Don Lemon not sure former ‘Bachelorette’ host’s apology was sincere after he resigned amid racism allegations

CNN’s Don Lemon interviewed The Bachelorette’s Rachel Lindsay on Monday concerning racism allegations against the show’s host Chris Harrison and contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.

Kirkconnell has been relentlessly attacked this past week over a viral TikTok video that accused her of promoting QAnon conspiracy theories and liking posts that included the Confederate flag. Pictures of her at an “Old South” plantation-themed college party in 2018 also surfaced on Reddit. For those allegations, leftists are seeking to ‘cancel’ the popular Bachelorette contestant.

Lindsay is accusing Harrison of having previous experience with racism on the show and that he just chose not to address the issue with Kirkconnell and Harrison. “We had racist issues on the show in 2017. There was a racist contestant [cast] for my season,” Lindsay told Lemon in their interview. “In 2018, the lead picked someone who was liking racist, xenophobic, transphobic, homophobic things on social media. So we’ve dealt with this within the franchise. So my initial reaction was, I was shocked. I thought maybe [Harrison] misspoke. But when he continued down this path, I thought, Oh, no. This is really what he wants to say. And I felt I needed to let him say it.”

In Lindsay’s interview with Harrison on Extra, she told him that Kirkconnell’s posts were “not a good look.”

Video Credit: CNN

“Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference,” Harrison told her.

“It’s not a good look ever,” responded Lindsay. “Because she’s celebrating the Old South. If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?”

Harrison slammed cancel culture and told the Extra host: “The woke police is out there, and this poor girl Rachael has just been thrown to the lions.” He also advocated for forgiveness for Kirkconnell and made it clear he didn’t support her alleged actions.

That was just enough to get him ripped to shreds by the left. He eventually resigned over the controversy.

Under intense pressure and the threat of his career being ruined, Harrison apologized the next day and stated: “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.” He then claimed to embark on a path of anti-racism.

Lemon went after Harrison in his interview with Lindsay.

“Why do you think Chris Harrison was willing to give Rachel Kirkconnell so much room for her hurtful actions yet couldn’t muster an empathy towards communities of color who were offended or even to you in that interview — and correct me if I’m wrong — seemingly as if trying to teach you something?”

Lindsay labeled it as a “problem with our society,” and proceeded to justify the hit on Harrison.

“It was baffling to me that he was preaching grace and space and compassion, but you’re talking to someone and you’re not giving them that same thing or the community that she represents or the very people who are offended by the actions of the girl that you’re defending,” Lindsay stated.

“It really was baffling in the moment. But I thought if you’re going to say this, then folks need to hear it.”

Lemon proceeded to read the apologies from both Kirkconnell and Harrison. Then he went on to question if they were sincere.

“I don’t know if these apologies are sincere, or what have you. All right. That’s — Rachael did what Rachael did. You haven’t interviewed her but you interviewed Chris. Chris has been on this Earth for five decades. He is 49 years old, and he hasn’t had to deal with these issues?” Lemon asked. “He hasn’t taken the opportunity, or the chance, in-almost-50 years, especially doing what he does and the history of the show, to learn about racism in America? That’s, actually, the definition of privilege.”

“This was a teachable moment for people because everyone wants to say, you think racism just has to be explicit,” Lindsay lectured. “This was an example of implicit racism. There was some unconscious bias that Chris Harrison had that were coming out in that interview, and I think that he has realized that and that’s where that apology is coming from.”

“The whole thing, it was stunning to me because he kept talking about cancel culture and making it about him and about cancel culture,” Lemon said, “It was a window into how he thinks because he kept talking about the ‘woke police’ and all of this, and we know that terminology is used by people who want to be able to say and do racist things without consequence because what does he mean by the ‘woke police’ and all — what is that?”

“You don’t get to say whatever you want and then blame people for holding you accountable for that. That’s just not how it works. And I felt like that was what was happening in that moment,” Lindsay went on. “And I think Chris is realizing that which, again, we’re seeing this in not one but now two apologies and with him acting by stepping aside. So we’ll see where we go from here,” she stated. “We’ll see what’s learned.”

On Extra, Lindsay would later go on to say it was never her intention to see Chris Harrison step aside. Instead, she claims she wanted to highlight the interview with Harrison and have an ‘uncomfortable’ discussion about racism.

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