Former star of The Bachelor ette Rachel Lindsay reacted to news that Chris Harrison, longtime host of ABCs The Bachelor franchise, is leaving the series following backlash over his comments during their on-air discussion about racism in February.
Lindsay, a correspondent on Extra, said on the show Tuesday that she wasnt expecting Harrison to leave The Bachelor franchise for good.
I wasnt expecting for it to happen, not after the announcement, she said during a conversation with co-host Billy Bush, according to People .
Harrison, who also served as an executive producer on seasons of The Bachelor and its spinoffs, addressed his departure on Instagram, writing Monday that hes had an incredible run as host of the franchise. He had hosted the reality show for nearly two decades.
He garnered wide backlash in February after he defended Rachael Kirkconnell, a white contestant accused of racism, during an interview with Lindsay, who had been the franchises first Black Bachelorette.
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Kirkconnell, who won the 25th season featuring Bachelor Matt James the first Black lead of the series appeared in photos that surfaced online of her attending a racist Old South ball hosted by a chapter of the Kappa Alpha fraternity in 2018. Fans of the franchise have also criticized her for liking photos containing the Confederate flag and for reportedly sharing pro-police messaging amid Black Lives Matter protests last summer. One woman alleged that Kirkconnell had bullied her in high school for liking Black guys.
The Bachelor contestant posted an apology in February, calling some of her past actions offensive and racist.
But before Kirkconnell published an apology, Harrison insisted to Lindsay that the public should have given her grace and understanding after photos showing her at the Old South party emerged online. He called the 24-year-old a poor girl and criticized the woke police.
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When Lindsay questioned Harrison on what it would have meant for her a Black woman to attend an Old South party, Harrison conceded that Lindsay was 100% right in 2021, but he charged that that party was likely not seen as offensive in 2018 three years ago.
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