Rachel Lindsay Says She “Broke Down” Over Racism on ‘The Bachelorette’

Rachel Lindsay is opening up about her experiences with racism in Bachelor Nation. The attorney made history as the first-ever Black lead in The Bachelor franchise in 2017, and she recently spoke about the series on Ziwe‘s new interview series on Showtime. Ziwe asked if the Bachelorette star faced any backlash for selecting Bryan Abasolo, now her husband, on the show.

“All three of the Black Bachelors and Bachelorettes have ended up with partners who are not of color,” Ziwe prodded.

Along with Lindsay and Abasolo, Tayshia Adams selected Zac Clark and Matt James gave his final rose to Rachael Kirkconnell.

“It’s something I was worried about before I went on the show,” Lindsay told Ziwe. “I think I got a little bit more grace because I was the first, and people were just excited that a person of color was in this role.”

This conversation comes after Chris Harrison‘s recent controversy, in which the host decided to step away from the franchise following his airing of controversial remarks defending Rachael Kirkconnell’s photos at an “antebellum plantation-themed ball.” Lindsay was bullied on her social media accounts after a highly publicized interview with Harrison calling out Kirkconnell’s racist photos, and later announced she was stepping away from the franchise.

“I think the bigger picture is that there is an issue,” Lindsay told E! News, “And Chris is recognizing it, other people are recognizing and I think if my message is to really make change and to really create a level of awareness, then I can’t be focused on trying to take somebody else’s job. I am just focused on really us getting to a place of unity where we can all be better.”

During her interview with Ziwe, the star opened up about these race issues behind the camera as well, referencing “casting issues” in Bachelor Nation.

“There was a point where I broke down on camera, and they used my tears for something else, but I was getting upset at the selection of men of color,” Lindsay said, adding, “I also learned as I was going through my season that several of the Black men on my season didn’t date Black women.”

The reality star also mentioned that instead of fixing the issue, the show “found it interesting,” including the men who had never dated Black women as extra entertainment. But Lindsay said that it was “just her life.” Lindsay closed out her experiences on The Bachelorette by inciting the franchise with a call to action.

“That’s why I’m speaking out that you don’t need to diversify just your cast and your leads,” Lindsay said. “You need to diversify the people behind the camera.”

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