Ex-'Bachelor' Host Chris Harrison Dishes on 'Tumultuous' Exit From Franchise: 'I Don't Wish It on Anybody'

Chris Harrison revealed his former hosting gig with The Bachelor once felt like a dream come true before it evolved into a "toxic situation," RadarOnline.com has learned.

Harrison was a constant fixture on the ABC franchise for 19 years, revealing his controversial exit after joining the show in 2002 was something he wouldn't "wish on anybody."

The television personality's sudden departure came as a shock after his leave of absence. Harrison infamously faced intense backlash in February 2021 for his apparent defense of controversial season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who was under scrutiny after 2018 photos surfaced of her attending a plantation-themed party.

"The woke police is out there," he said during a follow-up interview with Rachel Lindsay. "And this poor girl Rachael, who has just been thrown to the lions, I don't know how you are equipped when you have never done this before, to be woke enough, to be eloquent enough, to be ready to handle this."

Harrison later issued an apology for his choice of words in the interview, explaining his remarks were without malice.

"While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf," he wrote in part. "What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry."

Appearing on a new episode of Jason Tartick's "Trading Secrets" podcast, Harrison addressed being at the center of controversy two years ago and said he initially believed the situation was something he could've worked out with show execs.

"It was horrifying on a lot of levels and something that I pray to God my worst enemy never goes through," Harrison said of the ordeal. "But, with that said, I knew I had to remove myself from what became a very toxic situation."

Harrison said he is proud of the way he handled it and still considers his time on the show to be a blessing "because it changed my life on so many levels," he shared in hindsight. "Financially, of course. It changed my life. It changed my kids' lives."

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RadarOnline.com exclusively learned in March that Harrison had no interest in coming back on the show despite producers considering a return amid viewership struggles.

"At the same time, I can also be grateful that I'm gone," Harrison said. "That's a relationship I don't need to be in anymore because it wasn't healthy."