After a moment of reckoning on racism in the franchise, the women on Matt James' season of The Bachelor are taking a stand. The cast released a joint statement on Thursday night denouncing racism and supporting former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay.

Season 25 of The Bachelor, which features its first ever Black male lead in Matt James, also features the most racially diverse contestant pool in the show's history. However, this historic season has also been plagued by controversy, most notably the revelations that front-runner contestant Rachael Kirkconnell had engaged in racist actions in the recent past. Photos surfaced of Kirkconnell attending a plantation ball in college, an event that celebrated the culture of the antebellum South.

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Amid outrage from Bachelor Nation fans and former contestants alike, the women of Season 25 released a joint statement on their personal Instagram pages on Thursday night. "We are deeply disappointed and want to make it clear that we denounce any defense of racism," the statement read, seeming to reference host Chris Harrison's defense of Kirkconnell. The statement also came out in support of Rachel Lindsay, who conducted the interview with Chris Harrison during which he defended Kirkconnell. "Just because [Lindsay] is speaking the loudest, doesn't mean she is alone," the statement said. The women also acknowledged the racism that BIPOC contestants have faced during their time on the show and stated that their "experiences are not to be exploited or tokenized." Katie Thurston, who is rumored to be the next Bachelorette, posted the statement to her main grid on Instagram. Even Kirkconnell herself posted the statement on her Instagram story, only hours after she released her own apology for her past racist actions.

The cast's posts come only one day after Chris Harrison's disastrous appearance on Rachel Lindsay's show on Extra. Harrison, who has hosted all of the franchise's shows and spinoffs since the very first season in 2002, defended Kirkconnell's racist actions and called on fans who were attempting to hold Kirkconnell accountable to instead extend her "grace." Harrison also took a dismissive tone towards Lindsay, who served as the franchise's very first Black Bachelorette. Fans started a petition to remove Harrison as the show's host.

James' season of The Bachelor is approximately halfway through its season. Kirkconnell is suspected to be one of the finalists, a rumor that Harrison himself confirmed by mentioning that she had not attended the Women Tell All taping. (Finalists historically do not usually attend the Women Tell All to avoid spoilers.) In addition to her Instagram apology, Kirkconnell may need to further address her racist actions on the After the Final Rose special. Bachelor Nation and her fellow cast members will certainly hold her accountable.

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Source: @chelseavaughn_