Rachel Lindsay Opens Up About Being First Black 'Bachelorette': 'I Hope People Rally Behind Me'
Rachel Lindsay set out to find love with Nick Viall on The Bachelor, and while she learned a lot from that experience, she's excited to give it another shot as the new Bachelorette.
"The cast members that I was on the season with have been great, [and] given me great congrats," Lindsay -- who's currently still a contestant on The Bachelor -- told Michael Strahan on Tuesday's Good Morning America following the announcement. "Family and friends have been wonderful too."
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The 31-year-old attorney is making history as the first African-American Bachelorette, and admitted that she was "skeptical" at first to join the show. "I was excited that they asked me to do it but I was equally nervous," she confessed. "Then when I started to weigh out the pros and cons, and I decided that this is too good of an opportunity to turn up."
As for making history, Lindsay said she doesn't feel any "added pressure."
"I'm honored to have this opportunity and to represent myself as an African-American woman, and I just hope that people rally behind me like they did in Nick's season," she explained. "My journey is I'm just trying to find love, and even though I'm an African-American woman, it's not different from any other Bachelorette."
Lindsay added, "If I just stay true to myself, then it'll be a successful show."
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Viall spoke to Ellen DeGeneres about what he thought of Lindsay being the new Bachelorette. "Rachel and I had an amazing amount of chemistry from the very first night," the 36-year-old reality star shared. "I’m very excited for her. I think she’s going to be an amazing Bachelorette.”
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