While Hannah Brown has promised to “do better” after saying the N-word during an Instagram Live two weeks ago, Rachel Lindsay does not think her fellow “Bachelorette” star will change.
During the first episode of her new podcast “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay” on Thursday, the attorney reiterated her disappointment in Brown’s decision to apologize via a written statement instead of on Instagram Live, as they had discussed, and the conclusion she’s come to after speaking out multiple times on the situation and the history of the slur.
“If you wanna hear me, you hear me, and if you don’t, you’re not even trying to. And that’s pretty much a lot of what I’ve realized with this Bachelor Nation audience. They’re extremely toxic, they’re set in their ways, and they don’t want to see it any other way,” Lindsay said (watch above). “[Brown’s] empowered by an audience of people — as you said, these fans are intense — that supports her. She doesn’t have to [change]. She’s going to go right back to doing what she was doing before.”
Brown posted a brief written apology on Instagram Story about 12 hours after she filmed herself saying the N-word while singing to DaBaby‘s “Rockstar,” shortly after which she chuckled through an apology. Lindsay, the franchise’s first and only black lead, then shared on her own Instagram Live that she had reached out to Brown to encourage her to apologize on camera and use her platform.
Earlier this week, Lindsay revealed on Nick Viall‘s podcast, “The Viall Files,” that she and Brown had “multiple conversations” about Brown apologizing on Instagram Live with Lindsay joining her to have an open discussion because Brown felt that a written apology would be insincere. Then, hours later, Brown posted the apology.
“When that door was closed, then I had to speak out on it. I can’t be the only black female lead and not discuss a white Bachelorette saying the N-word publicly to your 2.8 million followers,” Lindsay said Thursday. “I have to say something about that because it directly impacts me.”
Lindsay had shared similar sentiments to Viall while addressing claims from Brown defenders that she was “bullying” the the former beauty queen.
The two Bachelorettes have not spoken since their last chat before the apology. Brown has been silent on social media since the apology. “She needs to refer to her team,” Lindsay said. “Because that’s what she’s done from here on out.”
The 35-year-old also discussed the “Bachelor’s” bigger issue with race and how she’s been “very vocal about increasing diversity” within the franchise. She “went off” after Mike Johnson, who would’ve been the first black Bachelor, was passed over for Season 24.
“Because I’m like, at this point, you have basically said exactly who you are by not picking him. You don’t want to,” she said. “Because at the end of the day, you have the power to do whatever it is you want. You can make an audience fall in love or hate somebody. I’ve seen it. It’s happened to me. And the fact that you are still — it’s been 24 seasons. And I said this, the last Bachelor was Peter [Weber], and I said, ‘We’ve had 24 Peters. We’ve had 24 of them. They all look alike. Put them in a picture. There’s no difference.’ At this point, it is on the franchise as to why we do not have a person of color that’s the lead. Can’t make excuses for it. Can’t try to look at it in any other way. Any way you slice it, the fact that we haven’t had a black male lead when we have had qualified people is on the franchise.”
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