Kaitlyn Bristowe Tayshia Adams and Katie Thurston on The Bachelorette Men Tell All – Publicity – H 2021
The latest season of The Bachelorette, starring Katie Thurston, was filmed in the midst of major criticism of the franchise, both of former host Chris Harrison and the ABC hit series’ history of race issues. As most in Bachelor Nation know, Matt James’ historic season as the first Black Bachelor, which kicked off in January and on which Thurston was a contestant, was enmeshed in controversy, including his now-girlfriend’s racially insensitive past, Harrison’s seeming defense of her in an interview with Rachel Lindsay, and promises from ABC and producers Warner Horizon to address the lack of diversity among the franchise’s decision-makers.
More than four months later, have those promises been kept?
“I definitely have seen them make the changes that I would encourage, which is a diverse cast and and more screen time for the contestants that are BIPOC,” Thurston told The Hollywood Reporter at her season’s Men Tell All taping. “Those changes are happening. Obviously, there’s always room for improvement, but I feel like I’ve seen that with my season and these men getting to share their stories and having that screen time.”
One such story was a conversation between fan-favorite Andrew Spencer and Thurston about their potential future as an interracial couple and the challenges they would likely face going forward, a rare moment of real-world issues that has seldom been seen on the franchise.
“Regardless if [next season’s lead] Michelle [Young] was our Bachelorette or Katie, I was still going to bring uncomfortable conversations. We were going through something in the real world that we haven’t seen for a while, and I’m tired of it being uncomfortable conversation and just not regular conversation,” Spencer said, also speaking to THR at the taping. “I’ve had experience with interracial relationships that led me to have these conversations and also I have friends who have these experiences that have happened.”
Fellow contestant Tre Cooper said watching that conversation back “was huge. As a Black man, I’m so appreciative of him having that conversation because growing up in rural Georgia, it’s something that I’ve had to deal with too. Interracial relationships, even in ’21, are something that is not respected and well-received by everyone.”
Cooper continued, “That was an important conversation for everyone to see. wWe’re making progress as a nation and as a show, but there’s still room to grow. Definitely that we’re having these hard conversations is a good step.”
Gallery: LGBTQ+ stars who were told to stay in the closet (StarsInsider)
Another big step was bringing in former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe in a hosting capacity to fill Harrison’s role, after the longtime host apologized for his ignorance in defending the past racially offensive behavior of Rachael Kirkconnell, committed himself to a path anti-racism and took a hiatus that turned into a permanent leave from the franchise; the duo are in talks to return for Young’s season this fall as well, a source notes to The Hollywood Reporter. Adams, who led the show in 2020 as the franchise’s first Black and Latina star, was vocal during the upheaval earlier this year, noting in an Instagram video how “the things that have come to light within the Bachelor franchise this past week have just been eye-opening,” leaving her “really hurt and disappointed and confused at the ignorance when it comes to race.”
Now in more of a leadership role on the show, “I think we’re seeing, I don’t know, a really open-minded production. I just feel like they’re open to change and all the inclusivity that’s happening these days, and even Kaitlyn and I being there,” Adams told THR. “There’s just so many different things that are happening just to make everybody feel welcomed, and I’m excited to see where Michelle’s season goes.”
Bristowe added, “I think we are seeing those changes that we’ve all wanted to see within the franchise, and again, having two female hosts and having important conversations that they might not have had in the past. As long as they keep heading in that right direction, we’re happy to be part of it.”
“Nothing happens overnight but it’s happening,” replied Adams. Though the casts in recent seasons have been increasingly diverse, with more leads of color than ever before, no further changes have yet been announced for Young’s season, including so far no announcement of BIPOC members added to the executive producer ranks. ABC and Warner Horizon’s March statement had promised, “As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks,” but did not provide an exact timeline.
However, Cooper says of the producing team working with the cast, “it was definitely nice to see myself represented in the producers — it wasn’t all white male producers. We saw some women, we saw some women of color, and I think that that’s beautiful,” along with Adams and Bristowe in the hosting role. “I think that that was also amazing to see that you don’t always need a white man doing the job for it to be a job done well.”
In fact, this season’s contestants seem to be some of the closest in the franchise’s history, something they credit to the producers for vetting more heavily and choosing a good group of men.
“The producers did an incredible job, just some of the most incredible guys I’ve ever met in my entire life,” said Connor Brennan, who also shouted out those behind the scenes for bringing in Emmanuel Acho to host March’s After the Final Rose, closing out Matt James’ season with a head-on approach to the racial issues. “That was one of the life-changing aspects of [the show], too, was just getting to know these incredible humans alongside Katie.”
Thurston was named the Bachelorette shortly after it was announced Harrison would not be returning to host the show’s 17th season; a series of guest hosts, including David Spade, Lance Bass and Tituss Burgess, will also take over for him on this summer’s Bachelor in Paradise, following Harrison’s official cutting ties with the franchise.
At the beginning of her season, Thurston told THR that in becoming the lead during a time of such turmoil, “I had my own concerns,” after watching the controversy unfold and seeing past contestants speak out about systemic race issues within the franchise. “I wanted my experience to be true to myself and great for the men who were joining me as well as Bachelor Nation. And I think that was really taken into consideration and worked out. I expressed what I wanted with my journey, and I think I was listened to.”
The Bachelorette season 17 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC, with Bachelor in Paradise returning Aug. 16.
