For the last two weeks, Bachelor Nation has been reeling thanks to some comments made by the show’s long-time host, Chris Harrison. Harrison, who has been a key part of the franchise since its inception in 2002, managed to offend a great number of fans, contestants, and alumni thanks to an interview he did with Rachel Lindsay. Because of the backlash, Harrison has chosen to step away from the franchise for the time being. But who, if anyone, will replace him as the host?
But how did Harrison’s fall from grace begin? On February 9, 2020, Harrison was interviewed by Lindsay on Extra and the pair spoke about the current season of The Bachelor. During the interview, Lindsay asked the host for his thoughts on Rachael Kirkconnell, who is a contestant on Matt James’ season. Since the season began, photos of Kirkconnell engaging in past racist behavior have emerged and Harrison went out of his way to defend her.
Chris Harrison temporarily steps down from hosting ‘The Bachelor’
Naturally, many fans of The Bachelor were offended by the host’s comments and went to Harrison’s Instagram page to make their feelings known. The host initially blocked people from commenting, but eventually issued an apology. Still, many fans of the franchise felt that Harrison’s actions were too little too late and started a petition for his removal from the franchise. When some alumni from the franchise showed support of Harrison’s removal, he announced he would be stepping down for a period of time.
“This historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” Harrison shared in a statement which he released to his Instagram page. “To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special.”
Fans of the show have various reactions to Harrison’s announcement
Though Harrison didn’t specify how long his absence from The Bachelor franchise would be, some fans are already thinking about who could possibly replace him. Of course, many fans of the franchise aren’t at all pleased about the host stepping aside and are vowing not to watch the show until Harrison is reinstated.
“How about we bring back Chris,” one person wrote on The Bachelor’s official Instagram page. Other people shared that Harrison is in no way essential to the franchise and could be easily replaced. One fan even had the brilliant idea to have rotating hosts and let previous leads try their hand at hosting, which might provide the new lead with more specific guidance than Harrison could provide.
Should previous leads from ‘The Bachelor’ franchise replace the long-time host?
“Like chill, he only in like 5 min of each episode,” one fan of The Bachelor wrote back to someone demanding Harrison be reinstated. “How about just no host in general? Cycle precious leads to host each season and give advice and support because they went through it already. Would be more fun to watch.”
It would certainly keep the show fresh if past leads replaced Harrison as the show’s host. Personally, we don’t think that Harrison will step back for long enough for this to happen, but only time will tell. Considering that Harrison is also one of the show’s executive producers, we doubt his presence will ever be completely gone from the lucrative franchise.
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