Rachel Lindsay deleted her Instagram account after harassment from 'Bachelor' fans

• Rachel Lindsay deleted her Instagram account after "Bachelor" fans harassed her online.
• Van Lathan, Lindsay's co-host on a podcast, said people had "rude, hateful things to say."
• Rachael Kirkconnell, the contestant at the center of the controversy, said people need to "be better."

Rachel Lindsay deleted her Instagram account on Saturday after "Bachelor" fans harassed the "Bachelorette" star for her involvement in the side-lining of host Chris Harrison.

Van Lathan, Lindsay's co-host on their podcast "Higher Learning," confirmed in an Instagram post the harassment and Lindsay's exit from social media.

"My co-host on 'Higher Learning,' Rachel Lindsay, disabled her Instagram earlier today," Lathan said. "She did it because that's how much hate she's getting from Bachelor fans, who are spamming her with all kinds of rude, hateful things to say."

As the first black Bachelorette, Lindsay has been openly critical of the franchise's problems with race, but all that came to a head in February when she interviewed host Chris Harrison on Extra. During the interview, Lindsay asked about this season's current contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, after pictures surfaced online of her at a plantation-themed party in 2018. Harrison defended Kirkconnell and said to give her "a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion."

After the largely criticized interview, Harrison announced he will be "stepping aside for a period of time" from the franchise and that former NFL player Emmanuel Acho will host "After the Final Rose" on March 15.

"Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can't read the room in these present 2021 times," he said. "She's not responsible for that. It's not her job to make excuses or provide cover for somebody who doesn't understand what the f--- triggers people in today's world."

Kirkconnell took to Instagram on Saturday to condemn Lindsay's harassers.

"You have the opportunity to make a positive difference, to use your energy towards change, and to come together and realize what's right in a time like this," Kirkconnel wrote in the statement. "If you are choosing to rather spread hate, to send cruel, vicious messages, to be mad about people being hurt by racism…do better. Be better."