Rachael Kirkconnell’s mom is considering taking legal action against a TikTok user who said The Bachelor star bullied her in high school for “liking black guys”.
Kim Kirkconnell accused Maddy Bierster of “slander and libel” over comments she made against her daughter on the social media site.
In a post in January, Bierster superimposed a message over a clip of Rachael and Matt James on The Bachelor, reading, “girlieeee, remember when you bullied me in high school for liking black guys???”
But in an interview with The Sun, Kim denied that her daughter bullied Maddy and claimed the pair didn’t even attend the same school.
‘It wasn’t Rachael who did the bullying’
“Maddy’s TikTok implied that she went to Rachael’s high school but she didn’t. Maddy provides no details of where and when this bullying took place even though we have repeatedly asked her to do so and that is because it never happened,” Kim said.
“I am not saying that Maddy was never bullied in high school, she may have been. However, it wasn’t Rachael who did the bullying.”
Kim also said the family is considering pursuing legal action against the TikToker, saying “Maddy has committed slander and libel and was served a cease and desist with which she chose not to comply.”
Following Maddy’s comments, photos of Rachael at what was said to be an Old South Antebellum party also surfaced and added fuel to the fire against her. The event was hosted by the Kappa Alpha Order, a fraternity that considers Confederate commander Robert E. Lee a spiritual founder.
Rachael has previously taken to social media to denounce her past behavior and to be held accountable amid the racism scandal sweeping The Bachelor franchise, however Kim says, “No one should have to go through what she has been through.”
Continuing to come to her daughter’s defense, she claims the party had a “Southern Belle” rather than an Old South Antebellum theme as previously reported, and she claims Rachael and the other girls who attended only wore the dresses “for photos.”
She added, “Rachael has felt hopeless and frustrated about not being able to address the issue and speak her side.
“We feel that the situation has gotten even more out of hand due to this. She has been suffering the consequences. We hope her time will come soon where she will be able to address everything.”
The future of Bachelor is unclear
Rachael is a finalist on this season of The Bachelor, starring its first-ever African-American lead, Matt James.
He recently sent a strong message about the controversy when he was spotted in a t-shirt that said, “Destroy racism. Racist people are not my type of people.”
The controversy surrounding Rachael has not only taken Bachelor Nation by storm but also engulfed some big names associated with the franchise.
In a heated exchange with Rachel Lindsay on Extra, the show’s longtime host Chris Harrison asked viewers to let Rachael defend herself and invoked the term “woke police”.
Chris has stepped away from the franchise due to the backlash regarding his comments, however the aftermath then led to Rachel Lindsay feeling the wrath of angry fans.
Her Instagram was flooded with hateful messages, causing the attorney to ultimately deactivate her account.
When it comes to the future of the franchise, it’s been said that “changes” are being made in regard to Chris Harrison’s future on the show. Chris has been the face of the CBS hit for 20 years and it’s clear fans are divided on how to proceed.
One of the most noticeable first changes was the announcement of a new host for the traditional finale post-talk show — the After the Final Rose Special. Taking the spot comes NFL player and New York Times best-selling writer, Emmanuel Acho.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.