"The Bachelor" fairytale turned into a nightmare when racially sensitive photos of Rachael Kirkconnell came to light as the show was airing. 

While Bachelor Nation watched the two falling in love on "The Bachelor," photos of a younger Kirkconnell attending an antebellum plantation-themed college party in 2018 (per Reddit) resurfaced. And that's not all. Following the season premiere, a TikTok user accused Kirkconnell of bullying her in the past for dating Black guys. Another TikTok user accused her of liking racist photos. 

James addressed the allegations with ET Online, saying, "Rumors are dark and nasty and can ruin people's lives. So I would give people the benefit of the doubt, and hopefully, she will have her time to speak on that."

Kirkconnell also responded to the allegations and issued an apology on Instagram, writing, "At one point, I didn't recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn't excuse them. My age or when it happened does not excuse anything ... I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist."