ABC/Craig Sjodin
Chris Harrison has been the face of The Bachelor franchise since it first aired in 2002, but rumors are swirling that the end could be near for the long-time host.
Harrison, 49, currently lives in Southern California, not far from the site of “The Bachelor Mansion” in Malibu. But according to PageSix, Harrison is in the process of building a home in Austin, Texas for him and his girlfriend, Entertainment Tonight host Lauren Zima. That’ll put quite a lot of distance between Harrison and the film set he’s worked at for nearly two decades.
No exit for Harrison is imminent. TMZ reports he’s not leaving the show and is relocating due to a partnership he recently made with a local brewery in Texas. However, the move does raise questions about how long he’ll want to make the lengthy commute, especially when The Bachelor franchise gets back to its usual film schedule after the pandemic.
In 2020, Harrison hosted The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! virtually from his home. He then filmed The Bachelorette in Palm Springs, California and The Bachelor in Farmington, Pennsylvania. It’s unclear for now when the franchise will get back to its Los Angeles-centric routine.
Chris Harrison Was Briefly Replaced as Host in 2020
ABCTayshia Adams and JoJo Fletcher test out a lie detector machine ahead of a group date on The Bachelorette.
During season 16 of The Bachelorette, Harrison was supplanted by JoJo Fletcher, a former lead of the series, when he left to drop off his son at college. While Fletcher said on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast that she underestimated how difficult the hosting job would be, she thrived during her brief time in the role.
It was a brief stint for Fletcher, who only spent a couple episodes in the hosting role before handing the reins back to Harrison.
Fletcher, 30, has plenty of experience in the role after hosting CNBC’s Cash Pad and Paramount Network’s Battle of the Fittest Couples. And she’s far from the only homegrown Bachelor star with hosting chops. Rachel Lindsay and Jesse Palmer also have plenty of television experience following their time as leads.
Is Chris Harrison a Necessary Part of ‘The Bachelor’ Still?
ABC/John FleenorChris Harrison hosts a previous After the Final Rose special.
Some have questioned whether The Bachelor franchise even needs a host anymore. In the early days of the show, the hunt for love was much more presentational with rose ceremonies as an episode’s main event. That’s not the case anymore, with raw emotion and conversations leading the way.
In the most recent season of The Bachelorette, rose ceremonies were an afterthought. Almost every contestant eliminated in the final eight was pulled aside and sent home by Tayshia Adams without the pomp and circumstance. Group dates were predominantly hosted by former stars of the franchise. It’s not too hard to imagine a hostless version of the show going off without a hitch.
In addition to his hosting duties, Harrison also serves as an executive producer of the show. A reduced role with Harrison contributing at an arm’s length would make sense in the franchise’s future.
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