Rachel Lindsay is done sharing her opinions when it comes to Chris Harrison. Though the former Bachelorette, 35, accepts the host’s apology for the remarks he made during their February 9 Extra interview, she has no interest in telling her thoughts regarding whether or not he should return to Bachelor Nation.
A Timeline of Chris Harrison and Rachel Lindsay’s Interview and the Fallout
“I accept the apology. Let’s move forward. I’m not going to give any opinion on what I think should happen with the franchise, what I think [his] role should be moving forward,” the Texas native said during the Friday, March 5, episode of her and Van Lathan‘s “Higher Learning” podcast. “I think something is getting lost here, and that is, I’m not on the show anymore. I went on Bachelor, Bachelorette, I found my husband. I moved on.”
Although Lindsay cohosts ABC’s official “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast, she claims she’s not part of the franchise, adding that those who are currently on the show should be the voices heard.
“We need to be asking them how they feel, when they think about this, what their feelings are about how the franchise should be moving forward. Everybody’s making this Chris vs Rachel, instead of looking at what he said and the impact that it is having on people of color in this franchise and beyond — the people who watched that interview and were offended by it,” the Bachelor alum told her cohost. “It’s not, ‘What does Rachel think about what Chris said?’ Chris said it. What he said was problematic, which we’ve all recognized, so how do the people feel who were impacted by that? And I think that’s the question we need to be asking.”
Bachelor Nation Reacts to Chris Harrison Stepping Down After Controversial Interview
Harrison, 49, gave his first interview on Good Morning America on Thursday, March 4, apologizing once again for defending Rachael Kirkconnell, who attended a plantation-themed event in 2018 and “liked” racially insensitive photos. He also lent another apology to Lindsay.
“I am saddened and shocked at how insensitive I was in that interview with Rachel Lindsay. I can’t believe I didn’t speak against antebellum parties, what they stand for,” the Perfect Letter author said at the time. “I didn’t say it then and I want to say it now: those parties are not OK, past, present, future. And I didn’t speak from my heart. And that is to say that I stand against all forms of racism, and I am deeply sorry to Rachel Lindsay and to the Black community.”
The former Bachelorette revealed on Thursday night’s Extra that she accepts his apology. “I think it’s important for me to say that because I haven’t really talked about, you know, Chris and the statement because I’m not trying to make this a Chris vs. Rachel,” she told Billy Bush.
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The former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host, who chose to step away from the franchise and won’t be hosting the upcoming After the Final Rose special, also stated during the interview that he plans on returning to the show.
“I want to be back,” Harrison said on Good Morning America. “This interview is not the finish line, there is much more work to be done and I am excited to be a part of that change.”
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