‘Bachelorette’ Host Chris Harrison Discusses Diversity Among Rachel Lindsay’s Season 13 Cast

Rachel Lindsay’s making history as “The Bachelorette” in Season 13, as both the first black star of the ABC reality show and the oldest woman to assume the starring role. The decision to cast her was hailed as a smart move for the network because it introduced more diversity to the long-standing program.

Casting a black woman as the lead on “The Bachelorette” isn’t the only effort the network’s made to increase diversity however, and viewers are noticing. The Season 13 cast is among the most diverse in the show’s history with black, latino, and asian men vying for Rachel’s heart. “Bachelorette” host Chris Harrison spoke on the diversification of Bachelor Nation, telling Marie Claire it was long overdue.

Read: ‘Bachelorette’ Season 13 Spoilers: 12 Ridiculous And Weird Bios From Rachel Lindsay’s Contestants

“If you’re not represented, then you’re not going to make the effort to show up. Why would you? It’s something that needed to evolve and take time, and I’m glad that ABC gave us that time to cultivate that culture so everybody feels welcome,” he said. “So you do see yourself represented. It did take some time and some years to make this happen with Rachel and this group, so now it’s not such a big deal. We will see more and more diversity in casting because people are going to show up. We will have bigger numbers and better people to choose from.”

Additionally, Harrison spoke about the media focusing on Rachel’s race so much. He told the publication that in his opinion, they’re looking for “something that’s controversial.” The “Bachelorette” host told Marie Claire that there is more to Rachel than her being the first black star of the dating competition and that’s what he hopes will start taking center stage in stories about her soon.

“Nobody cares about happiness or good things, so the only thing you need to write about is something that’s controversial and might stir things up,” he explained. “That is what people glom onto, and if that’s what they want to point out, then great. I hope they’ll also point out that Rachel’s an amazing woman: beautiful, talented, smart, educated, and all those other attributes that make her a great candidate.”

There is one other aspect of “The Bachelorette” that loyal fans have been fixated on — which of the Season 13 cast members Rachel’s going to choose. Even “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host Jimmy Kimmel got in on the action picking the trio he believes will be the finalists, naming Eric, Bryan and Peter. Kimmel also guessed which of those three will be the one to pop the question to Rachel at the end, picking Peter.

Kimmel isn’t the only one who believes Peter — a 31-year-old business owner from Wisconsin — is Rachel’s fiancé. “Bachelorette” spoiler blogger Reality Steve also named Peter the apparent winner of Season 13. At this time, nothing but Rachel’s engagement has been confirmed.

The big reveal has been a point of contention for some members of Bachelor Nation. Many felt it spoiled the season, despite Rachel having kept the name of her “Bachelorette” winner under wraps. The Dallas native addressed the drama during an interview with ET Online, telling the publication that she was too excited to keep her engagement a secret any longer.

“I think [the decision to share the news] was kind of mutual. They are like, ‘You know what? Just do it, because I think a lot of people will be more invested to know this worked for her. You know, she so was not a believer. [She was] hopeful, but it actually happened,’” Rachel explained. “And so I think people will really, like, tap into that.”

Read: ‘Bachelorette’ 2017 Spoilers: Rachel Lindsay ‘In Love And Very Much So Engaged’

Those trying to guess which of the “Bachelorette” Season 13 cast members she chose should give it a rest, according to the show’s star. She told ET her fiancé isn’t someone she immediately fell in love with. Rachel did promise, though, that viewers are going to love him as much as she does in the end.

“I love saying I have a fiancé!” she said. “But you won’t be able to figure it out. Like, you will see me go along and struggle with it and back and forth and it was a hard decision for me. So I think that the way that I fell in love with him, America will too.”

Curious? You’ll just have to tune in to “The Bachelorette” Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.