After The Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell was slammed by fans for attending a racist Antebellum-themed party in 2018, many in Bachelor Nation called for major changes to the franchise. One former contestant, Taylor Nolan, has been extremely vocal about the injustices BIPOC contestants have faced on the show. So fans were shocked when some of her old tweets containing racist comments recently resurfaced. The insensitive tweets are not a good look for the so-called social justice warrior.
Taylor Nolan from Nick Viall’s season of The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise rubbed many viewers the wrong way with her strong personality and opinions. Though she hasn’t appeared on the franchise in some time, Taylor has been active in Bachelor Nation nonetheless and is quick to call out contestants and leads over questionable behavior. But some fans don’t like the direction the franchise is going and will look for any reason to criticize Taylor.
Fans recently uncovered some tweets from Taylor’s past, and they’re problematic, to say the least. “When u see a very ugly Asian dressed very poorly running across campus...with her backpack on wheels,” one reads. Prejudice against Asians seemed to be a common thread, with one reading, “you literally cannot understand anything that the Chinese lady is saying doing your toes #englishplease." The anti-Asian comments are particularly hurtful and ill-timed, as there has been an upswing in racially-motivated violence and harassment towards Asian people right now.
Taylor made casually racist and insensitive comments about other races too, once saying “my stomach looks like a little African child,” and “it’d be cool to hve [sic] slaves. Not like black slaves! But like white slaves ya know?” The tweets were written between the years of 2011 and 2013, which is some time ago, but still seems tone deaf coming from someone who using their platform to call out racism. Rachael has apologized for her past racist behavior, and now fans are wondering if Taylor will follow suit and try to make amends for her unfortunate statements.
This is also not the only time one of Bachelor Nation’s more social justice-conscious members had social media posts come back to haunt them. Becca Kufrin angered fans with a photo of her face superimposed on an Arabic man riding a camel. These social media posts could lead fans to invalidate the legitimate criticism that Bachelor Nation alum like Taylor and Becca have for the franchise. Chris Harrison left the franchise as host (for now) after defending Rachael's racist actions. Some fans wonder how Taylor will respond to the tweets.
The Bachelor franchise and its alum are having to reckon with the racist behaviors and actions in their past. Many show alum have been called hypocrites for standing up against racism in one moment, but making questionable choices or unfortunate social media posts the next. But the more progressive members of Bachelor Nation can be both flawed human beings and right about the changes that are needed in the franchise. Perhaps Taylor can win back support if she takes responsibility for the words from her past and learns from them.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8pm EST on ABC.
Source: Taylor Nolan/Twitter