Controversies
- Some journalists noted racist behavior in The Bachelorette 13 in 2017, with Rachel Lindsay in the starring role, the first Black lead. One of the men said "I’m ready to go Black and I’m never going to go back." when introducing himself to Lindsay, and another called her "a girl from the hood". [28] The show also promoted a "battle" between contestants Lee Garrett (white) and Kenny Layne (Black), who Garrett framed as "aggressive". According to The Atlantic , Garrett played the victim and accused others of "playing the race card". The producers pitted Garrett and Layne against each other in a two-on-one date with Lindsay, in which Lindsay eliminated both men from the show. [28] A couple weeks into the show airing, before Garrett was eliminated, fans discovered a tweet from him that read “What’s the difference between the NAACP and the KKK? Wait for it...One has the sense of shame to cover their racist ass faces." [29] When pressed about the tweet during a "Men Tell All" segment on the show, Garrett eventually admitted "That tweet was racist, and I denounce it." which received applause from the audience. [30] The network claims they were not aware of the tweets when casting Garrett for the show. [29] [30]
- Victoria Fuller came in third place on The Bachelor 24 which aired in 2020. While the show was still airing, fans discovered a photo of Fuller modeling with a "White Lives Matter" cap. The photo was part of an ad campaign for Marlin Lives Matter, an organization advocating to stop overfishing of white and blue marlins. [31] The organization used "white lives matter" and "blue lives matter" in its promotional attire. [32] Another model in the photoshoot wore a shirt displaying the Confederate battle flag with fish in place of the stars. [31] Meanwhile, on the show, Fuller had won a competition for her and the season's star Peter Weber to appear together on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine, but in light of the controversy, Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Jessica Pels announced they would not print the cover. Pels explained that "the nature of the organization is neither here nor there" and the phrase "white lives matter" is "rooted in racism and therefore problematic. ... Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand." [32]
- Hannah Brown held the lead role in The Bachelorette 15 in 2019. During an Instagram Live event in 2020, Brown was singing the lyrics to DaBaby's "Rockstar" and hesitated when reaching a line that includes the word nigga , but sang it anyways. After fans commented live on her use of the word, she apologized while simultaneously laughing and doubting if she really uttered it. [33] In the days following the incident, she was criticized from fans and other Bachelor contestants for not holding herself accountable and giving a sincere apology during the stream. [33] Brown soon made more sincere apologies on her Instagram, [34] and also started working with an ethnic studies professor to take "an intense, dive deep into understanding the things that [she] didn't know and having these really uncomfortable conversations". [34] Brown became upset at how many people were coming to her defense, urging fans to stop: "It is SO important to me to tell y'all that there is no defending what I said." [34] In 2021, Hannah Brown received further criticism for an old Instagram photo of her in an Antebellum-era dress on a plantation, and deleting the photo when criticized. [35]
- Erich Schwer was Gabby Windey's final choice on The Bachelorette 19 , which aired in 2022. While the show was still airing, fans uncovered a photo of him in blackface in his high school yearbook. Schwer issued an apology for his actions. [36]
- Just months later, tweets surfaced of Greer Blitzer, one of the contestants on The Bachelor 27 , defending blackface. [37] Blitzer also issued an apology for her previous comments. [38] The incident was further addressed during the Women Tell All special on March 14, 2023, with host Jesse Palmer acknowledging the franchise's failings to adequately address serious topics such as racism in the past. [39] Blitzer also confirmed that she was educating herself on the history of blackface and had met with Dr. Kira Banks, a psychologist and diversity consultant. Palmer stated that he had also met with Banks. [40]
Rachael Kirkconnell and Chris Harrison
While The Bachelor 25 was airing in February 2021, fans discovered photos of frontrunner and eventual winner Rachael Kirkconnell attending an "Old South" ball in 2018 with her sorority at Georgia College & State University. [41] [42] [43] The ball was hosted by Kappa Alpha Order (KA), a collegiate fraternity with historical ties to the Ku Klux Klan that claims Robert E. Lee as its "spiritual founder". [41] The Old South ball celebrates the Antebellum South; members of the fraternity dress in Confederate uniforms while women dress as Southern belles. [41] Kappa Alpha's national offices banned Old South balls and functions of similar names and themes nationwide in 2016, two years prior to the event Kirkconnell attended. [43]
| External videos | |
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 Rachel Lindsay interviewing Chris Harrison about Rachael Kirkconnell on Extra (YouTube) |
A few days after the images were leaked online, Rachel Lindsay, a Black woman and star of The Bachelorette 13, was hosting an interview on Extra with Bachelor franchise host Chris Harrison. Lindsay asked Harrison what he thought of the allegations against Kirkconnell. [42] At the time, Kirkconnell had not yet responded to the allegations. [43] Harrison defended Kirkconnell: [42] [43]
Harrison: "I saw a picture of her at a sorority party five years ago, and that's it. Like boom like OK this girl is in this book now and she's now in this group, and I'm like really?"
Lindsay: "Well, the picture was from 2018 at an old south Antebellum party ... That’s not a good look."
Harrison: "Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference."
Lindsay: "It’s not a good look ever because she's celebrating the old south. If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?"
Harrison gave a 13-minute response, [42] in which he said The Bachelor franchise was not responsible for making a statement before Kirkconnell. [43] While claiming to not be defending her, [43] Harrison argued that she should be granted “understanding,” “grace,” and “compassion,” [42] and criticized fans making judgments before she spoke on the matter. [43] He referred to Kirkconnell as a "girl" seven times and twice as a "woman", [42] and claimed that "50 million people" went to Old South parties in 2018. [43] He argued that she was only having fun at a "popular" event, saying: "My guess? These girls got dressed and went to a party and had a great time. They were 18 years old. Does that make it okay? I don’t know, Rachel, you tell me." [43]
In a podcast with The Ringer in the days following the interview, Lindsay said that "his privilege was on display". [44] She explained:
"The things that were boiling to me the most were the compassion, and the grace, and the space that Chris Harrison wanted to give to Rachael, but couldn't give it to this Rachel right here in the interview, couldn't give it to the people that were offended by the things that she did. Where was the compassion for them? ... The other thing that really got to me was when he said 'Who are you? Who is Rachel Lindsay? Who is Chris Harrison? Who are we? I mean who the hell are you?' ... Do you understand how problematic that is? ... Who is Rachel Lindsay? Rachel Lindsay is a Black woman, the very person that is affected by this Rachael Kirkconnell. ... I'm not saying he can't be apologetic, I'm not saying that he can't learn and be better from it ... but you'll have to give me some space, and you'll have to give me some compassion and some grace to take the time to really reason and accept that." [45]
Harrison's comments were met with criticism from contestants and fans. [46] [42] [47] An MSNBC opinion column argued that "grace, compassion and understanding" are luxuries frequently bestowed upon white women but rarely Black women. [42] They also wrote that Harrison was painting an image of naïveté and innocence with a “girls will be girls” mentality that white women often can exploit to excuse bad behavior. [42] 25 of the contestants on Kirkconnell's season made a shared post that denounced Harrison's "defense of racism". [43] The men of The Bachelorette season 16 posted a similar message. [48] Following the backlash, Harrison issued an apology admitting that he was excusing and defending racism in the dialogue with Lindsay. [49] He announced that he "consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time". [49] Kirkconnell also issued an apology taking responsibility for her mistake, and promised future action to earn forgiveness. [50] Lindsay became the target of online harassment in the wake of her interview with Harrison, temporarily deactivating her Instagram account as a result. [51]
Harrison's departure from the franchise
In March, Harrison was interviewed by Michael Strahan on Good Morning America , his first public appearance since the Extra interview. Harrison reiterated his apology and regret for his words, and said he was seeking guidance from educators, faith leaders, and Michael Eric Dyson. He expressed interest in returning to the franchise, saying "I plan to be back and I want to be back. And I think this franchise can be an important beacon of change". He also apologized directly to Lindsay for his handling of their conversation, calling for an end to the "unacceptable" hate that she was receiving from fans. [51] Lindsay accepted his apology, emphasizing that the issue was "bigger than just The Bachelor, it's bigger than just a reality TV show. There are a lot of issues that have come up because of this interview, and I think it's important that we continue the conversation, we continue to move forward." [52] Harrison permanently left The Bachelor in June 2021 following a series of negotiations with franchise producers. [53]
