The best moments from Rachel Lindsay & Van Lathan’s Reddit AMA
Well, Bachelor Nation, things have been pretty dramatic lately – and not in a good way. If you’re out of the loop, catch up here, but to make a long story short, Chris Harrison is stepping back from The Bachelor following backlash over an Extra TV interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, in which he defended current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s appearance at an “Old South” party.
Yikes.
On Monday, February 15, The Bachelor subreddit hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Rachel and Van Lathan, her cohost on the Higher Learning podcast – and the two did not disappoint.
Here are some of the hottest takes and most interesting details they shared:
Van Lathan doesn’t think a Bachelor boycott will be effective
One fan asked, “As entertainment industry professionals, do y’all think it would be more helpful toward the progression and evolution of The Bachelor franchise for us viewers to boycott the show or to stay tuned in and engaged in an effort to hold the producers and ABC accountable?”
In response, Van wrote, “Nah, we gotta talk about it. I support anyone’s form of protest though.”
Rachel Lindsay believes that ABC purposefully cast a racist on her season
Matt James isn’t the first Black lead to have a contestant with an, um, problematic history. On Season 13 of The Bachelorette, Rachel had to deal with Lee Garrett, who made racist Tweets off the show and antagonized Black cast members while on.
Rachel said that she once thought Lee had been cast by mistake, but now she’s sure that producers were aware of his Tweets and added him for drama. If she’s right, that has got to rank as one of the worst things the show has ever done.
Van would love to see Rachel Lindsay replace Chris Harrison
Van had a quick answer for who he’d want to replace Chris Harrison as the host: “Rachel Lindsay! Easy call.” No word from Rachel on whether she wants the gig, but one answer from her makes me suspect she doesn’t…
Rachel Lindsay confirmed that she’s not renewing her contract with Bachelor Happy Hour
Rachel currently hosts an official Bachelor podcast alongside her fellow Bachelorette, Becca Kufrin. But according to the AMA, she’s out after her contract is up: “Now I am just exhausted and really need to separate myself from direct affiliation with the franchise.”
Rachel is charismatic and talented enough that she doesn’t need this show anymore…but I’ll still really miss her!
Pieper James is Van’s Bachelor Nation crush
When asked who he would choose if he was the Bachelor, Van answered, “TEAM PIPER [sic]. PIPER IS HELLA CUTE AND SWEET AND IS AMAZING.” Pieper and Matt just parted ways last episode, so is it too soon to say I ship it?
Rachel Lindsay is not impressed with Hannah Brown’s response to the Chris Harrison/Rachael scandal
Hannah Brown, who starred as the Bachelorette on Season 15, landed in some hot water last year when she said the N-word on an Instagram Live. She promised to “be part of the solution” going forward, but many fans were disappointed by her statement on the recent events…especially since a photo of her at an antebellum party surfaced.
Instead of talking about Rachael’s situation from her perspective as someone who claims to have learned from the same behavior, it looks like Hannah has deleted the photo from her Instagram without acknowledgment.
A fan asked Rachel what she thought about Hannah’s own Old South picture, and Rachel replied, “I think there is a reason that her comments on the situation lacked substance.” A very classy but very clear response.
Van says fans can make a difference through “solidarity”
One user asked, “With pop culture being built in white spaces, what do you think are sustainable ways for BIPOC to be comfortable, represented, and respected while still being influential?”
Van’s thoughtful reply speaks for itself: “Solidarity is the only answer. We don’t yet have the power we would want to in decision-making, but we certainly have consumer power. So you have [to] wield that. So important right now to stand by Rachel. It lets ABC know that you care about what she’s going through. Then they make decisions through that lens.”
The past week has been a rough one for Bachelor Nation, but we can only hope it’s one that will result in true growth for the franchise. Cheers to Rachel Lindsay and Van Lathan for always speaking their minds and for giving us an insightful AMA!
Next. The Bachelor Season 25, Episode 7: Twitter reacts to week seven. dark
Cheers to Rachel Lindsay and Van Lathan for always speaking their minds and for giving us an insightful AMA!
What are your thoughts on Rachel Lindsay and Van Lathan’s answers? Let us know in the comments!