Rachel Lindsay has deleted her Instagram amid harassment she’s received from Bachelor Nation.
Earlier this month, her interview with Chris Harrison made headlines after the Bachelor franchise host defended contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s racist actions. After receiving backlash, both Harrison and Kirkconnell issued apologies. Harrison would later go on to announce in a second statement that he would be taking time off and not host the upcoming After the Final Rose special with Matt James and his final pick.
On Friday, Lindsay’s friend and co-host of their Higher Learning podcast, Van Lathan, posted a video defending the former Bachelorette and telling people to stop harassing her.
“Rachel Lindsay disabled her Instagram earlier today. She did it because that’s how much hate she’s getting from Bachelor fans who are spamming her with all kinds of rude and hateful things,” Lathan says in his clip, adding that people need to “get a life” and “Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison.”
“A 49-year-old man who can’t read the room in these present 2021 times,” he continued. “She’s not responsible for that. It’s not her job to make excuses or provide cover for someone who doesn’t understand what the f**k triggers people in today’s world.”
He also noted that it’s just “The Bachelor and it’s not worth harassing somebody over,” before sending Lindsay his love.
Additionally, Lindsay’s husband, Bryan Abasolo, also posted a photo of the two, writing her an encouraging message.
“I love you, I appreciate you, I believe in you and I just wanted to let you know how proud of you I am. Keep going and never stop being you and fighting for what’s right ❤️??,” he captioned the photo.
Just after Matt James’ Bachelor premiere in January, a TikTok user accused Kirkconnell — an early front runner on the show — of bullying her in the past for dating Black men. Then, another user accused Kirkconnell of liking racist photos. Pics have also surfaced of Kirkconnell at an Old South plantation-themed party while in college. In his interview with Lindsay, Harrison defended Kirkconnell’s actions, adding that people should offer her “grace.”
Lindsay recently said she would not be renewing her contract with the Bachelor franchise following this latest controversy. In an episode of Higher Learning with Lathan a couple weeks ago, Lindsay did react to Harrison’s initial apology.
“He never gave me room to talk and he never gave me room to share my perspective,” she said of her Extra interview with Harrison. “He wasn’t trying to hear it. He was just trying to be heard. And that’s because I felt like he had an agenda that he was really trying to push.”
“I’m having a really, really hard time reasoning or really taking in and accepting this apology and I’ll tell you why,” she said. “When I finished that interview with Chris Harrison, he had no problems with it. He was fine. He texted me after. He appreciated the conversation. He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll probably get a little flack.’ He thought it was great that we could disagree but do it in a civil way.”
