Rachel Lindsay says she’s rooting for Charity Lawson as ‘Bachelorette’, but won’t watch

Rachel Lindsay has shared whether she will watch Charity Lawson’s journey as she searches for love on Season 20 of “The Bachelorette.”

Ahead of Lawson’s premiere on June 26, Lindsay, who made history during Season 13 of “The Bachelorette” as the show’s (and franchise’s) first Black lead, complimented the newest bachelorette during an interview with People.

“I haven’t met Charity,” Lindsay told the publication on June 25 at an event for Project Angel Food in Los Angeles. “I would actually love to meet Charity. She seems lovely.”

The 38-year-old author continued, “I don’t follow the show, but it’s inevitable to not see it and not see what’s going on.”

Although Lindsay is supportive of Lawson, the “Extra” correspondent said she will not be following along with the rest of Bachelor Nation.

“So, Charity, if you’re out there, I’m rooting for you, and I wish you all the best,” Lindsay said. “But I’m not going to watch. But I will reach out. I’m always there.”

At the end of her season, Lindsay found love with chiropractor Bryan Abasolo. The two married in a destination wedding in Cancún in 2019 and are still together today.

Lindsay was heavily involved in the franchise and briefly co-hosted the Bachelor Nation podcast “Bachelor Happy Hour” until she walked away in 2021.

She penned a first-person essay for New York Magazine at the time explaining her departure. She wrote that the franchise viewed her as “a token” and failed to make significant progress since selecting her as the bachelorette.

While chatting with TODAY.com in March, Lindsay spoke about feeling “misunderstood” by the public and said the audience did not get to truly know Abasolo during her season.

Even though she exited the franchise, that doesn’t mean she won’t be there to help members of Bachelor Nation if they need her.

“I still keep in touch with past/present contestants, whoever,” she shared during her interview with People.

She concluded, “My door’s always open, but not my TV. It’s not tuned in.”

Since Lindsay was named the bachelorette in 2017, the show has also had Tayshia Adams and Michelle Young, who are both biracial, as leads.

Lawson, a 27-year-old child and family therapist, previously opened up on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” about being only the fourth woman of color chosen as the lead of “The Bachelorette,” which debuted in 2003.

“It’s huge,” she told host Jennifer Hudson in May. “This puts me in the position of being the fourth woman of color to hold this role and, you know, the second monoracial African-American woman to have the opportunity to find love.”

She added, “I notice and I acknowledge that this is so much bigger than myself, although this is my journey to love … and I’m honored to hold that representation for other people at home that look like me, other women of color, little girls that can look up to me and acknowledge that this is something that’s possible for them, too.”

Members of Bachelor Nation will be able to watch Charity open up more while getting to know 25 contestants all summer long on “The Bachelorette.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com