Rachel Lindsay Deleted Her Instagram Due To Harassment From 'Bachelor' Fans
There’s more to the recent Bachelor Nation drama. ICYMI, after Chris Harrison’s interview with Rachel Lindsay on Extra on Feb. 9, there have been some big changes to the reality dating juggernaut. For starters, Harrison is stepping down from hosting the show, and Rachel Lindsay won’t be returning to the franchise. Recently, the reality star also made some changes to her social media habits, and fans have been wondering why Rachel Lindsay deleted her Instagram. A close friend spilled the tea on her decision and backed her up like the ultimate BFF.
If you were looking for Lindsay’s Instagram account lately, you probably noticed it no longer exists. The reality star decided to take a back seat from the social media app amid the Bachelor controversy, but the reason why is pretty surprising. Van Lathan, Lindsay's co-host of their Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay podcast, took to Instagram to reveal why his friend is MIA from the ‘Gram.
In a Friday, Feb. 26 Instagram video, Lathan revealed Lindsay's decision had to do with haters. "My co-host on Higher Learning, Rachel Lindsay, disabled her Instagram earlier today," he said. "She did it because that's how much hate she's getting from Bachelor fans who are spamming her with all kinds of rude and hateful things to say," he admitted.
Lathan continued, "Y'all have got to get a f*cking life. Seriously," defending his podcast co-host amid harassment. "Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can't read the room in these 2021 times. She's not responsible for that," he added.
"It's not her job to make excuses or provide cover for somebody who doesn't understand what the f*ck triggers people in today's world. It's not. You're going after the wrong person," continued Lathan.
He ended the video by showing his support. "Rachel, we love you, we're with you," he said.
As of publication, Lindsay has not released a statement about deleting her Instagram.
It seems some Instagram users were blaming Lindsay for Harrison's initial defense of current Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. Her interview with Harrison sparked outrage when Harrison said people needed to have "a little grace" when it came to resurfaced 2018 photos of Kirkconnell, which included her attending an antebellum-themed party and wearing Native American clothing as a costume. A few days after the interview, Harrison announced he was stepping down as Bachelor host for an indeterminate amount of time. Lindsay has been adamantly against the longtime host's racist comments, but apparently, haters began harassing her over Harrison stepping down.
Those involved have since issues apologies. Kirkconnell apologized for her past racist actions following the resurfaced pictures in a Feb. 11 Instagram post, while Harrison issued an apology on Feb. 13. In his statement, he announced that he'd be stepping down from hosting the show and was "deeply remorseful," vowing to continue educating himself.
As of publication, it's still unclear who will replace Harrison as the host of The Bachelor franchise, but fans have suggested Lindsay or former Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise star Wells Adams could sign on for the job.
Lindsay first announced she wouldn’t be renewing her contract for the Bachelor franchise on a Feb. 12 episode of Higher Learning, so it seems like a slim chance she'd switch to hosting the show.
Whatever the case, Lindsay needed to step away from social media for a while due to people unfairly targeting her for Harrison's racist comments. Lathan's video really said it all: the true fans are with her and here for her.
