Several days after her Extra interview with Chris Harrison outed him as a defender of racist behavior, which then lead to his temporary dismissal as the Bachelor and Bachelorette host, Rachel Lindsay is expanding on her thoughts about how the franchise should move forward amid the long-gestating controversy. In the Tuesday episode of her Higher Learning podcast, Lindsay admitted that she isn’t sure if Harrison should be fired for his actions, but noted that she doesn’t feel bad that the public learned he excuses historical racism. “No, I don’t. Why would I?†she said. “I don’t feel bad that the way he’s feeling was brought to light. I don’t feel bad that people are mad at him and upset and disappointed. I don’t. But I do feel bad that he’s being attacked.â€
Should Harrison return to the franchise, though, Lindsay said that she wouldn’t be “upset†if a certain series of actions is taken on his part. “I need to see what happens between now and the time that it’s potentially announced he’s coming back,†she explained. “I’ll tell you what I’ll be mad about: He goes away, we don’t see him at the finale, and he pops back up in Paradise like the last four or five months didn’t happen. You need to show me that there’s been some change within you. Disappearing from the public eye isn’t the change I need to see.†Lindsay suggests that Harrison should “immerse himself in the culture†as opposed to devouring anti-racism books. “I want to see you volunteering,†she added. “I want to see you donating.â€
During Lindsay’s Extra interview with Harrison, which aired on February 10, the host defended the numerous race-related scandals that have emerged about current Bachelor front-runner Rachael Kirkconnell. (For instance, he excused Kirkconnell’s attendance at a plantation-themed antebellum party three years ago because “is it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021?â€) Harrison subsequently apologized for “wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism†and announced that he would be “stepping away†from hosting the franchise “for a period of time.†All this and we’re supposed to give a shit about Matt James’s hometown dates? That’s cute.