Rachel Lindsay Reveals Moment She Was 'Done' With 'Bachelor' Franchise In Op-Ed

Rachel Lindsay is getting candid about her experience with the "Bachelor" franchise and what pushed her to end her connection with it.

The former "Bachelorette" star officially ended her contract with Bachelor Nation in April. However, in her new op-ed for New York Magazine, she shared that she was done with the franchise as early as February following her controversial "Extra" interview with longtime host Chris Harrison, who has since parted ways with the franchise.

"I knew my relationship with The Bachelor was over in February 2021, when Chris Harrison, the host and face of the franchise, showed his true self on national television," wrote Lindsay, who was the first Black Bachelorette.

During the interview, Harrison called for sympathy for Rachael Kirkconnell, whom he referred to as "this poor girl," amid the backlash from the latter's racially insensitive photos and social media posts. He has since apologized.

"He said all this with a passion I had never seen him assert. And neither, I think, had America," Lindsay wrote in her op-ed. "We had only seen Chris Harrison perform as a host; this was like catching him with a hot mic."

Lindsay detailed being "tired" when she finally chose to step away from the franchise, saying she was "exhausted from defending myself against a toxic fandom."

She claimed that her interview with Harrison and its aftermath caused the fandom that "had always had a complicated relationship with" her to further "turn against" her.

"By the time that segment with Chris aired, I was known as the contestant who was always starting trouble. 'That Rachel Lindsay,' the one who couldn’t stay quiet, who bites the hand that feeds, Bachelor Nation’s public enemy No. 1. Later, I would be known as the one responsible for Harrison’s eventually leaving the franchise," she wrote in the piece.

Lindsay also accused the "Bachelor" franchise of "cultivating a toxic audience."

"My Higher Learning co-host and I have divided it - there is a Bachelor Nation, and there is a Bachelor Klan," she claimed. "Bachelor Klan is hateful, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and homophobic. They are afraid of change. They are afraid to be uncomfortable. They are afraid when they get called out."

ABC and Harrison have not yet publicly commented on Lindsay's op-ed.

In March, Lindsay deactivated her Instagram account after receiving rude and hateful comments following her interview with Harrison. While she eventually returned to the social media platform, Lindsay announced her exit from the "Bachelor" podcast a month later.

"For me, I have run my course when it comes to the podcast," she was quoted by The Hollywood Reporter as saying on April 27's episode of "Bachelor Happy Hour." "For me, I’ve been struggling. That’s no secret. And it’s been really, really hard for me lately. And a lot of things that we talk about on this podcast are also about taking care of yourself and finding your peace and protecting that peace and protecting your mental health. So, for me, I just feel like I’ve come to the end of doing the podcast."

After Harrison announced his official exit from the show earlier this month on Instagram, Lindsay said she was surprised by the development. "I gotta say, I am [shocked]. I wasn't expecting for it to happen, not after the announcement," she said.