Rachel Lindsay Revealed The 1 Convo That Persuaded Her To Do 'The Bachelorette'

Joining a dating show like The Bachelor, on which your every move is critiqued and observed by millions of viewers, might not be everyone's cup of tea. At first, even Rachel Lindsay — a major Bachelor Nation success story — wasn't sold on the idea. Even after she made it through The Bachelor Season 21 as a contestant, when she was called upon to be the lead of The Bachelorette Season 13, she initially wasn't about it. However, one conversation changed her mind, and Rachel Lindsay's reason for doing The Bachelorette after she already said "no" shows she's focused on furthering representation in the franchise and on TV as a whole.

Although it's hard to imagine what the Bachelor franchise would be without Lindsay, it turns out, she was almost never a part of it. In a recent interview with Page Six, Lindsay recalled that she "laughed" when her coworkers suggested she join The Bachelor. Lindsay also admitted she initially declined producers' offer to become the lead of the next Bachelorette following her third-place finish on Viall's season. "When they offered me The Bachelorette, I told them no," Lindsay explained.

As for why she changed her mind, Lindsay explained that one conversation she had around that time was particularly impactful, and it caused her to rethink her decision. “It was a mother coming up to me saying, ‘I heard you’re going to be on The Bachelorette. My daughter stopped watching the show, but she’s gonna start watching it again because there’s [minority] representation,' and I said, ‘OK then I have to do The Bachelorette,'" Lindsay explained.

After that conversation, Lindsay said "yes" to The Bachelorette, made franchise history by becoming the first Black lead, and ABC debuted its most diverse cast for her season. Since her Bachelorette appearance, Lindsay has been an advocate for increasing diversity within the franchise, and continues to be a majorly influential presence in Bachelor Nation. She's also married to the winner of her Bachelorette season, Bryan Abasolo, so it def sounds like her choice to take on Bachelor Nation was a solid one.

"I wasn’t even thinking about the bigger picture [when I decided to join the show]," she told Page Six. "One decision just sent me on a path to change my whole life course."