For the first time in the franchise’s history, the upcoming season of The Bachelorette will not be hosted by Chris Harrison, according to Deadline.
What’s Happening:
- Amid controversy after a recent interview, the upcoming season of The Bachelorette will not be hosted by Chris Harrison for the first time in The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise history.
- The news isn’t entirely unexpected, as Harrison himself announced that he would be leaving the franchise for an unspecified amount of time after controversial remarks he made during an interview on Extra.
- In the interview with former contestant Rachel Lindsay, Harrison made some divisive comments while defending the current season’s front-running contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who was coming under fire as her personal social media featured photos of her at plantation themed fraternity parties, as well as reports of reposts of confederate flag imagery and Q-Anon theories.
- The upcoming After the Final Rose special for this current season of The Bachelor will be hosted by former NFL Player Emmanuel Acho.
- More confirmation came that Harrison would not be involved with the next season when TMZ reported that he was not quarantining with the cast and crew for the production bubble of The Bachelorette at a resort in New Mexico.
- ABC and Warner Horizon issued the following statement that does not name a specific host for the next season, just names former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe as “support” for the new Bachelorette: “Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of The Bachelorette. We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing. In his absence, former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will support the new Bachelorette through next season. As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks. These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.”
- In an interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, wherein Harrison called his comments “a mistake” and apologized again, he also said that he plans to “be back, and I want to be back.” At this time, no specific date for his return has been announced.