Harrison out as host of ‘The Bachelorette’
Chris Harrison will not host the next season of “The Bachelorette” for the first time in the history of the franchise, which began as a guilty pleasure when it debuted in 2002 but has in recent years been criticized for its lack of diversity and insensitive handling of race.
Harrison, 49, will be replaced by Tayshia Adams,
who will become the first woman of color to host a season of the show, and Kaitlyn Bristowe. Both are former “Bachelorette” leads.
In a statement, Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment said they supported Harrison “in the work that he is committed to doing,” and pledged to continue to try achieve “greater equity and inclusion” within the franchise.
Harrison announced last month that he was stepping aside from the current season of “The Bachelor” after acknowledging making remarks that dismissed the racist behavior of a contestant.
The decision to feature two women as hosts also follows years of criticism of the show for its portrayal of women as being fixated on marriage or as petty and unstable.
Last month, ABC said that Emmanuel Acho ,a former NFL player and author of the book “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” would host an hourlong post-finale special of “The Bachelor” today.
The announcement that Harrison would not host “The Bachelorette” was the latest development in a tumultuous season, which had intended to break ground by featuring the first Black male lead, Matt James, in “Bachelor” history.
Before James, there had been two Black leads on “The Bachelorette”: Rachel Lindsay, who was announced as the lead in 2017, and Adams, whose father is African American and whose mother is Mexican, and who was a recent midseason replacement.
James’ season was praised for its diverse cast, but many viewers became dismayed by the producers’ decision to focus on fights between the women instead of the relationships building between the contestants and James.
That disillusionment grew into outrage as offensive social media posts and photos of one of the contestants, Rachael Kirkconnell, emerged.
In one post, Kirkconnell had liked a photo with a Confederate flag. Another photo on social media showed her attending an “Old South” plantation-themed ball in 2018.
Last month, Harrison defended Kirkconnell, who is one of the two finalists on the show, when Lindsay asked him about the ball during an interview on “Extra.” Harrison said that “50 million people did that in 2018.”
“Rachel, is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021?” Harrison asked, suggesting that such parties might have been acceptable in 2018.
Lindsay replied: “It’s not a good look, ever, because she’s celebrating the Old South. If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?”
Harrison, who frequently talked over Lindsay during the interview, accused the “woke police” of going after Kirkconnell and acting as “judge, jury, executioner.”