Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay joins Extra as new correspondent for season 27

Bachelor Nation fan-favorite, lawyer and podcast host Rachel Lindsay is officially joining Extra as the show’s newest correspondent, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

The 35-year-old attorney dished on her ‘thrilling’ new gig, saying she’s excited to ‘engage and entertain’ viewers of the long running news magazine.

Lindsay, who is based in Los Angeles, will work alongside Extra host Billy Bush and fellow correspondents Jennifer Lahmers, Nate Burleson and Cheslie Kryst in season 27. 

‘I am thrilled to be working with Extra,’ Rachel exclaimed. ‘There is so much going in the world and it’s hard to find the light and to celebrate when you’re seeing so much despair.’ 

After being a fan of the show for years, Rachel has nothing but gratitude for her new opportunity and said she’s already learned a ton from the team.

‘I don’t really get nervous,’ she laughed when asked about the new season. ‘I say that and then the first day I’m sure I’ll get nervous!’

The star was a little worried about how the pandemic would impact her ability to engage with guests because up until the coronavirus crisis, she had never conducted a Zoom or Skype interview.

Rachel said that while the ‘vibe in person’ is different than when you’re doing something digitally, her setup has been ‘flawless’ and Extra has rolled with the changing times. ‘That is the team I want to be on,’ she quipped.

The reality star first partnered with the Emmy-winning entertainment news show in 2019 as a special correspondent and her new position will be an expansion of that role. 

So far, during her time with Extra, Rachel covered major events like the Super Bowl and interviewed some of the biggest names in Hollywood. 

‘Rachel is dynamic and whip-smart. Being a lawyer, a reporter and a celebrity in her own right, she comes with a connection with the audience that is the ideal fit for Extra,’ said the show’s Senior Executive Producer Lisa Gregorisch Dempsey. 

Adding: ‘I always love watching her interviews and seeing celebrity Bachelor fans get starstruck.’ 

Lindsay will definitely be able to bring a unique perspective to the series since she can to relate to being in the hot seat herself as a reality star. 

‘Maybe I am a little bit more empathetic,’ she said. ‘I do know what it’s like to get crazy questions or a question that doesn’t respect your boundaries – or be too intrusive.’

Rachel feels like the best interviewers are ones that people feel like they can trust and she is striving to bring that to her new role. ‘I want to engage, I want it to be informative, I want it to be entertaining,’ she said.   

The Texas native has already been honing her hosting skills with her popular Bachelor Happy Hour podcast with Becca Kufrin and the Higher Learning podcast with Van Lathan on The Ringer. 

‘Sometimes I say a little too much,’ she mused about Bachelor Happy Hour.

As for her conversations about race and culture with Lathan on Higher Learning, Rachel called them ‘therapeutic.’

‘Not every place is the space to have these conversations. I still get to have them through this podcast,’ she said. ‘I love it, I’m proud of it.’

‘I should shout out to Bill Simmons for putting [me and Van] together,’ Rachel continued appreciatively. ‘And, I am grateful that I am able to do Extra and these other things. I’m not a stranger to hard work.’  

The daughter of federal judge Sam A. Lindsay, Rachel received her law degree from Marquette University.  She said the choice to pivot her career away from the legal world to television wasn’t an easy one but it was what she felt was right.

When asked how she did it, she chuckled: ‘Definitely not [with] support from the family.’ Rachel said that the Lindsay way is checking off boxes: college, law school, partner track, great firm.

‘Nobody veers off course,’ she reflected. When Rachel decided to go on The Bachelor, a show no one in her family even watched, her dad wanted to make sure she would return to law after – which she briefly did.

‘I’ve always had an itch for this,’ Rachel reflected about her move to TV. ‘I’ve always enjoyed engaging with people. I decided to take a leap of faith and trust my gut and follow my dream.’ And, while her dad might not say it out loud, she knows he’s proud of her. 

Plus, her legal mind will be in good company on Extra as New York correspondent Cheslie Kryst is also a lawyer.

Lindsay made Bachelor Nation history in 2017 when she was named the first black Bachelorette and the first black lead in franchise history.

‘I’ve always been very vocal about diversity in the bachelor franchise,’ she said. 

Rachel was particularly outspoken recently during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and took a firm stance saying that if things didn’t change within the franchises she would walk away from Bachelor Nation.

‘It was a risk but it is what felt right,’ she said of her bold move. ‘I’m proud of that moment, I’m proud I did stay true to myself. With power comes responsibility.’

Pushing for diversity and inclusion was what initially prompted the brainy beauty to go on The Bachelor in the first place – to be ‘representative’ of black women. In truth, she never expected to find love. 

As The Bachelorette, she did manage to find love with season winner Bryan Abasolo. The two went on to marry last August and just celebrated their one year anniversary.

‘I made it … great. It worked for me,’ she said. ‘That doesn’t mean we stop there. Now I want to fight for inclusion for other persons of color who want these same things.’ She continued: ‘I never want to forget my motivation.’ 

This year the series named it’s first black Bachelor in 24 seasons, Matt James, and, reportedly, the second black Bachelorette, Tayshia Adams. 

While she previously called the casting of James a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ to the racial reckoning in the US, Lindsay says she’s not ‘one to harp’ on those things and is ultimately happy the show is progressing.

Tayshia Adams, meanwhile, would follow in Rachel’s footsteps as the second black Bachelorette as she is rumored to have replaced Clare Crawley mid-season after Crawley bailed. 

Sounding very much like an attorney, Rachel weighed her words carefully and teased: ‘I will say this, if Tayshia is the new Bachelorette there is no way I wouldn’t be involved.’ Adding: ‘If it’s Tayshia, fantastic!’  

Premiering in 1994, Extra covers the wide ranging world of entertainment and pop culture in a format that follows host Billy Bush and his team throughout the day as stories develop.

Last season, Extra was the only entertainment newsmagazine that stayed in-studio, with a pared down staff, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

They quickly pivoted their content to be able to cover the COVID-19 crisis through a celebrity lens and has plans to continue that coverage in season 27. 

‘I have always admired the engaging, informed, and entertaining stories they bring to life,’ Rachel said in an official press release. ‘I am excited to bring my voice, experience, and perspective to one of the best in the industry.’ 

The syndicated show, which is produced by Telepictures, is seen by 98% of the United States will be back with an all new season on September 8.