How Chris Harrison and Rachel Lindsay’s Interview Led to a ‘Bachelor’ Exit, Apologies and More: The Full Timeline

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How Chris Harrison and Rachel Lindsay’s Interview Led to a 'Bachelor' Exit, Apologies and More: The Full Timeline

Words and actions have consequences. That's something Chris Harrison learned firsthand following his Extra interview with Rachel Lindsay. During the chat, the former Bachelorette, 35, recapped the show with Harrison, 49, before asking the host what his thoughts were on Rachael Kirkconnell. The current Bachelor contestant — who made it to Matt James' final four on the Monday, February 15, episode — is under fire for "liking" racially charged Instagram posts and for attending an Old South party in 2018. At the time of the Extra interview, Kirkconnell, 24, had not apologized for her past actions — something Lindsay voiced her concern about to the producer. “We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion. Because I have seen some stuff online — this judge, jury, executioner thing where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart and diving into, like, her parents, her parents’ voting record,” Harrison said at the time. “I haven’t heard Rachael speak on this yet. Until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this?" [jwplayer hzWOY3Ao] When Lindsay noted that Kirkconnell had six weeks to speak out, Harrison seemed to continue to defend her. "Who is Rachel Lindsay and who is Chris Harrison and who is whatever woke police person out there, who are you [to tell her to speak out]?" he asked. "I've heard this a lot of, 'I think she should,' 'I think he should.' Who the hell are you? Who are you that you demand that?" The interview was followed by a great amount of backlash by both fans of the franchise and Bachelor Nation members alike. Lindsay, for her part, has spoken out numerous times since the interview, revealing that she wants to step away from the franchise. Us editors discuss Colton Underwood's coming out in this Here for the Right Reasons podcast highlight! “Chris loves to keep saying, ‘We’ve had these conversations, so, I'm gonna go ahead and use that. Because we've had these conversations.' [I] wasn't shocked at what he said. I'm just shocked [that] he said it on camera,” she said on her "Higher Learning" podcast three days after the Extra interview. "As far as me, I'm f—king tired. I'm exhausted. I have truly had enough. ... How much more do I want to be affiliated with this? How much more can I take of things like this? I said I was gonna leave if they didn't have leads of color. OK, they did that, and they made some other changes. They hired a diversity consultant — who didn't attend the class? Did Chris Harrison not sit through that? I'm confused as to how you could have whole consultants working for you, yet what happened just happened … I can't take it anymore. I'm contractually bound in some ways. But when it's up, I am too. I can't do it anymore." Scroll through the gallery below for a full timeline — from the Extra interview and Kirkconnell's apology to Harrison choosing to take a break from the franchise. [podcast_block]

Credit: Extra

The Interview

On February 9, Lindsay asked Harrison his thoughts on Kirkconnell's racially charged photos during an appearance on Extra. "I saw a picture of her at a sorority party five years ago, that’s it," he said at the time. "My guess? These girls got dressed up and went to a party and had a great time, they were 18 years old. Now, does that make it OK? I don’t know Rachel, you tell me. Where is this lens were holding up and was that lens available and were we all looking through it in 2018? I don't know."

When Lindsay said it's "not a good look," the host responded, "Is it [not] a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021? ... I'm not defending Rachael, I just know that 50 million people did that in 2018."

Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Chris Apologizes

On February 10, following backlash from fans and Bachelor Nation, Harrison released an apology via Instagram. "To my Bachelor Nation family — I will always own a mistake when I make one, so I am here to extend a sincere apology. I have this incredible platform to speak about love, and yesterday, I took a stance on topics about which I should have been better informed. While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf,” the Perfect Letter author wrote. “What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry."

He also apologized to Lindsay for "not listening to her better on a topic she has firsthand understanding of, and humbly thank the members of Bachelor Nation who have reached out to me to hold me accountable. I promise to do better."

Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC

Rachael Apologizes

The following day, Kirkconnell apologized via Instagram. "At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them. My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist," she began in the statement posted on February 11. "I am sorry to the communities and individuals that my actions harmed and offended. I am ashamed about my lack of education, but it is no one’s responsibility to educate me."

Credit: Extra

Rachel Shares BTS Details

On February 12, Lindsay and cohost Van Lathan broke down the interview and Harrison's apology on their "Higher Learning" podcast. During the interview, the Dallas native explained that there was no publicist on the phone and Harrison originally joined to simply discuss the episode. "Then I asked a question [because] something he said made me poke a little harder," she recalled. "So, I phrased the question, ‘What are your thoughts about the allegations against Rachael?’ And then he went off.”

Lindsay said that Harrison "talked over me and at me" and didn't let her share her thoughts on the matter. "He wasn’t trying to hear it. He was just trying to be heard. And that’s because I felt like he had an agenda that he was trying to push. He was really trying to push that forward," she said. "He expressed everything that he said, with passion and conviction."

The "Bachelor Happy Hour" cohost added that afterward, Harrison "had no problems" with their interview. "He was fine. He texted me after, he appreciated the conversation. He was like, ‘Yeah, I'll probably get a little flack, but I thought it was great that we could disagree, but do it in a civil way,’” she said. “It wasn't until the backlash came the next day. It wasn't until people start talking, people start demanding and calling for different things that he does that. He then apologized to me and then apologized publicly. … For me, I'm trying to reason,​​ ‘Well, which one is it?’ Because to me, Tuesday was your truth. And Wednesday is after the fact. Wednesday was a response to the backlash during that whole conversation."

James, 29, also responded to Lindsay's interview, posting via his Instagram Story on February 12, “I am beyond grateful to have Rachel as a mentor during this season. Your advocacy of BIPOC people in the franchise is invaluable, I stand with you and the rest of the women advocating for change and accountability.”

Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC

Chris Steps Aside

On February 13, Harrison spoke out again via Instagram, this time revealing that he was taking time away from the franchise. "I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful. My ignorance did damage to friends, colleagues and strangers alike. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said ad the way I spoke. I set standards for myself, and have not met them. I feel that with every fiber of my being. Now, just as I taught my children to stand up, and to own their actions, I will do the same,” he wrote. "By excusing historical racism, I defended it. I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong."

He then revealed he will "be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special."

Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Rachel Reacts to Chris' Exit

"It was never my intention to see Chris Harrison step aside but it was my intention for others to see and hear this interview,” the former attorney said on Extra on February 15. "Where do we go as a franchise? It’s kind of hard to say. Chris has stepped aside, which I think is the right decision because, like he said, he needs to take time to get educated and on a profound and productive level to use his words. And I think he needs to understand what was done, what was wrong and what he said in that interview, and he needs time. He’s stepped away to do that. As a franchise, though, where do you go from here?"

Credit: Billy Kidd/ABC

Matt James Speaks Out

“The past few weeks have been some of the most challenging of my life, and while there are several episodes left of the season, it is important that I take the time to address the troubling information that has come to light since we wrapped filming, including the incredibly disappointing photos of Rachael Kirkconnell and the interview between Rachel Lindsay and Chris Harrison," James wrote via Instagram on February 22 in a lengthy statement.

He said that the situation is "devastating and heartbreaking" on many levels. "Chris’ failure to receive and understand the emotional labor that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on by graciously and patiently explaining the racist history of the Antebellum South, a painful history that every American should understand intimately, was troubling and painful to watch," James wrote. "As Black people and allies immediately knew and understood, it was a clear reflection of a much larger issue that The Bachelor franchise has fallen short on addressing adequately for years.”

Credit: Courtesy of Emmanuel Acho/Instagram

Emmanuel Acho Steps In

On February 27, ABC announced Emmanuel Acho, the author of Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, will step in to host the After the Final Rose special.

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Rachel Deactivates Her Instagram

On February 26, Lindsay deactivated her Instagram account after receiving harassment and racist comments, something she spoke out about on the March 2 episode of her "Higher Learning" podcast. "It was the best decision that I could do for myself to detach from that negativity. I needed that. I feel so much better. I’m not 100 percent, but I feel lighter," she explained. "People are attacking me because they think that I'm trying to cancel someone so they're on a mission to cancel me. I’m getting threatened. People are threatening, like, ‘Oh I have this on you. I have this, I'm just waiting till you get back on social to unleash this kind of stuff.’ You're affecting people's well-being."

The decision led to Bachelor Nation coming to her defense and the producers releasing a statement.

“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,” the showrunners wrote via social media on March 1. “Rachel has received an unimaginable amount of hate and has been subjected to severe online bullying, which, more often than not, has been rooted in racism. That is totally unacceptable."

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Chris' First Interview

On March 4, Harrison apologized again during his first interview following the controversy. “I am an imperfect man, I made a mistake and I own that,” he said on Good Morning America. “I believe that mistake doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for. I am committed to progress, not just for myself, also for the franchise. And this is a franchise that has been a part of my life for the better part of 20 years and I love it.”

He also noted that he has been working with faith leaders and scholars to better himself and plans to return to the franchise.

Credit: Shutterstock

Replaced

On March 12, ABC announced that former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe would step in to host Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette.

"As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks," the statement read. "These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world."

Credit: ABC

The Lawyer

The same month news broke that Adams and Bristowe were joining season 17, Us confirmed Harrison hired Bryan J. Freedman, a high-profile attorney who helped Gabrielle Union score a settlement from NBC after she was let go from America’s Got Talent in 2019 amid allegations of racism and sexism.

Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock

'BiP' Changes

On June 2, Us confirmed that Harrison would also be sitting out season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise and instead replaced by rotating celebrity guest hosts, including David Spade.

Credit: ABC/John Fleenor

Gone for Good

Hours after the season 17 premiere of The Bachelorette on June 7, Us confirmed that Harrison negotiated his permanent exit, reaching an eight-figure settlement with the network.

Credit: imageSPACE/Shutterstock; Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Rachel Reacts to Chris' Departure

"I gotta say, I am [shocked]. I wasn't expecting for it to happen, not after the announcement," Lindsay said on Extra one day after Harrison confirmed that he would be permanently leaving The Bachelor franchise.

Lindsay noted that the host was seen "less and less" in recent seasons and perhaps that also played a part in the final decision.

"Nineteen years is a big accomplishment. Maybe that's the case. We don't know. Maybe they were ready to move on. Maybe Chris wanted to move on after all this," she added.