Rachel Lindsay, the first Black lead in the entire The Bachelor franchise, says she will cut ties with the franchise if its diversity issues are not corrected.

She is still the only Black lead out of 24 leads of The Bachelor and 15 leads of The Bachelorette. 

In 40 seasons [‘The Bachelor’] had one Black lead,” Lindsay said in an interview AfterBuzz TV. “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.”

She continued, “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.”

Lindsay hopes that they cast Mike Johnson, who was a big hit for fans during the Hannah Brown season of The Bachelorette. Despite fan campaigns, Johnson was not selected as the next Bachelor for the season following Brown’s.

“I would be thrilled if he [Johnson] was The Bachelor. I think a lot of people would, there was such a huge movement to make him the bachelor last season. I gave a whole spiel when I found out he wasn’t, if it’s him everybody knows where I stand,” said Lindsay.

 

READ MORE:

‘The Bachelor’ Fans Irate After Fan-Favorite Mike Johnson Not Selected As The First Black Bachelor

 

Photo: Getty