Rachel Lindsay has returned to Instagram.
The former Bachelorette marked the occasion with a photo of sunflowers in a vase, captioning the picture, ”I want to be like a sunflower so that even on the darkest days I will stand tall and find the sunlight.”
Lindsay originally deactivated her account amid harassment from Chris Harrison’s supporters who blamed the Extra correspondent for his temporary exit as Bachelor host.
Harrison faced backlash and calls for his resignation after an Extra interview with Lindsay. He was accused of steamrolling the Extra correspondent and defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s involvement in an “Old South” party, later apologizing for “excusing historical racism.”
“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,” revealed her Higher Learning co-host, Van Lathan, in a video on Instagram.
Kirkconnell has since apologized.
Lindsay Revealed She Accepts Harrison’s Public Apology on ‘Good Morning America’
Her return to the social media platform comes after Harrison’s first interview on the matter. When speaking with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, he issued another public apology and called for his fans to stop harassing the Bachelor Happy Hour co-host.
“I am saddened and shocked at how insensitive I was in that interview with Rachel Lindsay,” Harrison told Strahan. “And I didn’t speak from my heart, and that is to say I stand against all forms of racism, and I am deeply sorry. I’m sorry to Rachel Lindsay and I’m sorry to the Black community.”
Extra host Billy Bush asked Lindsay if she accepted Harrison’s apology, with the franchise’s first Black lead revealing she does.
She told Bush that she has not “really talked about Chris and the statement” to avoid making the situation about “Chris versus Rachel.”
She revealed, “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.”
Harrison Joined Bachelor Nation Producers in Calling for an end to Lindsay’s Harassment
His interview follows Monday’s statement by Bachelor Nation producers in support of Lindsay.
“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,” they shared on the official Bachelor Nation social media accounts. “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. Rachel has been an incredible advocate for our cast, and we are grateful that she has worked tirelessly towards racial equity and inclusion.”
When asked about the harassment Lindsay has endured, Harrison revealed they have not spoken since she quit Instagram. He told Strahan, “To anyone who is throwing hate toward Rachel Lindsay, please stop. It is unacceptable.”
As for his call to end the harassment, she admitted to Bush, “I wasn’t expecting him, you know to address what’s been going on with me because this is the first time we’ve heard from Chris but the fact that he did address the harassment and the hate that I’ve been receiving, I really appreciated that.”
It remains to be seen if Harrison will return to the franchise, with Emmanuel Acho named as his replacement for the After the Final Rose special, but he made it clear on Good Morning America that he hopes to continue as host.
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