Rachel Lindsay.Photo: Noel Vasquez/Getty ImagesAs theBachelorfranchise moves forward — without hostChris Harrisonfor the time being —Rachel Lindsayis speaking out about why she thinks production should actually be put on pause altogether.The formerBachelorette, 35, said Tuesday on herHigher Learningpodcast that as filming is about to begin on the upcoming season ofThe Bachelorette, “I think that they should just stop until … they get the train back on the tracks” in terms ofthe ongoing racism controversy.“You’re gonna go into another season, but you still have all these issues. How have you fixed them coming into a new season?” Lindsay said. “You really haven’t. So I think that they need to take a beat, figure things out, regroup and then bring the product back to us [in] a way that we can all enjoy it the way that we used to.“For more on theBachelor, listen below to the episode of PEOPLE Every Day.Last month, Lindsay interviewed longtimeBachelorNation host Harrison, 49, forExtraand asked him about current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s resurfaced social media posts that showed racist behavior, including attending an Antebellum South-themed party and wearing Native American attire as a costume.Harrison quickly received backlash for his failure to denounce Kirkconnell’s acts during the interview, andapologized a couple days laterbefore announcing he will be"stepping aside” from the franchisefor an unspecified amount of time. (Kirkconnell, 24,has also apologizedfor her actions).Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Rachel Lindsay.Astrid Stawiarz/GettyOn Tuesday’s episode of her podcast, which she co-hosts alongside media personalityVan Lathan, Lindsay noted, “Everyone who’s been at issue has issued an apology except for the franchise, except for the network, except for the production company.““You need to hear something from them. It’s almost like, how do you say you have a racist problem or racist issue without saying you have a racist issue? Youbring in Emmanuel Acho to host the finale— you bring in the man who has his own uncomfortable conversations,” she continued. “You’re not saying it, yet you’re bringing somebody in who has built an entire brand to rectify, or attempt to, or explain the issue when it involves racism.““They need to come out and say something. They need to grab ahold of this and control the situation, because right now, you’re letting your fans speak for you,” Lindsay said.The television host called on the powers that be to take action, imploring, “This is an audience that you have curated for 15 yearsuntil you had the first lead of color: me. You have built this. These people feel that they had their world, and now people of color are trying to mess it up. You did this.“Will you accept this rose? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly Bachelor Nation newsletterto get the latest news onThe Bachelor, The Bacheloretteand everything in between!Rachel Lindsay (L); Chris Harrison.Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Paul Hebert via Getty ImagesRELATED VIDEO: Rachel Lindsay Says It Was the “Right Decision” for Chris Harrison to Step Aside asBachelorHost"So you need to speak out and you need to say something. You need to undo it. And at the moment, they’re silent,” she added.As for why shedeactivated her Instagram accountlast week, Lindsay said on the podcast that it was a form of self-care after all the harassment she was receiving online.“I woke up, I looked at my phone — one of the first things I saw [was] something negative and I said, ‘You know what? Not today. Not even this weekend,’ and currently still not now, because I’m still disabled,” she said.Lindsay continued, “It was the best decision that I could [make] for myselfto detach from that negativity. I needed that. I feel so much better. I’m not 100%, but I feel lighter.”
Rachel Lindsay.Photo: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
As theBachelorfranchise moves forward — without hostChris Harrisonfor the time being —Rachel Lindsayis speaking out about why she thinks production should actually be put on pause altogether.The formerBachelorette, 35, said Tuesday on herHigher Learningpodcast that as filming is about to begin on the upcoming season ofThe Bachelorette, “I think that they should just stop until … they get the train back on the tracks” in terms ofthe ongoing racism controversy.“You’re gonna go into another season, but you still have all these issues. How have you fixed them coming into a new season?” Lindsay said. “You really haven’t. So I think that they need to take a beat, figure things out, regroup and then bring the product back to us [in] a way that we can all enjoy it the way that we used to.“For more on theBachelor, listen below to the episode of PEOPLE Every Day.Last month, Lindsay interviewed longtimeBachelorNation host Harrison, 49, forExtraand asked him about current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s resurfaced social media posts that showed racist behavior, including attending an Antebellum South-themed party and wearing Native American attire as a costume.Harrison quickly received backlash for his failure to denounce Kirkconnell’s acts during the interview, andapologized a couple days laterbefore announcing he will be"stepping aside” from the franchisefor an unspecified amount of time. (Kirkconnell, 24,has also apologizedfor her actions).Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Rachel Lindsay.Astrid Stawiarz/GettyOn Tuesday’s episode of her podcast, which she co-hosts alongside media personalityVan Lathan, Lindsay noted, “Everyone who’s been at issue has issued an apology except for the franchise, except for the network, except for the production company.““You need to hear something from them. It’s almost like, how do you say you have a racist problem or racist issue without saying you have a racist issue? Youbring in Emmanuel Acho to host the finale— you bring in the man who has his own uncomfortable conversations,” she continued. “You’re not saying it, yet you’re bringing somebody in who has built an entire brand to rectify, or attempt to, or explain the issue when it involves racism.““They need to come out and say something. They need to grab ahold of this and control the situation, because right now, you’re letting your fans speak for you,” Lindsay said.The television host called on the powers that be to take action, imploring, “This is an audience that you have curated for 15 yearsuntil you had the first lead of color: me. You have built this. These people feel that they had their world, and now people of color are trying to mess it up. You did this.“Will you accept this rose? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly Bachelor Nation newsletterto get the latest news onThe Bachelor, The Bacheloretteand everything in between!Rachel Lindsay (L); Chris Harrison.Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Paul Hebert via Getty ImagesRELATED VIDEO: Rachel Lindsay Says It Was the “Right Decision” for Chris Harrison to Step Aside asBachelorHost"So you need to speak out and you need to say something. You need to undo it. And at the moment, they’re silent,” she added.As for why shedeactivated her Instagram accountlast week, Lindsay said on the podcast that it was a form of self-care after all the harassment she was receiving online.“I woke up, I looked at my phone — one of the first things I saw [was] something negative and I said, ‘You know what? Not today. Not even this weekend,’ and currently still not now, because I’m still disabled,” she said.Lindsay continued, “It was the best decision that I could [make] for myselfto detach from that negativity. I needed that. I feel so much better. I’m not 100%, but I feel lighter.”
As theBachelorfranchise moves forward — without hostChris Harrisonfor the time being —Rachel Lindsayis speaking out about why she thinks production should actually be put on pause altogether.
The formerBachelorette, 35, said Tuesday on herHigher Learningpodcast that as filming is about to begin on the upcoming season ofThe Bachelorette, “I think that they should just stop until … they get the train back on the tracks” in terms ofthe ongoing racism controversy.
“You’re gonna go into another season, but you still have all these issues. How have you fixed them coming into a new season?” Lindsay said. “You really haven’t. So I think that they need to take a beat, figure things out, regroup and then bring the product back to us [in] a way that we can all enjoy it the way that we used to.”
For more on theBachelor, listen below to the episode of PEOPLE Every Day.
Last month, Lindsay interviewed longtimeBachelorNation host Harrison, 49, forExtraand asked him about current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s resurfaced social media posts that showed racist behavior, including attending an Antebellum South-themed party and wearing Native American attire as a costume.
Harrison quickly received backlash for his failure to denounce Kirkconnell’s acts during the interview, andapologized a couple days laterbefore announcing he will be"stepping aside” from the franchisefor an unspecified amount of time. (Kirkconnell, 24,has also apologizedfor her actions).
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Rachel Lindsay.Astrid Stawiarz/Getty
On Tuesday’s episode of her podcast, which she co-hosts alongside media personalityVan Lathan, Lindsay noted, “Everyone who’s been at issue has issued an apology except for the franchise, except for the network, except for the production company.”
“You need to hear something from them. It’s almost like, how do you say you have a racist problem or racist issue without saying you have a racist issue? Youbring in Emmanuel Acho to host the finale— you bring in the man who has his own uncomfortable conversations,” she continued. “You’re not saying it, yet you’re bringing somebody in who has built an entire brand to rectify, or attempt to, or explain the issue when it involves racism.”
“They need to come out and say something. They need to grab ahold of this and control the situation, because right now, you’re letting your fans speak for you,” Lindsay said.
The television host called on the powers that be to take action, imploring, “This is an audience that you have curated for 15 yearsuntil you had the first lead of color: me. You have built this. These people feel that they had their world, and now people of color are trying to mess it up. You did this.”
Will you accept this rose? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly Bachelor Nation newsletterto get the latest news onThe Bachelor, The Bacheloretteand everything in between!
Rachel Lindsay (L); Chris Harrison.Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Paul Hebert via Getty Images
RELATED VIDEO: Rachel Lindsay Says It Was the “Right Decision” for Chris Harrison to Step Aside asBachelorHost
“So you need to speak out and you need to say something. You need to undo it. And at the moment, they’re silent,” she added.
As for why shedeactivated her Instagram accountlast week, Lindsay said on the podcast that it was a form of self-care after all the harassment she was receiving online.
“I woke up, I looked at my phone — one of the first things I saw [was] something negative and I said, ‘You know what? Not today. Not even this weekend,’ and currently still not now, because I’m still disabled,” she said.
Lindsay continued, “It was the best decision that I could [make] for myselfto detach from that negativity. I needed that. I feel so much better. I’m not 100%, but I feel lighter.”
source: people.com
