After staying quiet for a long while, The Bachelor has put out a statement addressing racist comments toward its contestants, and it looks like they are finally doubling down on encouraging and protecting diversity on the show. It’s no secret The Bachelor has been made up of mostly white cast members since its start in 2001. With over 40 seasons and only one Black lead, it’s no surprise that the show has come under fire during one of the biggest movements for social justice following the death of George Floyd in May.
The announcement comes after fans called for the show to diversify its cast and crew in a movement known as the “Bachelor Diversity Campaign.” It was started by a small group on Twitter and exploded into a national campaign, garnering recognition from stars of the show like The Bachelorette’s first Black lead, Rachel Lindsay, who spoke out in favor of the campaign while also saying she would distance herself from the franchise if the show did not begin to include more people of color. Lindsay also appeared on The Women Tell-All in March leading a discussion with Chris Harrison on the racist comments she received, as well as the huge amount of cyberbullying she and other castmates endured since appearing on the show.
Other contestants have spoken out on the racist and hurtful comments, including former Bachelorette contestant Mike Johnson, who was on Hannah Brown’s season. He detailed the hate he received after his season aired, which included being called the N-word. Now, it looks like ABC is finally taking a stand to protect its contestants from the cyberbullying ahead of its upcoming season of The Bachelorette, which will feature Clare Crawley, as well as the second Black female lead in the show’s history, Tayshia Adams. In a statement released by producers on the official Bachelor Nation Instagram, the show explained how they are going to ward off hateful comments. First, the account encouraged fans to follow and comment on their favorite cast members. It went on to say, “However, we condemn racism, bullying and hate in all its forms and have introduced new community guidelines for interacting on our posts.” The show will be implementing concrete guidelines like, “...deleting comments which are abusive towards our cast members and reserve the right to block users who display this behavior.” They also posted a list of behavior that won’t be tolerated: “Obscene language Insults, threats, or harassment of other users, organizations, or cast members. Comments which are hateful, racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, sexually explicit, or vulgar in nature.” See the statement for yourself below:
While The Bachelor franchise is made up of fans who do support and spread love to the community, social media is an elusive beast. Many cast members have found themselves subject to internet trolls and have spoken up about the effects it has on their mental health. The steps the show is taking to protect its cast are long overdue, but they come at a crucial time when the show will have multiple Black leads, including Matt James, who was announced for the 2021 season and will be the series’ first Black Bachelor.
While deleting comments and blocking users is a great first step in keeping the mental health of the contestants (and fans who read the comments) as a priority, ensuring the show maintains a well-diversified crew will also be an important tool in representing and protecting people of color on the show. Only time will tell if the new guidelines will help ward off the negative comments ahead of the upcoming seasons.
Source: Bachelor Nation