Former 'Bachelor' Contestant Speaks Out About Franchise's Diversity Issue

Seinne Fleming is addressing The Bachelor‘s diversity issue.

Seinne, who appeared on season 22 of the franchise, believes that the franchise is “isolating” viewers because of its lack of diversity.

She expressed that “by not having a more diverse cast, by not having more Asians or Hispanics or Black people, you’re isolating a part of the country that would be interested in the show if they felt more represented.”

“You can just see by the Instagram followers, if you’re a Black cast member versus if you’re a white cast member you have significantly fewer Instagram followers,” Seinne shared E! News. “That’s because of the audience and the people that are watching.”

Seinne admitted that before her time on the show she wasn’t a “huge fan” but was drawn in when they cast Rachel Lindsay as the first black Bachelorette.

“That was one of the main reasons why I ended up auditioning for the show because I thought, ‘Oh okay, well maybe they are kind of maybe changing things up, making things a little more inclusive. I quickly learned that was not the case,” Seinne said.

Since Rachel‘s appeared as The Bachelorette in 2017, the show has not cast a black woman or a woman of color as its lead.

“Even during my time on the show,” Seinne added, “I was the only woman of color in the top 10 so in many ways it feels like you fill a slot… I don’t really watch [the show anymore] because I don’t feel like it is very inclusive.”

Earlier this week, fans started a petition to get ABC to cast a black lead as The Bachelor for season 25.