

When photos resurfaced in early 2021, Harrison defended her during an interview with former “Bachelorette” Rachel Lindsay, diminishing the severity of the photos, arguing with Lindsay and saying, “Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018? Or, is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.”Īfter the widely-panned interview, Harrison announced he’d be stepping aside. The contestant - who is currently back in a relationship with the first-ever Black “Bachelor” star, Matt James - attended an antebellum-themed plantation fraternity party back in 2018 when she was in college. Kirkconnell’s controversy started to snowball at the beginning of the year. While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime.” I’m so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we’ve made together. Harrison made a friendly statement, upon his departure on Tuesday, writing, “I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of ‘The Bachelor’ franchise, and now I’m excited to start a new chapter. (Freedman, when contacted by Variety, has declined to comment for all stories on the matter.) Insiders told Variety that Harrison’s attorney, power lawyer Bryan Freedman, was “outraged” at the network and studio’s handling of the situation, believing his client was essentially a scapegoat for the franchise’s issues. He came under fire for defending a contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, with racially insensitive comments that blew up into a media firestorm that never settled down - the result was him stepping away with a settlement to stay quiet, but not without dramatic negotiations. Harrison came under fire after an "Extra" interview with the first Black "Bachelorette" Rachel Lindsay earlier this year when he was asked about past social media posts from contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, which included attending an antebellum plantation themed ball and liking a photo showing the Confederate flag.Harrison has been the sole host of “ The Bachelor” franchise since day one, launching the monster hit dating franchise in 2002. "While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I've made will last a lifetime."

"I'm so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we've made together," he continued. In an Instagram post Tuesday, Harrison said he has "had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I'm excited to start a new chapter." "We are thankful for his many contributions over the past 20 years and wish him all the best on his new journey," production company Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment said in a joint statement. LOS ANGELES - Longtime "Bachelor" host Chris Harrison is "stepping aside" from the ABC reality franchise months after controversy over his defense of a contestant's racially insensitive past behavior, producers said Tuesday. "We are thankful for his many contributions over the past 20 years and wish him all the best on his new journey," Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment said in a statement.
