Getty Chris Harrison appears on the red carpet at an ABC event.
Chris Harrison hosted every season of “The Bachelor” and its spinoff shows from the first premiere in March 2002 until after Matt James’ season finale in January 2021. It was in the midst of the finale media storm in February 2021 that Harrison did a televised interview with former “Bachelorette” star Rachel Lindsay where his connection to the long-running franchise imploded. After parting ways with the franchise in June 2021, and laying low for a while, Harrison has returned to the entertainment world with his own podcast. The first two episodes were recently released, and fans have plenty to say about what they heard in them.
Here’s what you need to know:
Chris Harrison’s Dedicated Fans Are Thrilled to Have Him Back
After the first two episodes of “The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever” were released, “The Bachelor” franchise fans listened and shared their thoughts. The podcast quickly received nearly 1,500 ratings on Apple, with an impressive overall 4.5-star rating. Some fans commented on Harrison’s Instagram page, and those seemed mostly positive. The feedback was not necessarily quite the same in “The Bachelor” Reddit sub though.
“What the show and the community lost when they lost Chris Harrison was so much more than just a host. They lost an emotionally intelligent, wise, class act LEADER… I am SO GLAD you are back with your voice and your wisdom!” commented one fan on Instagram.
“Humble and respectful as always… if it wasn’t for woke culture none of this would of [sic] taken place. And the woke culture isn’t a better thing,” added another fan on Instagram.
“Disappointing. Both you and Lauren kept referring to your mistakes and how poorly you spoke on that interview. Stand up Chris! I thought this was going to be you standing by your words,” noted someone else.
Some ‘Bachelor’ Fans Felt Harrison Missed the Mark
Not all of the feedback from fans was complimentary toward Harrison, though.
“I listened to both episodes today and felt disappointed… I’m stuck wondering where is the actual self-reflection and personal growth? Where is the depth and the nuance? Everything seemed surface-level and expected and one-dimensional,” detailed another “Bachelor” fan on Instagram.
“Without context you would think his podcast is about being released from death row after a wrongful conviction, rather than being given a $9 million payout in an employment dispute,” noted a Redditor.
“My take away was that this wasn’t to apologize or even rehab his image for those that were upset with him, he made it real clear his intended audience is those who sided with him all along,” added another.
“It’s not an apology if ya don’t name what ya did wrong. No observable progress. Way to go, Chris!” someone else detailed.
After the first two episodes of the podcast were released, Harrison posted on Instagram to tout it had topped the rankings. “You made us #1! The best part is we’re just getting started,” the former “Bachelor” host declared. He also acknowledged, “Thank you hardly seems like enough to express how grateful I am.” Harrison has definitely maintained quite a bit of support from franchise fans who are thrilled to have him back in this way. There are still plenty of critics, though, too, and some “Bachelor Nation” fans may be curious to see how the ratings are going forward now that people have heard the first couple of episodes.