued. “To brush over Blackface, and act as if we didn’t have time? What message does that send? Didn’t Rachel Lindsay already show us how important this is?”
‘The Bachelor’ franchise has been criticized for lacking diversity
The Bachelorette and The Bachelor continue to face criticism for a lack of diversity when choosing their leads. Kaitlyn seemed to hint at this in the remainder of her post, discussing the latest choice for the Bachelor — Zach Shallcross.
“Zach is absolutely wonderful and sweet and kind. I also want him to find love. I just think they had so many options for the Bachelor and should let the voting system pick who America wanted.” she wrote. “With that being said, I’m already having empathy for Zach, knowing this will be extremely overwhelming for him and will always be here if he needs my help.”
The Bachelorette Season 19 finale is currently streaming on Hulu.
