Rachel Lindsay has followed through with her plan to exit The Bachelor franchise.
The first Black lead in The Bachelor and The Bachelorette history has often criticized the franchise for the way that it has handled race and diversity, especially when it. comes to representation and portrayals on-screen. The first Black lead in The Bachelor and The Bachelorette history threatened to end things with the show in the last few months following the Rachael Kirkconnell controversy. The controversy hit a peak when Chris Harrison, in a conversation with Lindsay on Extra, attempted to excused Kirkconnell’s controversial history when it comes to race.
The last episodes of her Bachelor Nation podcast, Bachelor Happy Hour, (which she co-hosts with another former Bachelorette, Becca Kufrin) will air across two episodes beginning this week and ending next Tuesday. It will also be the show’s 100th episode.
“We started talking about how much fun it is and the community we started, and we’re here with the 100th episode, and I’m so proud of it and where it’s come,” she said, as reported by Variety. “Thank you for riding with me for such a long time. Continue to ride with Becca, support her, and uplift her and this podcast as well.” Lindsay’s other ventures include being a correspondent on Extra.
As Variety states, “Lindsay was under contract with Wondery for her podcast; not directly with the franchise. Her contract for the podcast was up, and she no longer has any standing contracts with the franchise, an individual familiar with her deal tells Variety.”
Back in June, Lindsay said, “In 40 seasons [‘The Bachelor’] had one Black lead. We are on 45 presidents. And in 45 presidents there’s been one Black president. 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. It’s been asked of me, will I continue in this franchise if it continues in this way. 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.”
