Chris once again publicly apologizes to Rachel during his appearance on 'Good Morning America', which marks his first interview after stepping aside from 'The Bachelor' amid the scandal.
- Mar 5, 2021
AceShowbiz - Rachel Lindsay has reacted to Chris Harrison's public apology on "Good Morning America", which marked his first interview after stepping aside from "The Bachelor" amid racism scandal. The former "The Bachelorette" star revealed that she did accept the TV host's apology.
"I do accept the apology, Billy, and I think it's important for me to say that because I haven't really talked about, you know, Chris and the statement because I'm not trying to make this a Chris-versus-Rachel," she told fellow "Extra" host Billy Bush. "But the fact that, once again, you know -- this isn't the first time he's apologized to me -- he apologized again on 'GMA' today and I do accept that and I think it's important for me to say that because we need to move forward."
Rachel continued, "And for me, 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."
During his appearance on "GMA", Chris admitted to host Michael Strahan, "I am an imperfect man, I made a mistake and I own that. 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."
Chris caught flak when he appeared to defend Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant of Matt James' current season of "The Bachelor", who received backlash after it was revealed that she once attended an antebellum-themed party during his discussion with Rachel Lindsay. The 49-year-old TV personality said of the matter, "I am saddened and shocked at how insensitive I was in that interview with Rachel Lindsay. I can't believe I didn't speak against antebellum parties, what they stand for."
"I didn't say it then and I want to say it now: those parties are not OK, past, present, future. And I didn't speak from my heart," he said. Chris also assured that he stands "stand against all forms of racism, and I am deeply sorry to Rachel Lindsay and to the Black community."
Chris also talked about his plan to return to "The Bachelor" in the future. "I plan to be back and I want to be back. This interview is not the finish line," Chris admitted. "There is much more work to be done and I am excited to be a part of that change."
