Dumped! Chris Harrison Will NOT Host 'The Bachelorette' This Year — Find Out Who Will
March 13 2021, Published 7:27 p.m. ET
Chris Harrison will not receive a rose — at least, not on the upcoming spring season of The Bachelorette.
In a major sign there appears to be no love lost between ABC and Chris Harrison amid the host’s ongoing racism scandal, the network has announced Tayshia Adams, Kaitlyn Bristowe and a rotating cast of former Bachelorette alum will be his replacements for now, Variety reported.
“Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of The Bachelorette. We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing,” ABC Entertainment and Warner Horizon said in a joint statement.
“As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks,” the statement continues. “These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.”
Whether or not Harrison, 49, still has a future with the popular dating program — set to begin filming next week — also remains up in the air, multiple sources told the publication.
Insiders, however, noted that neither Adams, 30, nor 35-year-old Bristowe will officially be called “host” and it appears the network is taking a “wait-and-see” approach to the situation.
Chris Harrison Racism Scandal
Harrison’s troubles erupted last month after he defended current The Bachelor frontrunner Rachael Kirkconnell, 24, for past racial insensitivity on social media, including posing in photos at a 2018 Old South plantation-themed fraternity party and “liking” posts featuring confederate flags.
She has since apologized, saying her “ignorance was racist.”
Is Chris Harrison Fired For Good?
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When Extra correspondent and former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, 35, asked Harrison about the controversy last month, he went off, insisting Kirkconnell should be shown “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion.”
Harrison later issued an apology, but the damage was done and he announced he would be temporarily stepping aside from the reality dating competition.
“I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke,” he noted, in part. “I set standards for myself, and have not met them.”
In another major shakeup, Emmanuel Acho, the creator, host and producer of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, will fill in for Harrison on After the Final Rose on March 15, following the finale of The Bachelor.
