She was the Bachelor franchise’s only black lead in the series – since the series began in 2002.
And Rachel Lindsay spoke out about how the franchise needs to change because ‘at this point, it’s embarrassing to be affiliated with it,’ she said in the Friday episode of AfterBuzz TV’s Bachelor A.M. With Kelsey Meyer.
The 35-year-old star said: ‘In 40 seasons, you’ve had one black lead. We have had 45 presidents and in 45 presidents, you have one black president.’
Rachel Lindsay spoke out about how the Bachelor franchise needs to change because ‘at this point, it’s embarrassing to be affiliated with it,’ she said in the Friday episode of AfterBuzz TV’s Bachelor A.M. With Kelsey Meyer, via Us Weekly; pictured May 21, 2017 at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas
‘You are almost on par to say you’re more likely to become the president of the United States than you are a black lead in this franchise. That’s insane. That’s ridiculous,’ Rachel added.
Rachel, who is an attorney, first appeared in the Bachelor franchise during season 21 of the Bachelor during Nick Viall’s season; she was the lead in season 13 of the Bachelorette.
The star, who is from Dallas, Texas, made history as the first African-American to be chosen by ABC to be the Bachelorette.
In the season finale, she chose Miami native Bryan Abasolo and the couple tied the knot in August 2019.
She continued: ‘And what bothers me about the franchise is that… I’ve almost been a bit complicit and silent…I mean, I’ve always been very outspoken in my frustration about the need for diversity ever since I’ve been a lead – I’ve always spoken on that.’
Gorgeous: The star said: ‘In 40 seasons, you’ve had one black lead. We have had 45 presidents and in 45 presidents, you have one black president;’ She was the Bachelor franchise’s only black lead in the series – since the series began in 2002
‘But there’s certain things that have frustrated me in the franchise,’ she explained, adding: ‘We don’t speak on things the contestants do that are racist. And it bothers me that certain things have happened that we say “Oh hush, hush and let’s just move on past it.”‘
Rachel said: ‘No we need to acknowledge it because what you’re doing is perpetuating this type of behavior.’
She added that she saw it ‘in full force with the Hannah [Brown] situation, the way that people attacked me just for holding her accountable. That is the type of audience that you are breeding.’
Speaking out: ‘You are almost on par to say you’re more likely to become the president of the United States than you are a black lead in this franchise. That’s insane. That’s ridiculous,’ Rachel added
Hannah sang the N-word on an Instagram Live last month as she tried to learn the TikTok dancer to DaBaby’s song Rockstar.
She had initially denied saying it and said it was ‘maybe’ her brother Patrick, but after continuously getting called out by commentators, she said she didn’t think she said it and then apologized for her language.
After the video went viral, Hannah posted an apology on her Instagram stories; fellow Bachelor alums including Rachel, Bekah Martinez, Mike Johnson, Nick Viall, Tyler Cameron and more addressed the controversy.
Rachel slammed Hannah and said that ‘we have to hold people accountable,’ adding that she had reached out to Hannah to speak to her about it.
Earlier this week, Hannah took to her Instagram Live again and said she had reflected on what she had done and on what to do to make things right, vowing to be ‘part of the solution.’
Rachel continued in the AfterBuzz interview: ‘And you’re breeding that type of audience because the product that you are putting out for this audience, and you’re doing it because you know that it’s no secret that my season had lower ratings, they may have not been the lowest but they were on the lower side.’
She said that Mike Fleiss, who is the creator/producer/writer of The Bachelor and Bachelorette, actually spoke out about the ratings and what that meant to him and that ‘it’s very telling who our audience is.’
Instead of changing it, she said they continue to cast to ‘play into that, because at the end of the day, it’s a business’ which she said is very frustrating to her.
Candid: ‘But there’s certain things that have frustrated me in the franchise,’ she explained, adding: ‘We don’t speak on things the contestants do that are racist. And it bothers me that certain things have happened that we say “Oh hush, hush and let’s just move on past it”‘
Rachel said that if we are talking about Black Lives Matter and the need for systemic change in all industries, ‘well let’s talk about systemic change amid the Bachelor franchise. We got to change some things there too.’
Adding: ‘And I don’t know how you look, how you are a part of the Bachelor franchise and you’re watching what’s happening in our country right now and you don’t self reflect that you’ve been part of the problem as you continue to perpetuate this type of behavior – when you’re putting out something that is very white washed and doesn’t have any type of color in it and you’re not trying to be effective and change that.’
Rachel said: ‘So I think they have to, at this point, give us a black Bachelor for season 25. You have to, I don’t know how you don’t, and it’s been asked of me, will I continue in this franchise if it continues in this way.’
Time for change and diversity: Rachel said: ‘So I think they have to, at this point, give us a black Bachelor for season 25. You have to, I don’t know how you don’t, and it’s been asked of me, will I continue in this franchise if it continues in this way;’ pictured March 13, 2019 in NYC
‘I can’t. I have to see some type of change. It’s ridiculous. It’s embarrassing. At this point, it’s embarrassing to be affiliated with it.’
She said she’s ‘frustrated’ by the franchise because some things are swept under the rug instead of being discussed.
Earlier this week, the former Bachelorette star attended a march in Miami with her husband Bryan Abasolo to protest the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
George was an unarmed black man killed by police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Rachel’s entire interview on AfterBuzz TV’s Bachelor A.M. With Kelsey Meyer in full is available here.
Incredible: Earlier this week, the former Bachelorette star attended a march in Miami with her husband Bryan Abasolo to protest the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis