Tayshia Adams Says Chris Harrison’s Rachael Kirkconnell Defense Was Full of “Ignorance”

Tayshia Adams is opening up about how she believes Chris Harrison‘s defense of Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell was unacceptable. 

On Tayshia’s Wondery podcast Clickbait With Bachelor Nation, which she co-hosts alongside Joe Amabile and Natasha Parker, the former Bachelorette lead talked about Rachael’s social media controversy and Chris’ reaction to it, which many in Bachelor Nation have called problematic.

This week, a Reddit user shared a photo of Rachael, who is still vying for Matt James‘ heart on the show, attending a “antebellum plantation themed ball” fraternity formal, a racist tradition that is widely criticized for its glamorization of slavery. . Matt is Bachelor Nation’s very first Black Bachelor.

In a Feb. 9 interview on Extra with Rachel Lindsay, Bachelor Nation’s first Black lead, the host defended Rachael from social media ire. 

“I haven’t talked to Rachael about it,” Chris said. “And this is, again, where we all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion. Because I’ve seen some stuff online—again this judge-jury-executioner thing—where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart and diving into, like, her parents and her parents’ voting record. It’s unbelievably alarming to watch this. I haven’t heard Rachael speak on this yet. And until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this?”