The Bachelor breaks his silence on host Chris Harrison's racism row

Los Angeles, California - Matt James spoke out against the host of The Bachelor, Chris Harrison, and his controversial comments in a recent interview.

Rachael Kirkconnell came under fire after claims surfaced about alleged racist behavior, something Chris Harrison defended in a recent interview.
Rachael Kirkconnell came under fire after claims surfaced about alleged racist behavior, something Chris Harrison defended in a recent interview.  © collage: instagram/rachaelkirkconnel/chrisharrison

After one week of silence, Matt James shared his thoughts on Instagram about Chris Harrison's racially-charged comments in an interview with Rachel Lindsay at ExtraTV, calling the situation "devastating and heartbreaking."

In the interview, Chris Harrison defended current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's past actions of allegedly bullying people who liked black men, and attending an antebellum-themed frat party in 2018.

Although Chris has since apologized several times, Matt isn't taking the comments and Kirkconnell's sordid past lightly.

Matt shares his disapproval

Matt James shared a lengthy post on Instagram criticizing both Chris and Kirkconnell's choices: "Chris' failure to receive and understand the emotional that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on by graciously and patiently explaining the racist history of the Antebellum South, a painful history that every American should understand intimately, was troubling and painful to watch."

Although Chris Harrison insisted that he wasn't defending the party in question, his initial remarks were less than convincing.

"Well, Rachel, was it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021?" was his loaded question for Rachel Lindsay, to which she responded with a resounding: "It's not a good look ever, because she's celebrating the 'Old South.'"

As for Matt, he stated that he's currently reevaluating his experience on the show, and said that this wasn't the last time people would hear from him.

Cover photo: collage: instagram/rachaelkirkconnel/chrisharrison

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