The Bachelor star Matt James has opened up about the show's "devastating" and "heartbreaking" reality. On Monday (February 22), the reality TV star took to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLnOgbCjyFb/">Instagram</a> to talk about racism regarding the show and also addressed the controversy surrounding some of its cast. He began: "The past few weeks have been some of the most challenging of my life, and while there are several episodes left of the season, it is important that I take the time to address the troubling information that has come to light since we wrapped filming, including the incredibly disappointing photos of Rachael Kirkconnell and the interview between Rachel Lindsay and Chris Harrison." "The reality is that I'm learning about these situations in real-time, and it has been devastating and heartbreaking, to put it bluntly." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/BrettSVergara/status/1363996249687547905]] "Chris' failure to receive and understand the emotional labor that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on by graciously and patiently explaining the racist history of the Antebellum South, a painful history that every American should understand intimately, was troubling and painful to watch," he continued. James then called out show bosses for "falling short" when it comes to addressing the issue of racism. "As Black people and allies immediately knew and understood, it was a clear reflection of a much larger issue that The Bachelor franchise has fallen short on addressing adequately for years." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TPM_NEWS/status/1364258942721740801]] Show presenter Harrison announced he was "stepping aside" from The Bachelor franchise on February 13 after he was criticized for defending Kirkconnell's behavior on social media. Photographs of Kirkconnell  from her college days caused much controversy when they resurfaced on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/thebachelor/comments/lcr714/in_2018_rachael_attended_the_kappa_alpha_order/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reddit</a>. In the pictures from 2018, she can be seen attending a fraternity formal, which was described by the Reddit user who posted them as an "Antebellum plantation themed ball." She later apologized in a statement posted on social media, <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1237560/the-bachelors-rachael-kirkconnell-breaks-silence-on-controversial-actions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">writing</a> on February 11: "At one point, I didn't recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn't excuse them. "My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist."

'Bachelor' star Matt James opens up about the show's 'devastating' and 'heartbreaking' reality amid racism controversy

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