Former ‘Bachelorette’ Rachel Lindsay Threatens to Quit ‘Whitewashed’ Franchise Unless Diversity Improves

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Former “Bachelorette” Rachel Lindsay threatened that if “The Bachelor” franchise doesn’t address its racial diversity issues, she’s walking away from it all, she told AfterBuzz on Friday.
“If we’re going around talking about Black Lives Matter and what’s important and how we need systemic change … well then let’s talk about systemic change when it comes to ‘The Bachelor.’ We got to change some things there, too,” Lindsay said.
Calling the long-running franchise’s output “whitewashed,” the first — and only — black lead in the “Bachelor” universe said, “I think that they have to, at this point, give us a black ‘Bachelor’ for Season 25. You have to. I don’t know how you don’t. And it’s been asked of me, will I continue in this franchise if it continues in this way? I can’t,” she answered. “I have to see some type of change. It’s ridiculous. It’s embarrassing. At this point, it’s embarrassing to be affiliated with it.”
Lindsay wondered out loud how anyone could be a part of “The Bachelor” franchise and watch the treatment of people of color in the country without having a moment to “self-reflect that you’ve been part of the problem” by perpetuating “this type of behavior…putting out something that is very white-washed and doesn’t have any type of color in it, and you’re not trying to be effective and change that.”
This isn’t the first time Lindsay has faced — and spoken out about — diversity issues within the franchise. When “Bachelor” alum Leah Block tweeted that her roommate joked that Lindsay’s season was less “Bachelorette” and more “Love and Hip Hop,” Lindsay immediately responded, “Let me know if she wants to meet Lee … they sound like they would have a lot in common #ihavetimetoday.”
That was an apparent reference to “Bachelorette” contestant Lee Garrett, who’s been accused of firing off a racially-charged tweet or two of his own. Block subsequently apologized.
Representatives for the “Bachelor” franchise did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
Michael B. Jordan spoke out against police brutality and racial injustice Saturday at a protest organized by the Big 4 agencies in Century City.
The actor, who played an African American man killed by a police officer in the 2013 film Fruitvale Station, called on Hollywood to put its words into action and hire more black people.
“You committed to a 50/50 gender parity in 2020,” Jordan said. “Where is the challenge to commit to black hiring? Black content led by black executives, black consultants. Are you policing our storytelling as well? Let us bring our darkness to the light.”
The agency rally was one of more than a dozen today in the Los Angeles area, as thousands of people took to the streets demanding an end to systemic racism following the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis.
A massive crowd gathered in downtown L.A., which has seen crowds swell over the past week outside City Hall and nearby LAPD headquarters. Some protesters interviewed on local TV news today said they had been marching downtown for “hours.”
In Highland Park, Grammy-winning musician Billie Eilish joined protesters and carried a sign saying “Stop Killing Black People.” She was surrounded by demonstrators wearing masks and holding signs supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
At Hollywood and Vine, a few thousand people chanted, marched, and invoked the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other African Americans recently killed by police officers.
Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered in Pan Pacific Park and walked through the streets of the Fairfax District. Aerial video on NBC Los Angeles showed the peaceful crowd marching several blocks down Beverly Boulevard.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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