Rachel Lindsay Distances Herself From Contestant Bryce Powers’ Controversial Comment On ‘The Bachelorette’


Rachel Lindsay wants you to know that she does not share the same views as one of her suitors does when it comes to the transgender community. In a statement posted to The Wrap, Rachel Lindsay, ABC, and Horizon Warner responded to Bachelorette contestant Bryce Powers’ controversial bio question in which he revealed that his biggest dating fear is that “the chick is actually a dude.”

Powers was slammed by the LGBT community for the comment, and now Lindsay is making it clear that she does not feel the same way about the subject.

“This comment does not reflect the views of ABC, Warner Horizon or bachelorette Rachel Lindsay,” an ABC spokesperson told The Wrap. “We have removed it from ABC.com.”

Powers’ Bachelorette bio page on ABC.com no longer shows the boilerplate question about his dating fears, but it does list that the 30-year-old firefighter’s greatest achievement to date is “making my parents proud and inspiring my little brother.” Rachel Lindsay’s controversial suitor also revealed that the wildest thing he’s ever done in the bedroom is “[catching] a girl’s hair on fire once while having sex.”

Rachel Lindsay has not yet publicly issued a separate response to Powers’ transphobic remark, but the Twitterverse has, and it hasn’t been pretty. The ABC suitor has been slammed on social media. While Bryce Powers hasn’t apologized for the transphobic comment, he did post a response to a viewer comment that he has “literally the squarest jaw you will ever see, by writing, “Guess I look like a human Sponge Bob.”

As can be seen by the cast bios on ABC.com, Rachel Lindsay’s 31-person Bachelorette cast is made up of a diverse variety of men. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, veteran casting director Lacey Pemberton said the goal was to find suitors that Rachel would have chemistry with and fall in love with, but Bachelorette host Chris Harrison was quick to point out that The Bachelorette is still a TV show.

While diversity is an issue, what we try to do is create a great television show,” Harrison told THR. “At the same time, yes, you’re trying to make sure everybody’s represented in that pool. But first and foremost, we’re trying to create great television to watch.”

Perhaps that’s why the cast of Lindsay’s season includes guys with professions that include “Tickle Monster” and “Whaboom.” According to Mashable, there’s also Dean, a guy who calls marriage an “institutionalized sham,” as well as Milton, who admits he would “like to break into writing or acting” after his Bachelorette stint is over.

According to spoiler king Reality Steve, Bryce Powers is the seventh suitor to introduce himself to Rachel Lindsay during the limo meet-and-greet in The Bachelorette premiere episode, but it is unclear if he has any gimmicks as part of his intro.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUPuMPBh1oW/?taken-by=bacheloretteabc&hl=en

The Bachelor franchise has made great strides by finally casting Rachel Lindsay as the show’s first-ever African-American Bachelorette, but it took more than 30 seasons to do so. Now, the franchise took a few steps back by allowing Powers’ insensitive remark to be posted on the bio page in the first place. While the remark has been deleted, Twitter has a very long memory.

Rachel Lindsay has already revealed that she became engaged during her season of The Bachelorette. Let’s hope her fiancé isn’t Bryce Powers because, with the backlash he’s already facing before the premiere episode has even aired, that would ruin ABC’s fairytale.

Take a look at the video below to see a seal peek at Rachel Lindsay on The Bachelorette premiere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXWnYvwGdMc

[Featured Image by David Becker/Getty Images]

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