‘Bachelor in Paradise’: Some Alums Are Backing Out of the Show Because of Chris Harrison
Chris Harrison may be causing a mass exodus from Bachelor Nation. Ever since the host of The Bachelor did an interview with Rachel Lindsay where he excused Rachael Kirkconnell’s attendance at an Old South party, members of Bachelor Nation have been calling both him and the franchise out. Now, some even say that they won’t return for any of the show’s spinoffs, like Bachelor in Paradise.
Chris Harrison’s interview with Rachel Lindsay
From the moment Harrison began talking about Kirkconnell’s controversy, it was clear that things were about to head in a bad direction. He asked fans to give Kirkconnell “grace” and accused people of trying to be the “woke police.” He also admitted to doing some things in his past that wouldn’t be deemed OK now.
“Is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021?” he said, defending Kirkconnell’s decision to attend the antebellum party in 2018. “I don’t disagree with you. You’re 100 percent right — in 2021. That was not the case in 2018. Again, I’m not defending Rachael. I just know, I don’t know, 50 million people did that in 2018… that was a type of party that a lot of people went to.”
Chris Harrison steps away from ‘The Bachelor’
Celebrities are used to releasing apologies after they do something wrong and then getting right back to work. For Harrison, that wasn’t going to work this time. After he tweeted an apology for his actions, people still called for his job. So, he tried again.
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“To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry. My words were harmful,” he said in an Instagram post. “I am listening, and I truly apologize for my ignorance and any pain it caused you. I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the people from these communities who I’ve had enlightening conversations with over the past few days, and I am so grateful to those who have reached out to help me on my path to anti-racism.”
He then revealed that he would go on a hiatus from the show.
“This historic season of ‘The Bachelor’ should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” he continued. “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.”
Some members of Bachelor Nation are not comfortable being on the show with Chris Harrison
Though Harrison is taking a break from the show, he did not reveal how long he would be gone. Some people in Bachelor Nation are wary that Harrison will just miss the After the Final Rose taping and then get right back into his role for The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise.
Ivan Hall, who was a fan favorite on Tayshia Adams’ season and in the running to be the next Bachelor, recently revealed that he wouldn’t be comfortable doing anymore iterations of the show with Harrison onboard.
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“Going forward, I honestly don’t know how this will all shake out but for myself for example, if they have future shows and if they were to ask me to be on like Bachelor in Paradise or something like that—and I’m sure a lot of other contestants feel this way as well—I wouldn’t feel comfortable if Chris is there, to be quite frank,” he told E!’s Daily Pop.
Hall doesn’t think that Harrison is totally unredeemable, but believes he needs to really spend time learning and changing.
“[I’m] not saying he can’t make a recovery, can’t learn from all of this but, you know…it would just be too soon, really,” Hall continued. “I think he needs to take some time to really look into himself and really just have a lot of tough conversations and understand why he believes the things he believes at this point in his life.”
