Rachel Lindsay Gets Real About ‘The Bachelor’ Franchise And “Toxic” Fandom: ‘I Was A Token’

Rachel Lindsay is peeling back the curtain and talking about her experience on “The Bachelor” franchise. The 36-year-old former reality star got candid in an op-ed for New York Magazine which was released Monday. In the piece she said she felt like a “token” for the scandal-plagued reality TV show. Rachel was cast as the first-ever Black star of “The Bachelorette” after appearing in Nick Viall’s season of “The Bachelor.” In her essay, she said she had hoped she would be able to change the franchise by representing Black women and promoting diversity, but she knew she was cast because “on paper, I made sense.” Even though Rachel had a turbulent time on the reality show she said she doesn’t regret being the Bachelorette.