Updated with video.
Chris Harrison has long been synonymous with The Bachelor – ABC’s hit reality dating show franchise, which he hosted for 19 years. The veteran media personality ultimately exited the series in 2021 after receiving backlash for defending controversial contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. Harrison has since moved on to other endeavors but still receives questions about his time with the high-rated series. The topic of his time on the production and highly publicized departure came up again just recently, and Harrison didn’t hold back when describing the situation, which he called “horrifying on a lot of levels.”
The 52-year-old host was a guest on the Trading Secrets podcast, which is hosted by former Bachelorette contestant Jason Tartick. During their two-part chat, the two discussed a number of aspects of Chris Harrison’s lengthy career, including his beginnings on The Bachelor. Tartick eventually asked Harrison how he now views his experience with the reality TV franchise as a whole. The former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host stated that he still sees the show as a “blessing” for him professionally. However, his thoughts on how that partnership ended were less-than-positive:
The show is a blessing. I still look at this as a blessing in my life. It was hard at first. Obviously, it wasn’t immediate that I felt great about everything, because what I went through was tumultuous. I don’t wish it on anybody and was horrifying on a lot of levels and something that I pray to God my worst enemy never goes through. But with that said, I knew I had to remove myself from what became a very toxic situation, and I did.
Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell came under fire in early 2021 after it was revealed that she’d participated in an antebellum-themed party during her college years. Chris Harrison subsequently spoke to fellow franchise alum Rachel Lindsay about the matter when she interviewed him for Extra. During the chat, Harrison defended Kirkconnell and spoke out against cancel culture. He later apologized for the interview that “perpetuates racism.” It was later revealed that the host would be “stepping aside” from his duties on the show, with alternating hosts brought in to replace him. And by June 2021, Harrison officially parted ways with ABC.
This isn’t the first time Chris Harrison has spoken about his exit, even discussing the physical toll it took on him. Looking back on it now, the former HGTV personality believes he handled the situation effectively. He also thinks that given more time, he and his former colleagues at the alphabet network could’ve worked through the controversy without him being ousted:
That was a difficult situation. … We all could have figured it out, but I had to remove myself from that toxic situation. And so I’m proud of that decision. I’m proud that I handled it the way I did, and I still look at [the series] as a blessing because it changed my life on so many levels. Financially, of course. It changed my life. It changed my kids’ lives. This house we’re sitting in now was built on your tears [Laughs]. … It was a blessing, it changed my life. But at the same time, I can also be grateful that I’m gone. That’s a relationship I don’t need to be in anymore, because it wasn’t healthy.
As of right now, the pundit is hosting his own show called The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever, on which he discusses various topics. (He even shared “strong opinions” on the Amy Robach/T.J. Holmes situation at ABC.) While speaking with Jason Tartick, he also doubled down on the notion that he wouldn’t return to the Bachelor franchise, if asked. Not only does he seemingly want to be done with that working relationship, but he also suggested that the show began “going downhill” by the time his hosting stint concluded. Nevertheless, the show is still running and continues to draw in viewers. So it would seem that all in all, both parties have moved on from the debacle that went down over two years ago.
The Bachelor is set to return for Season 28, with Joey Graziadei at the center of it, early in the 2024 TV schedule. In the meantime, you can also stream past seasons of the show using a Hulu subscription.
