The Bachelorette's Tayshia Adams says "my jaw was kind of to the floor" watching Chris Harrison's interview defending The Bachelor's Rachael Kirkconnell

Us Weekly

“This hit me on a different level just because I’m the current Bachelorette, if you will, the first bi-racial lead," Adams said on her Click Bait With Bachelor Nation podcast after Harrison apologized for "speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism" in defending Kirkconnell's past racist actions in an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay for Extra. "I definitely will say watching that interview, my eyes were wide open," Adams said, according to Us Weekly. "My jaw was kind of to the floor just because it was an ongoing conversation that was just filled with so much defense and what I feel is ignorance. To be clear, really, all I think everybody was looking for was accountability in the sense of just saying the images that have come out are wrong. Bottom line, they are wrong. There was no sense of ‘what she did was wrong,’ and I feel bad that Bachelor Nation is going through this and this is making a lot of people feel attacked in a way.” Adams added: "Outside of the franchise, him and I have formed a friendship. I’ve had a great time with Chris Harrison in the past and I think that’s why I’ve felt so saddened by this entire interview because when I say it hit a different way it’s because — 'would you come to my defense like if someone did this to me? Like, being your friend you know?' I’m sad about it.” ALSO: The men of Tayshia Adams' and Clare Crawley's Bachelorette season condemn Harrison in a joint statement.