The night portion of Matt James’ fantasy suite date with Rachael Kirkconnell had one obvious omission: a clip used for promos of The Bachelor throughout the season.
Throughout the episode, viewers saw Kirkconnell struggle more than her fellow contestants with the fantasy suites. After making pottery, she opened up to the real estate broker about her insecurities and later asserted she was ready for a proposal.
In the deleted scene, Kirkconnell said to James, “I really do acknowledge color in every sense, at the end of the day like love is love. It doesn’t matter what it looks like.”
The clip of the Georgia native addressing race was cut amid her multiple racism accusations off-air. She has since issued an apology through her Instagram account.
Kirkconnell Faces Multiple Racism Accusations
Starting the night of the premiere, Kirkconnell became embroiled in off-air controversies as she was accused on TikTok of bullying a girl in high school for dating Black men.
Her mother, Kimberly, has since referred to the claims as “slander and libel” and revealed they sent the accuser a “cease and desist.”
Since that moment, photos have been released of Kirkconnell dressed in a Native American costume, attending an “Old South” party and liking photos of her friends donning Mexican costumes and posing in front of the Confederate flag.
Kirkconnell Has Since Apologized on Instagram
Mere hours after Reality Steve reported ABC had denied her statement, she released an apology on Instagram.
“While there have been rumors circulating, there have also been truths that have come to light that I need to address,” she wrote. “I hear you, and I’m here to say I was wrong.
She continued, “At one point, I didn’t recognize how racist and offensive 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.”
Promising to “continue to learn how to be racist,” she urged anyone who “doesn’t understand the offense in question” to “learn from my mistakes and courage you to use them as a teachable moment.”
She has since spoken out in support of Rachel Lindsay after the former Bachelorette quit Instagram due to harassment and provided some resources that she has used.
James and Kirkconnell will reunite on After the Final Rose, hosted by Emmanuel Acho following host Chris Harrison’s announcement he was temporarily stepping down after “excusing historical racism.”
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