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Chris Harrison is synonymous with The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and all of the other spinoff series in Bachelor Nation. After Harrison commented about the Rachael Kirkconnell controversy and shocked many fans, he stepped down from the show. Now, in light of Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette, some people believe Harrison deserves a second chance at hosting, including motivational speaker and friend of Harrison, DeVon Franklin.

'Bachelor' Nation host Chris Harrison stands on stage
Chris Harrison | John Fleenor via Getty Images

‘The Bachelor’ cast deals with controversy in Matt James’ season 

As the first Black bachelor in the show’s history, all eyes were on Matt James during his season of The Bachelor. When photos of Kirkconnell at a southern antebellum party surfaced, things took a turn.  

Bachelor Nation host Harrison defended the photos of James’ final girl. “Is it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021?” Harrison told Rachel Lindsay, continuing:

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.

Much of Bachelor Nation was disappointed with Harrison’s comments. Shortly after his talk with Lindsay, Harrison stepped down from the franchise.

“This historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” he shared on Instagram. “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.”

Will Chris Harrison host ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’ in the future? 

During the “After the Final Rose” special, fans learned Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe would host Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette without Harrison. Later, Bachelor Nation discovered Harrison won’t be hosting the new season of Bachelor in Paradise either. 

At this time, it’s unclear when Harrison will return to Bachelor Nation. However, Harrison has spoken out that he will come back to the show one day. 

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“I plan to be back, and I want to be back,” he told Good Morning America. “And I think this franchise can be an important beacon of change. I know that change is felt not just by me, but by many others. And we are excited and willing to do the work to show that progress.” 

Chris Harrison is ‘committed to the work’ after Rachael Kirkconnell comments

While Bachelor Nation has mixed emotions about Harrison at this time, one man thinks Harrison deserves a chance to “get it right.” Award-winning producer, best-selling author, and renowned motivational speaker Franklin joined the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast to talk about Harrison’s future with The Bachelor franchise. 

“I can tell you personally stuff that’s not even in the public, the type of work that he’s committed to and the work that he’s doing,” Franklin said on the podcast. He and Harrison were in communication shortly after the controversy came to light. In his opinion, Harrison deserves another shot to show Bachelor Nation how he has educated himself and grown as a host in the public eye.

Moving forward, Franklin believes Harrison should co-host the show with a female counterpart. “Having a woman there to help carry the load…I think that balance is a good thing,” Franklin said.

It’s unclear what ABC has planned for Bachelor Nation moving forward. Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for updates. 

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