In almost twenty years facilitating the diverse dating series in The Bachelor franchise, have Chris Harrison has dealt with everything from confronting rule-breaking contestants to pursuing Bachelor star Colton Underwood after he hopped a fence and attempted to stop the show.
Yet, today it is Harrison who is leaving. ABC and makers of The Bachelor and its side projects, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, have affirmed that the host is gone for acceptable subsequent to fumbling a race-related controversy from the mothership program.
ABC Entertainment and Warner Horizon, the show’s distributor and producer, recognized Harrison’s departure today in a terse joint statement: “Chris Harrison is stepping aside as host of The Bachelor franchise. We are thankful for his many contributions over the past 20 years and wish him all the best on his new journey.”
Harrison, 49, gave a more optimistic statement on his Instagram page, noting “I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I’m excited to start a new chapter. I’m so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we’ve made together. While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime.”
Delegates from ABC, Warner Horizon and Harrison didn’t in any case react to demands for comment.
The site Deadline detailed Harrison’s ouster, saying it came after intense negotiations culminating in a “midrange, eight-figure payoff” which would guarantee the former host said little regarding the issue after the news was released.
Harrison has hosted The Bachelor and its spinoff shows since the series debuted in 2002. However, he was sidelined in February, after a interview where he downplayed the meaning of information that contestant Rachael Kirkconnell had once gone to a party themed around the prior to the war South, a period when slavery actually existed.
The Bachelor was featuring its first Black star, Matt James. As the report about Kirkconnell spread, fans addressed whether the series had vetted its white contestants all around ok to avoid contestants with racist issues from before.
Be that as it may, Harrison derisively named Kirkconnell’s critics the “woke police,” until a widespread backlash led him to give a statement of regret and step away from his hosting duties. “What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism and for that I am so deeply sorry,” he said in one of two expressions of remorse posted on Instagram.
His underlying comments were viewed as symbolic of the show’s continuous cluelessness about diversity issues, as it battled to include non-white stars and regard their viewpoints.
Furthermore, the controversy over Kirkconnell – who James had picked as the season’s champ during scenes pretaped a year ago — in the long run eclipsed the season finale in March. James ended up dismissing Kirkconnell during the program’s After the Rose special, which was facilitated by previous NFL player and creator Emmanuel Acho. (he has since revealed to People magazine he is by and by “pursuing a relationship” with her.)
Harrison’s departure was at initially characterized as a transitory moving to one side. However, news that former Bachelorette stars Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe would have the version of The Bachelorette that appeared Monday (and that visitor has, including comic David Spade, would lead the current year’s release of Bachelor in Paradise) led to speculation about his long-term future with the franchise.