"I think that she is extremely refreshing": Rachel Lindsay on The Bachelorette casting Taylor Frankie Paul

Rachel Lindsay praised the casting choice for Taylor Frankie Paul, as she revealed that she is a fan of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and was thrilled to hear the news.

The 40-year-old African-American reality star expressed her opinion that the show needed a change for the longest time, and now it has finally happened. She further said that,

"And I've been saying there needs to be change. I've been asking for change in a particular way. It has happened, but not fully, but I think that this is the show trying to step into 2025. They've been stuck in 2002 for the longest time, and this is a really beautiful way, I think, for them to do it, and I'm very excited for what's to come, and I think it's a new day."

Rachel's relationship with The Bachelorette has long been a complicated one due to a series of events.

She acknowledged having a love-hate relationship with the show and has always been critical about it for years; however, she points out that the criticism stems from a place of love.

She addressed this at the LadyWorld Festival, clarifying that her commentary comes from a place of deep care and personal connection.

She expressed her admiration for the show and even accepted its contribution in making her who she is today, saying,

"This is how you are with the things that you care about, right? So when everyone thinks, 'Oh, she's so negative about it,' I'm like, 'No, I love it ... it changed my life and [made me] who I really am, but this is a new day."

Regardless, she believed that the era of the traditional fairy tale that the series once promoted had died, and the franchise must evolve with time, and casting Taylor Frankie Paul is the best way to take a different step into the television industry.

Rachel Lindsay is an attorney and podcaster who was first introduced on the Bachelor Nation world in The Bachelor season 21, where she took home the first rose competing for Nick Viall's heart and lastly finished in third place.

She went on to become the first black woman to appear on The Bachelorette in 2017, which also saw some racist controversy brewing in the show. 

Lee Garrett, one of the contestants, had made problematic racist comments, including advising his followers to never trust a female liberal, describing the Black Lives Matter movement as a terrorist group, and comparing the NAACP to the KKK.

These tweets resurfaced after the season premiere, and Lindsay believed his casting was intentional to create controversy because it was obvious to the makers that she wouldn't pick him.

In 2021, Rachel Lindsay found herself at the centre of another controversy after her interview with host Chris Harrison, where he picked sides with a contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, who had made racially insensitive posts earlier.

The show and host received backlash for this, leading to Chris Harrison’s eventual exit from the franchise, and Lindsay facing intense online harassment, which led her to temporarily delete her social media.

 Rachel got engaged during The Bachelorette finale with the winner Bryan Abasolo and eventually married him in 2019, but the marriage didn't last as the couple parted ways in December 2023.

Stay tuned for more updates.