THE Bachelor franchise star Rachel Lindsay has insisted she “can’t take it anymore” after host Chris Harrison was forced to apologize for “defending racism.”
Rachel was the franchise’s first black Bachelorette, but speaking on her podcast Higher Learning on Friday, she said that although she is “contractually bound in some ways,” when it is up “I am, too.”
“I can’t. I can’t do it anymore,” she admitted.
The 35-year-old added that she had been having a “really, really hard time” accepting Chris’ apology because at the time of their interview on Tuesday he had “no problems” with his words.
“He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll probably get a little flack,’ but thought it was great that we could disagree but do it in a civil way,” she shared.
“It wasn’t until the backlash came the next day, it wasn’t until people start talking, people start demanding and calling for different things, that he then apologized to me and then apologized publicly.”
Rachel then questioned which response was his true response, adding: “Because to me, Tuesday was your truth and Wednesday is after the fact.
“Wednesday was a response to the backlash.”
She went on to say how she felt his “privilege was on display” as he “talked over” her, adding: “He wasn’t trying to hear it, he was just trying to be heard.”
But Rachel – who married Bryan Abasolo in 2019, two years after they fell in love on the ABC show – told her co-host Van Lathan: “I’m not saying that he can’t be apologetic, I’m not saying that he can’t learn and be better from it, like he said in his statement.
“But you’ll have to give me some space, and you’ll have to give me some compassion and some grace to take the time to really reason and accept that.”
Longtime host of the franchise Chris came under fire for his comments about Rachael Kirkconnell’s “racist” scandal.
Rachael, a frontunner on Matt James‘ season, has been criticized and even labeled “racist” by fans for resurfaced photos from 2018 showing her attending an “Old South” plantation party in an Antebellum dress.
She was also slammed for dressing up as a Native American and for engaging in controversial social media activity.
Responding to the backlash Rachael has continued to receive online, Chris, 49, asked for Bachelor Nation to have “compassion” for the reality contender.
Chris said it will be “interesting” when Rachael does speak as he “thinks she’ll be able to give an eloquent enough reason for most reasonable people.
“But reasonable people aren’t on social media, and that’s who you’re dealing with.”
He later apologized, writing: “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. “
Geogia native Rachael broke her silnce on Thursday, admitting her “ignorance was racist.”
“I hear you, and I’m here to say I was wrong,” she shared.
“At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them.”
