Rachel Lindsay Opens Up About Her Nasty Divorce
If you have ever stumbled upon the most popular Qualifications franchise, you may have heard of Rachel Lindsay.
Rachel was originally a contestant on Season 21 of Bachelor and Nick Viall back in 2017.
He placed third overall in Nick’s season of Bachelor and months later became the leader of its spinoff, The Bachelorette, in its 13th season, where she got engaged to chiropractor Bryan Abasolo.
Rachel and Bryan were married on August 24, 2019, in Cancun, Mexico. But, before Bachelor Nation could enjoy a rare, successful marriage from the franchise, Bryan filed for divorce on December 31, 2023.
Since his time The Bachelorette, Rachel’s career has flourished, a lawyer has become a popular entertainment personality and podcast host of one of my favorite podcasts, Higher education podcast alongside Van Lathan.
In the February 11 episode of Pop Syllabus In the podcast, Rachel shared some rare insights into her bitter divorce from Bryan, who agreed to pay her $500,000 in spousal support when they finalize their divorce in 2025.
“I felt powerless that I didn’t have a prenup. He took a lot from me,” Rachel shared with broadcaster Christiana Mbakwe Medina. “But I feel strong that I was able to make it through the year,” he said, referring to paying $500,000 in spousal support.
Rachel said Bryan was “ruthless” about spousal support and “there was no compromise” in the divorce.
“It was kind of a big whirlwind of why I ended up going ahead with the marriage, even though I could see the problems,” continued Rachel, adding that at the time, dating Bryan, she felt pressured to get married and already had children. “The story that I wouldn’t be loved because I was too focused on work, that was all on me.”
Rachel hasn’t been quiet about the split, but now she wants to change that narrative after Bryan decided to go public about the divorce. “My ex did a nasty YouTube show, and he said things about you. So, open the door, so let’s talk about it.”
“This could have been completely different,” Rachel said. “We could have had a private divorce, we could have had a private mediation, a private judge. I could have given you money in private. You would have held on to your dignity. Everything. That didn’t happen.”
The first one More The reporter said that her divorce from Bryan encouraged her to speak out so that other women can learn from her experience. “My divorce was public and messy for a reason. Learn from me. It’s not as simple as getting a prenup. It’s just the pressures we feel as a woman at a certain age … driven by work.”
“I had to let go of the fear, shame and shame of divorce,” she said.
You can watch the full episode honoring black women on reality television here.
