What did Rachel Lindsay say about Rachael Kirkconnell’s Instagram post?

FORMER Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay spoke out in response to season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's apology for her racism scandal.

Rachael - a frontrunner on Matt James' historic season of the ABC show - was branded racist after pictures emerged in 2018 of her at an Old South party.

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What did Rachael Kirkconnell say in her apology?

Rachael Kirkconnell issued a statement on Instagram after photos of her surfaced online wearing a plantation-style dress for a college antebellum party.

She pledged to educate herself while encouraging others to learn from her mistakes, writing: "I'm here to say I was wrong. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.”

She continued: Racial progress and unity are impossible without (white) accountability, and I deserve to be held accountable for my actions."

Her mother came to her defense after a TikTok user named Maddy Bierster accused Rachael of bullying her in high school for "liking black guys."

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Rachael was also alleged to have liked racist social media posts in the past.

One snap that she had liked shows two Caucasian women dressed in a hula outfit posing in front of a Confederate flag. 

In addition, she was also slammed for dressing up in a Native American costume and for engaging in controversial social media activity. 

Rachael is currently considered a favorite to win the affections of Matt James, the first-ever African-American Bachelor on the hit ABC dating show.

What did Rachel Lindsay say about Rachael Kirkconnell's Instagram post?

Rachel Lindsay, the Bachelor franchises' first black Bachelorette, spoke her mind about Rachael's recent Instagram story following her apology.

The story post featured a pile of books and an iced matcha with the caption "mid-afternoon matcha" and a fairy emoji.

“You almost feel like you know everything you need to know about her in that picture. The fact that that’s what she decided to do,” Rachel said, via Us Weekly.

“Several people sent me that Story. Her apology was well-written, it was pretty and it was sincere. I’m not going to knock anyone’s apology. But then the next step is to take action.”

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She continued, “Taking action to me isn’t showing everybody that you’re reading the book. You have such a big platform. There’s a lot of people who don’t necessarily understand what Chris said in the interview or why people are so upset, so this is an opportunity for you to explain that.”

She added that “vapid is the word that comes to mind” and said, “I don’t think it could get any worse, unless [Matt James] chooses Rachael."

Will Chris Harrison return to The Bachelor?

Host Chris Harrison stepped away from the franchise and apologized on February 13 for coming to Rachael’s defense during an interview with ex Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. 

It's unclear when he will return to The Bachelor.

After fans slammed him for “defending” the reality star, Chris took to Instagram and apologized for the “mistake” in a lengthy post. 

“To my Bachelor Nation family - I will always own a mistake when I make one, so I am here to extend a sincere apology.

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“I have this incredible platform to speak about love, and yesterday I took a stance on topics about which I should have been better informed.

“While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf.”

He continued: “What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry. 

“I also apologize to my friend Rachel Lindsay for not listening to her better on a topic she has a first-hand understanding of, and humbly thank the members of Bachelor Nation who have reached out to me to hold me accountable. I promise to do better.”