Rachel Lindsay says Chris Harrison became 'a martyr for cancel culture' after fallout from their interview led to him leaving the 'Bachelor' franchise
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Libby Torres
Nov 5, 2021, 01:58 IST
Rachel Lindsay starred on "The Bachelorette," formerly hosted by Chris Harrison.
Randy Holmes via Getty Images
Rachel Lindsay said Chris Harrison became a "martyr for cancel culture" following their interview.
In the February interview, Harrison defended a contestant accused of racially-insensitive behavior.
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Rachel Lindsay said former "Bachelor" host Chris Harrison became a "martyr for cancel culture" following their controversial interview.
"Chris became a martyr for cancel culture to a huge audience," Lindsay said on a recent episode of Ellen Pompeo's "Tell Me" podcast. "And so people who didn't watch the show, then started to say, 'Oh, she canceled him.'"
"And then I got attached to that as well. So it went beyond just what happened with the show and that interview," Lindsay added.
The "Bachelorette" star also revealed that she was frustrated with herself for not speaking out during the interview, which took place in February.
"I don't know if I've ever said this, but I was a little mad at myself," Lindsay told Pompeo.
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"I have a bit of a temper. I'm extremely opinionated," the reality TV star continued. "I like a good debate and I was mad at myself that I was silent."
During the interview, Harrison called for "grace" and "understanding" for Kirkconnell, and told Lindsay that things were different in 2018, which is when the photos of Kirkconnell were reportedly taken.
Harrison went on to say that "the woke police is out there," and that Kirkconnell had been "thrown to the lions," but later apologized for his comments. The longtime host later stepped down from his position in the franchise. Deadline reported that Harrison was given "a mid-range eight-figure payoff" as part of his exit. (Reps for Harrison, ABC, and WBTV didn't return Deadline's requests for comment regarding the details of the confidential settlement.)
"I received death threats and personal attacks. I had to hire people to protect me. I couldn't even pretend to want to be involved anymore," she wrote.
As she mentioned in the article, Lindsay eventually decided to limit her interactions with the franchise, following the attacks and a growing frustration with the way the show handled race and racism.
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