Former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay Says Show Needs More Diversity

Rachel Lindsay, the only black person to have led a season of “The Bachelor” franchise, has called for the show to embrace more diversity in the wake of the horrible deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

Speaking with AfterBuzz, Lindsay called out the franchise for having just one black lead, namely herself, in all 40 seasons of its run.

“In 40 seasons, [‘The Bachelor’] had one black lead,” Lindsay said. “You are almost on par to say you’re more likely to become the president of the United States than you are a black lead in this franchise. That’s insane. That’s ridiculous.”

If the franchise does not change course, Lindsay said that she is prepared to step away from it entirely. Just recently, she appeared as a judge on the “Bachelor” spin-off show “Listen to Your Heart.”

“It’s been asked of me: ‘Will I continue in this franchise if it continues in this way?'” Lindsay said, as reported by Fox News. “I can’t. 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 suggested that Mike Johnson, who appeared on Hannah Brown’s season of the hit dating show, could make for a good lead for “The Bachelor.”

“I would be thrilled if [Johnson] was the bachelor,” she said. “I think a lot of people would, there was such a huge movement to make him the bachelor last season. I gave a whole spiel when I found out he wasn’t. If it’s him, everybody knows where I stand!”

As protests about police brutality and its effect on black communities gripped the nation, Lindsay said in an Instagram post that black women are not appreciated enough in this country.

“We are BLACK WOMEN…we build…we don’t tear down other black women…for many years we have felt the pain of not being seen for our undeniably beautiful skin, instead, we are looked down upon,” she said. “But right now in this moment, we will acknowledge each other! We will uplift each other today! We can see how they portray the black women on the media and what affect that has had on our beautiful black girls. The fighting, the screaming, and the judging has run its course. We are beautifully the same. Upload 1 picture/video of just you and tag as many beautiful black queens as you would like. Please let’s keep this challenge going!”

Speaking at a Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles on Saturday, “Black Panther” actor Michael B. Jordan called on Hollywood to “commit to black hiring,” demanding they invest in “black staff” and focus on black stories.

“I want us to invest in black staff,” said Jordan. “I’m proud to have an inclusion rider and all that good stuff and I use my power to demand diversity, but it’s time the studios and agencies — all the agencies, all these buildings that we’re standing in front of — to do the same.”

“You committed to a 50/50 gender parity in 2020, where is the challenge to commit to black hiring?” Jordan added. “Black content led by black executives, black consultants. Are you policing our storytelling as well?”