The Shocking Reason Rachel Lindsay Thinks Lee Garrett Was Cast On Her Season

Rachel Lindsay broke major boundaries when she was cast as the first ever Black lead of The Bachelorette in 2017. Lately, reports of rampant and unchecked racism throughout the long-running Bachelor franchise have been swirling, in spite of the fact Matt James is currently leading the series. A contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, was accused of racism after photos surfaced showing her wearing Native American dress and attending an antebellum-themed fraternity ball as recently as 2018. 

As Us Weekly reports, Lindsay took on Bachelor host Chris Harrison during an explosive interview, after he tried to defend Kirkconnell for what he argued were nothing more than past indiscretions. The former Bachelorette wasn't having any of it, and Harrison has since apologized and temporarily stepped down from his position. Lindsay subsequently criticized fellow Bachelorette alum Hannah Brown for deleting a potentially dodgy post from her past. She didn't stop there, either. 

As People notes, Lee Garrett, a contestant during Lindsay's stint on the hit dating show, was discovered to have tweeted a number of offensive, sexist and racist things after the series initially premiered. Among other things, Garrett advised followers, "Never trust a female liberal," allegedly conflated the Black Lives Matter movement with a terrorist group, compared the NAACP to the KKK, and also made Islamophobic remarks. A fan captured the messages and posted them on Twitter. Speaking to Us Weekly later that same year, Garrett argued, "it's not about getting caught. It's about learning and growing" and promised to do better.

During an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit, Lindsay reasoned Kirkconnell probably "slipped through the cracks" but, when it comes to Garrett, the former Bachelorette admitted he was likely cast to "add controversy" because his racism and misogyny were clear to see. Likewise, Lindsay argued producers knew he was never going to win. Going even further, the reality star and activist suggested it's an issue that runs deep within the franchise. "I wish I could have said how I felt about him, the fact that he was on my season, and what it meant to cast a racist on the first season of your first Black lead ... but contracts lol," she revealed.