This is an opinion piece
If you aren’t a raving fan of The Bachelor, you probably haven’t heard the news that the host of the show, Chris Harrison, has decided to step back from the franchise. This decision came after an interview Harrison had with former bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay. During the interview, his opinion on the racist past of season 25 contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, sparked controversy within the bachelor nation. After receiving backlash and witnessing the bachelor nation’s support of Lindsay, Harrison released a statement via Instagram offering an apology and promising to “do better.”
As a Black woman who is a member of Bachelor Nation’, it is hard not to have extremely strong feelings about this situation. Many people in Bachelor Nation lack understanding and empathy regarding Rachel Lindsay’s feelings and blame her for Chris Harrison stepping back. This has been the most disheartening part of the controversy because far more people have been quick to bash Rachel for expressing her opinion rather than hear her out and hold those involved accountable for their tolerance of racism. That is a problem.
At what point will Bachelor Nation hear Rachel out rather than calling her a trouble-maker? The fact that Rachael Kirkconnell is a front-runner in Matt James’ season should have been enough reasoning for her to have addressed her past mistakes before the nation watched her fall in love with a Black man. While there is no excuse for the dismissal of Rachel Lindsay’s feelings, Harrison’s comments may have truly come from a lack of understanding and a plea for grace in Kirkconnell’s circumstance. However, his delivery in defending Rachael Kirkconnell came across demeaning, as he dismissed Rachel Lindsay’s feelings who experienced racism first-hand as the franchise’s first Black lead.
In my opinion, Chris Harrison should be taking time away from the franchise to not only reevaluate his role but to also think about the role he plays in advocating for the show’s Black leads. Maybe time away will give him clarity and allow him to learn from his mistakes. Change can not be made without people being held accountable for their words and actions.
So far, there has been no official word on how long Harrison will be taking a break from the franchise, but it has been confirmed that his break will begin with him not hosting “After The Final Rose” for the first time in the franchise 25 season history.