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Rachel Lindsay has decided to remove herself from Instagram. After speaking out about the lack of diversity amongst The Bachelor franchise, the racist behavior of Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell and having a heated exchange with Chris Harrison about it, Lindsay had been getting an outpour of negative feedback via social media and recently disabled her account.
Van Lathan, who co-hosts the the “Higher Learning” podcast with Lindsay, made the announcement about Lindsay’s disabled account via Instagram.
“My co-host on Higher Learning, Rachel Lindsay, disabled her Instagram earlier today,” Lathan said in a video on February 26, 2021. “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 to say.”
Lathan also said that it wasn’t fair for Lindsay to be blamed for Harrison’s tone-deaf comments about the Kirkconnell controversy.
“Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can’t read the room in these 2021 times,” Lathan added. She’s not responsible for that. It’s not her job to make excuses or provide cover for somebody who doesn’t understand what the f*** triggers people in today’s world. It’s not. You’re going after the wrong person.”
During an interview with Harrison for Extra, Lindsay questioned Harrison after old social media photos showed Kirkconnell, who is competing for the love of the first Black Bachelor Matt James, dressed in Native American attire as a costume, had the Confederate flag in the background of some of her TikTok videos and was present at an Antebellum-plantation celebration. Instead of condemning her insensitive actions, he asked that people have “a little understanding” and “a little compassion” for Kirkconnell. This sent Lindsay over the edge and she later announced that she would be parting ways with The Bachelor franchise.
“I can’t take it anymore,” Lindsay said earlier this month on “Higher Learning.” “I’m contractually bound in some ways, but when it’s up, I am, too. I can’t. I can’t do it anymore.”
