Former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay has returned to Instagram following the brief deactivation of her account last week due to harassment from Bachelor viewers. On Saturday, Lindsay posted a photo of sunflowers, with the caption, “I want to be like a sunflower so that even on the darkest days I will stand tall and find the sunlight.†Her return to the platform was met with support from the Bachelor community. “So happy to have you back, hoping you are feeling refreshed and loved,†Chelsea Vaughn, a contestant on the current season of The Bachelor, commented. Lindsay also posted a landscape photo to her Instagram Stories, with the caption, “Good vibes only.â€
Lindsay’s return to Instagram follows her acceptance of Chris Harrison’s apology this week. “For us to move forward, I need to accept the apology, so we can all be better from this situation, which is what we want,†Lindsay said on Extra. Harrison, who announced his hiatus from the franchise following his defense of Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell in an Extra interview with Lindsay, said he is “committed to progress, not just for myself, also for the franchise,†on Good Morning America. It is unclear if and when Harrison will return to the franchise, with Emmanuel Acho replacing him as host of The Bachelor: After the Final Rose on March 15.
Lindsay deactivated her Instagram account after receiving “all kinds of rude, hateful things†from Bachelor viewers amid the controversy. The executive producers of The Bachelor franchise then put out a statement on Twitter, reading in part, “As Executive Producers of The Bachelor Franchise we would like to make it perfectly clear that any harassment directed towards Rachel Lindsay in the aftermath of her interview with Chris Harrison is completely inexcusable.†Harrison also condemned the harassment of Lindsay earlier this week. “To anyone who is throwing hate toward Rachel Lindsay, please stop. It’s unacceptable,†Harrison said on Good Morning America.