Getty Images/ABC Chris Harrison & Katie Thurston
Chris Harrison‘s fate with the “Bachelor” franchise is currently still in limbo. The longtime host of the franchise shows decided to take some time away from his hosting duties following an interview with former “Bachelorette” star Rachel Lindsay that many people found offensive and racist.
In that interview, which aired back on February 9, 2021, Harrison defended “Bachelor” frontrunner, Rachael Kirkconnell, after photos of her at an Old South ball surfaced online.
“The picture was from 2018 at an Old South antebellum party … that’s not a good look,” Lindsay said during the interview. He replied, “Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018? Or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.”
Harrison received backlash following the interview, and issued an apology to Lindsay and to anyone who may have been insulted, hurt, or otherwise negatively impacted by his words. He also revealed that he would not host the “After the Final Rose” special for Matt James‘ season of “The Bachelor,” marking the first time that “ATFR” was hosted by someone else since its inception. Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho stepped in to host.
Since that time, ABC announced that Harrison would not be hosting Katie Thurston’s season of “The Bachelorette.” Instead, Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe were tapped to help Thurston navigate her love journey.
While fans are awaiting news about Harrison’s fate, a “Bachelor” blind suggests that the longtime host will not be returning to the show — at all.
Here’s what you need to know:
Thurston Allegedly Didn’t Want Harrison to Host Her Season of ‘The Bachelorette’ & He May Not Return to Host ‘Bachelor in Paradise’
Popular Instagram account DeuxMoi posted a blind — which is an anonymous tip about a person or a show — in which someone claimed that Harrison would not be returning to host the show because several contestants are refusing to participate if he is around. The anonymous submission even claimed that the reason that Harrison didn’t host Thurston’s season of “The Bachelorette” is because she didn’t want him to.
“The producers of ‘The Bachelorette’ are not big fans of Katie. If you are wondering why her promo looks so low budget, here is the reason,” the blind, originally posted to DeuxMoi’s Instagram Story reads, according to a screenshot shared by The Things.
“The show was ready to welcome back Chris Harrison but Katie needed to sign off on it. He called her to make sure that Katie would be cool if he returned. She said no. Then she tweeted immediately after the call that Harrison would not be returning to the show. Production and Chris were not expecting that,” the blind continued.
“Now, they are finding that everyone has a problem with Chris returning as host and they may never be able to bring him back because no one wants him there. Multiple contestants and leads have expressed [that] they do not want him there for ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ and Michelle [Young’s] season of ‘The Bachelorette.’ Stick a fork in him, he’s done. Not the high-powered attorney he hired makes sense. Chris Harrison will never be back as host of any show for the franchise,” the blind concluded.
Acho Said He Would Host ‘The Bachelor’ if He Was Offered the Gig
Although Harrison’s future with the “Bachelor” franchise has still not been revealed by ABC, Emmanuel Acho would be willing to take on the role full-time — if he were to be asked.
In a May 6, 2021, interview with “The View,” Acho said that he would “absolutely be open to hosting” the show.
“I think it’s a matter of how does ‘The Bachelor’ currently need help. I think the franchise realizes it needs help both on camera and exploring diversity better on camera, but probably more importantly behind the scenes. It’s not just a matter of having a Black man or a Black woman—or not even necessarily a Black man or woman, any person of color—being represented on camera, but how is the story being told?” Acho said in response to Meghan McCain asking him if he would consider hosting if given the opportunity.
“The producers really carry so much more weight than the talent because they’re the ones who are telling the story and trying to adequately represent the talent to the nation, so it’s something that I would be open to doing,” he added.
So far, there has not been any word on who will host “Bachelor in Paradise,” which is slated to start filming sometime over the next few weeks.
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