'Bachelorette' star Rachel Lindsay says Hannah Brown’s apology ‘disappointed’ her

Bachelorette and Dancing With The Stars (and mascara-tears queen) alum Hannah Brown is in hot water with fellow Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay after issuing an apology that fell short of the mark after using the N-word in an Instagram Live broadcast.On May 17^th, Hannah Brown sang along to the song “Rockstar” by DaBaby while livestreaming, and used the N-word when it came up in the song. Later in that same broadcast, she apologized quickly for saying the word, supposedly after seeing negative responses come up in the live comments feed.The next day, she posted a statement in her Instagram Stories, apologizing more seriously for using the word. “I owe you all a major apology. There is no excuse, and I will not justify what I said. I have read your messages and seen the hurt that I have caused. I own it all. I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better.”The day after the drama unfolded, Rachel Lindsay, who is the only African American Bachelorette in the franchise’s entire history, went live herself on Instagram to address the controversy. Admitting she was "personally offended by what was done," she told viewers that she had reached out to Brown to discuss the situation personally without going public about it. She explained that she had asked Hannah to use her platform to publicly apologize in a video, but Hannah supposedly didn't take her advice, instead releasing the written statement. "I am personally offended that I gave somebody the opportunity to [use their platform to make a public statement] and it wasn't done," Rachel said. She called the written apology "hiding behind words" and wished aloud that Hannah had been "bold enough" to apologize in a video.

 

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A post shared by Rachel Lindsay Abasolo (@therachlindsay) on May 17, 2020 at 3:56pm PDT

Rachel spoke further on the subject this week to Nick Viall for his podcast The Viall Files. She explained in more detail what she and Hannah had discussed and why the final apology ultimately left her "disappointed."Admitting she and Brown had conversed over the phone, in text message, and through DMs, Lindsay said, “When Hannah and I talked, she wanted to know what my thought was as to what she should do. She said, ‘I want to ask you.’ And she was very remorseful. She was very upset. She was embarrassed. She was admitting she was wrong, and she said she wanted to go on a Live,” referring to Instagram Live broadcasts."She was going to go first and then bring me on. Twice, she got off the phone with me to tell me, ‘Okay, I'm going to go do it. I'm just going to go get ready.’ Hours later, nothing. Then, we would talk on the phone. And then, hours later, nothing again until it was ultimately decided she wanted to do a statement," Lindsay recalled.“The reason it disappointed me so much that Hannah decided to give a statement,” she continued, “is because, [to] quote her words, ‘A statement would be insincere.’ Hannah said that, ‘It felt icky to give a statement.’ [ . . .] So why did you, therefore, decide to do an insincere action? I’m very confused by that.”[video_embed id='1964043']RELATED: Which popular TV shows are doing representation right? [/video_embed]Rachel Lindsay has been very vocal about the harassment and hate that she has endured as the only Bachelorette of colour in ABC’s flagship reality show. Earlier in the year, an entire segment of "The Women Tell All" special was dedicated to Lindsay and other women of colour on the show addressing the pain and trauma they have endured as a result of racial bullying.Lindsay isn’t the only Bachelor star who has felt that Hannah Brown’s apology landed on the wrong side of sincere. Former flame Tyler Cameron recently took to his Instagram stories to amplify Lindsay’s comments on the matter, and to add that, “We have a long ways to go on this issue and a lot of learn. If you find yourself getting defensive, you are part of the problem.”[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Tiny dinner time with tiny little hamster [/video_embed]