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Rachel Lindsay Returns to Instagram After Deactivating Account Amid Bullying: See Bachelor Nation Reactions

Bachelor Nation stars including Becca Kufrin, Nick Viall and Kaitlyn Bristowe have rallied in support of Rachel Lindsay, who deactivated her Instagram account on February 26, after being harassed and bullied online.

The former Bachelorette star returned to the social media platform on Saturday, March 6. “I want to be like a sunflower so that even on the darkest days I will stand tall and find the sunlight,” she captioned a photo of a bouquet of sunflowers. She also shared a video from a hike in Los Angeles via her Instagram Stories and captioned the footage, “Good vibes only.”

The reality star has been dealing with hate from fans since her controversial interview with host Chris Harrison on February 9. During the chat, the ABC personality defended Bachelor star Matt James’ contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after she was accused of racism. Harrison asked for “compassion” for Kirkconnell’s situation and claimed he couldn’t condemn the season 25 hopeful over the accusations because he hadn’t “heard her speak” about it.

Lindsay’s “Higher Learning” podcast cohost, Van Lathan, took to Instagram to share his reaction to her departure from the platform on Friday. “Leave Rachel the f—k alone. This harassment is going too far,” he wrote. “My cohost has zero today with the words of a grown ass man who still doesn’t get it. @chrisbharrison are you okay with people getting at Rachel to the point she can’t even exist on IG. Is anyone from the entire ‘Bachelor Nation’ going to stand up and condemn this harassment of a Black woman? Yo, it’s just a f—king TV SHOW, y’all need to relax for real. I love you RACH. F—k these people.”

After Harrison revealed in a public apology on February 13 that he would be stepping back from his hosting duties, Lindsay said on Extra that “it was never [her] intention” to see the longtime emcee step aside, but that “it’s important to further and highlight these discussions.”

“The only way to do that is to have these uncomfortable conversations so we can understand the underlying issues and implicit racism that exists within our society,” Lindsay added. “When we can learn to recognize implicit and unconscious bias that history of our environments have taught us, then we can challenge one another to be better for ourselves but also for this society.”

In Harrison’s absence, Lindsay was reportedly considering filling the hosting role for the time being — however, the role ultimately went to Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho, who is Black. “IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose and am honored to be hosting the @bachelorabc After the Final Rose this year,” the 30-year-old wrote via Instagram on February 27. “It’s been a pivotal season, and this episode will hopefully be one of the most storied shows in TV history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. Share the news! I’ll see y’all then!”

Scroll through the gallery below to see Bachelor Nation stars’ support of Rachel Lindsay following the deactivation of her Instagram account.