Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho — who recently replaced The Bachelor host Chris Harrison — claims that he doesn’t believe in “cancel culture,” but does believe in “accountability,” adding that Harrison “had an action,” and “is currently dealing with the reaction from that.”
Longtime Bachelor host Chris Harrison stepped away from his role after facing heavy backlash for defending one of the show’s contestants, Rachael Kirkconnell, who was accused of “racism” after it was discovered that she attended an “Old South”-themed party in 2018 where she dressed up in an antebellum plantation-style dress and Native American garb.
“Chris Harrison, as he would admit, was ignorant, and he was arrogant in saying that, ‘Well, in 2018, what Rachel Kirkconnell did wasn’t that bad,'” Acho said in a recent interview with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“And we’ve all kind of acknowledged, and called to the attention, ‘No, no, no, in 2018 it was just as bad. We are more aware now, but 2018, acknowledging and dressing in the attire of an Antebellum south plantation is just as bad as it is right now today,” the former NFL player added.
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.@EmmanuelAcho examines the circumstances surrounding Chris Harrison's temporary departure from #TheBachelor and the big decision looming for the future of the show. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/bT3eGCe3Oa
— A Late Show (@colbertlateshow) March 11, 2021
Acho went on to claim that he does not believe in “cancel culture,” but said he does believe in “accountability.”
“I don’t believe in cancel culture. I do believe in accountability. And so, I think that right now he is taking accountability for his actions,” he said. “For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. That can be a law of Newton or that could just be basic common sense.”
But in today’s ever-evolving “cancel culture,” even “Newton’s Laws of Motion” can be considered offensive, as Fieldston School in New York City has renamed “Newton’s laws” to “the three fundamental laws of physics” in order to “decenter whiteness” from physics.
“He had an action and he is currently dealing with the reaction from that,” Acho continued. “Should he return to that role, you have to decide what’s in the best interest of Chris Harrison. What’s in the best interest of the show and the executive producers, but also, what’s in the best interest of the cast.”
“They’re trying to commit to diversity,” Acho said. “You had your first black bachelor, what’s in the best interest of all three of those primary parties at play, and make the decision that serves the most good.”
Last year, Emmanuel Acho told actor Matthew McConaughey that he needs to acknowledge that he has “implicit bias” against black people, after the actor asked him how he can “do better as a white man.”
“You have to acknowledge implicit bias; you have to acknowledge that you’ll see a black man and for whatever reason, you will view them as more of a threat than the white man — probably because society told you to,” Acho said.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler @alana, and on Instagram.
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