Rachel Lindsay Breaks Silence About Chris Harrison's Departure From 'Bachelor' Franchise Amid Controversy

Rachel Lindsay is speaking out.

The 36-year-old Bachelorette alum opened up about the news of longtime host Chris Harrison‘s departure from the Bachelor series following his controversial commentary in an interview with Rachel about contestant Rachael Kirkconnell‘s attendance of a plantation-themed party years ago, for which he later apologized to Rachel and the Black community.

Click inside to see what she said…

Lindsay spoke to Billy Bush on Extra about the situation.

“I wasn’t expecting for it to happen, not after the announcement,” she said of his decision.

She also added that viewers could only speculate about the reasons behind the exit.

“I think several past contestants coming forward and saying they didn’t want him to be part of Paradise. I think Katie Thurston, her very last tweet before she went to film her season was that Chris needed to step away. I think that, coupled with the interview that happened on this very stage, maybe led to him not coming back,” she continued.

“It’s been 19 years and if you do watch the show we saw less and less of Chris. 19 years is a big accomplishment. Maybe that’s the case. We don’t know. Maybe they were ready to move on.”

See what Chris Harrison said in his official statement.