Rachel Lindsay deletes Instagram after her disastrous interview with Chris Harrison

Rachel Lindsay has deleted her Instagram after receiving an overwhelming amount of ‘rude and hateful’ comments from disgruntled Bachelor fans. 

The move comes two weeks after her controversial interview with Bachelor host Chris Harrison, who made the decision to step aside from the show after defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s past racist behavior.  

On Friday, her Higher Learning co-host, Van Lathan, revealed the 35-year-old former Bachelorette ‘disabled her’ account due to cruel harassment. 

Online harassment: Rachel Lindsay has deleted her Instagram after receiving an overwhelming amount of ‘rude and hateful’ comments from disgruntled Bachelor fans; seen in 2019

‘She did it because that’s how much hate she’s getting from Bachelor fans who are spamming her with all kinds of rude and hateful things to say,’ the podcaster, 40, said in an Instagram video.  

He continued: ‘Y’all have got to get a f**king life. Seriously.’ 

‘Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can’t read the room in these 2021 times. She’s not responsible for that,’ Lathan fired. ‘It’s not her job to make excuses or provide cover for somebody who doesn’t understand what the f**k triggers people in today’s world. It’s not. You’re going after the wrong person.’ 

Rocky month: The move comes two weeks after her controversial interview with Bachelor host Chris Harrison, who made the decision to step aside from the show after defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's past racist behavior (pictured in 2020)

Rocky month: The move comes two weeks after her controversial interview with Bachelor host Chris Harrison, who made the decision to step aside from the show after defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s past racist behavior (pictured in 2020)

Defending his pal: On Friday, her Higher Learning co-host, Van Lathan, revealed the 35-year-old former Bachelorette 'disabled her' account due to cruel harassment

Defending his pal: On Friday, her Higher Learning co-host, Van Lathan, revealed the 35-year-old former Bachelorette ‘disabled her’ account due to cruel harassment

‘Rachel, we love you, we’re with you,’ Lathan concluded the video. 

He captioned the footage: ‘Leave Rachel the f**k alone. This harassment is going too far.’

Lathan, then, asked Harrison directly if he was ‘okay with people getting at Rachel to the point she can’t even exist on IG.’ 

'Is anyone from the entire Bachelor Nation going to stand up and condemn this harassment of a Black woman?' he inquired; Lindsay seen in 2017

‘Is anyone from the entire Bachelor Nation going to stand up and condemn this harassment of a Black woman?’ he inquired; Lindsay seen in 2017

Fan favorite: Lindsay made history as the first Black Bachelorette in 2017

Fan favorite: Lindsay made history as the first Black Bachelorette in 2017

‘Is anyone from the entire Bachelor Nation going to stand up and condemn this harassment of a Black woman?’ he inquired. ‘Yo it’s just a fucking TV SHOW, y’all need to relax for real.’ 

After Lindsay’s interview with Harrison, he came under fire for downplaying Kirkconnell’s past bigoted actions, including attending an antebellum party on a plantation in 2018. 

Kirkconnell also allegedly liked several offensive social media posts featuring Confederate flags, racist costumes and friends wearing Make America Great Again hats favored by supporters of former President Donald Trump.  

In hot water: Harrison defended racist actions of Bachelor front-runner Rachael Kirkconnell

In hot water: Harrison defended racist actions of Bachelor front-runner Rachael Kirkconnell

Lindsay previously made history as the first Black Bachelorette in 2017. 

Last week, she announced she wanted to be finished with the Bachelor franchise and would be cutting ties with the organization as soon as her contract was over on her podcast. 

‘As far as me, I’m f***ing tired. I’m exhausted. I have truly had enough,’ she said. My entire reason for doing The Bachelorette — and I was lucky it worked out for me in the most beautiful way, in finding [husband] Bryan [Abasolo] — is that I wanted to be representative as a Black woman to this audience. And I wanted to pave the way for more people to have this opportunity,’ she said. 

Conflicted: Lindsay said she was lucky to meet husband Bryan Abasolo on The Bachelorette, but she 'wanted the franchise to be better,' adding she has a 'love-hate relationship with it'

Conflicted: Lindsay said she was lucky to meet husband Bryan Abasolo on The Bachelorette, but she ‘wanted the franchise to be better,’ adding she has a ‘love-hate relationship with it’

Solidarity: Nearly all the current Bachelor contestants, including Kirkconnell, posted a message to social media defending Lindsay and expressing their disappointment with Harrison

Solidarity: Nearly all the current Bachelor contestants, including Kirkconnell, posted a message to social media defending Lindsay and expressing their disappointment with Harrison

‘In some ways, that has happened. I wanted the franchise to be better. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I’m connected to it.’

She added: ‘How much more do I want to be affiliated with this? How much more can I take of things like this? I said I was going to leave if they didn’t have leads of color. Okay, they did that, and they made some other changes. They hired a diversity consultant. … Did Chris Harrison not sit through that?’

Following Harrison’s contentious interview with Lindsay, nearly every contestant from the current Bachelor season shared the same message to their social media accounts standing in solidarity with Lindsay.

Supportive: 'Rachel Lindsay continues to advocate with "grace" for individuals who identify as BIPOC within this franchise,' the women concluded; seen in 2019 in Westlake Village, Calif.

Supportive: ‘Rachel Lindsay continues to advocate with “grace” for individuals who identify as BIPOC within this franchise,’ the women concluded; seen in 2019 in Westlake Village, Calif.

‘We are the women of Bachelor Season 25. Twenty-five women who identify as BIPOC were cast on this historic season that was meant to represent change,’ the statement began.

‘We are deeply disappointed and want to make it clear that we denounce any defense of racism,’ it continued. ‘Any defense of racist behavior denies the lived and continued experiences of BIPOC individuals. These experiences are not to be exploited or tokenized.

‘Rachel Lindsay continues to advocate with “grace” for individuals who identify as BIPOC within this franchise,’ the women concluded. ‘Just because she is speaking the loudest, doesn’t mean she is alone. We stand with her, we hear her, and we advocate for change alongside her.’

Receipts: Kirkconnell was accused of liking racist social media posts, and she was seen in photos attending a 2018 sorority event at a plantation in Georgia

Receipts: Kirkconnell was accused of liking racist social media posts, and she was seen in photos attending a 2018 sorority event at a plantation in Georgia

Notably, Kirkconnell also shared the statement in support of Lindsay.

She also shared an apology on social media.

‘At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them,’ she wrote. ‘My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.’